Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 4.djvu/27

 9'fcS. IV. July 1,'99.] 13 NOTES AND QUERIES. this should comprehend everything in one alphabet, and in uniform type. The entries should be printed separately, and not be made to run on continuously. In the early part of this century, when great attention began to be paid to minute topographical and genealogical details, it was thought necessary in antiquarian books, especially those of societies, to make elaborate separate indexes of "persons" and "places." Now, when we have discovered that " things " are of equal—perhaps of greater—importance, we regret the short-sighted policy which neglected to provide an " index of subjects." I may instance the publications of the Surtees Society. Volumes such as the ' Naworth Household Books' and the ' Dur- ham Halmote Rolls' have all their (compara- tively unimportant) persons and places indexed ; but the subjects, many in number and often highly interesting, are left a hope- less mass, without any clue. In these busy days such books are well-nigh useless. W. C. B. Portrait ok Tom Paine (9th S. iii. 285, 391).—On reading the first note it occurred to me that the engraving mentioned could not be on steel in 1792, as I thought steel had not then been used for engraving. On looking at the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica,' eighth edition, 1855, under' Steel,' I find we are cross-referred to iron, which for this purpose was not worth referring to. Under ' Engraving ' (vol. viii. p. 809) it says steel engraving was introduced about 1818 from America; at the same time it gives an instance of steel being used in Eng- land in 1805. In the now antiquated ninth edition, vol. viii., 1878, under 'Engraving,' I failed to find any statement as to the use of steel for engraving, nor could I find anything in Ottley's History of Engraving.' In Haydn's 'Dictionary of Dates,' 1889, p. 320, we are told that 'engraving on soft steel" was introduced into England in the year 1819. I have always had a profound contempt for " steel engravings," from the almost uniformly bad work I have seen. I believe there has been more bad work on steel than any other material. A statement on the title-page of a book that the engravings are "executed on steel" has always been sufficient to deter me from looking further. The ' Encyclopedia Britannica' (ninth edition, above mentioned), vol. viii., 1878, p. 445, says, " Mezzotint engraving is still practised in England with great skill by Cousens and others." Cousens died in 1887, and for some years previous he worked all his mezzotints on steel plates, which of itself is sufficient to show that the most beautiful work can be done on steel. In fact, unless it is stated on the proof that the plate is steel, no person not an expert (and they not always) can say that an engraving was drawn on steel. Mr. Percy Thomas had two etchings in the exhibition of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers this year: one was on copper; the other (quite unusual and done for an experiment),'The Landing-Stage, Gravesend,' was etched (not engraved) on steel. The work is quite as free as if on copper, and not even an expert could tell the difference. The number of proofs that can be taken from steel is almost limitless. Copper, on the other hand, soon shows signs of wear. This is now got over by putting a steel facing over the copper, as to which I need say nothing, as the process is, I believe, mentioned in most text-books. Steel facing is not noticed in the ' Encyclopedia Britannica,' though practised in London by M. Joubert in 1860, if not earlier. The disadvantage of steel is that it is much more difficult to bite in, as the acid acts so rapidly, and it is liable to rust, the least rust - mark making an impression in the proof. Copper is far nicer to work on, and presents fewer technical difficulties to an etcher. Though in youth I mastered the technical difficulties of etching on copper and printed my own plates, I never tried steel. I think we may be pretty certain that a portrait engraved in 1792 was not on steel. Ralph Thomas. The engraving by Sharp of Romney's por- trait of Tom Paine is dated 20 April, 1793, whereas the portrait in the Carlton House Magazine appeared in August, 1792. H. H. Payne. Southsea. "Janissary" (9th S. iii. 384, 454)—There is more than one difficulty in accepting the derivation of this word from the Persian Jdn-nisdri, however tempting such an ety- mology may appear to an Indian official familiar with that language. In the first place, Jdn-nisdr may possibly mean "one who exposes or devotes his life" — I say '' possibly," for I am doubtful if the expres- sion occurs in classical Persian; but Jdn- nisdri would mean the act of devotion, not the person who performed it. In the next place, the word wnich is spelt " Janissary " in English is undoubtedly spelt Yengi-cMri in Turkish, as a reference to any dictionary of that language will show (cf. Redhouse's