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 550 [9* S. IV. Dec. 30, '99. NOTES AND QUERIES. In view of the partial reconstruction which has this year been accomplished these labours may well have been tripled. No case of interest equal to that of the earldom of Cromartie, to which pre- viously we referred, comes up in the present volume. Since the death of the sixth Earl Poulett, however, on 22 January last, no claimant to the title has established his right. In this case, accord- ingly as in that of the earldom of Milltown, the editor leaves the whole in abeyance until such time as the right is established. The peerage is, of course, up to date, being corrected to the end ot November. In this short time even the cruel irony of fate and the terrible possibilities of war have battled normal calculations, and the entry concerning the Marquess of Winchester, the premier marquess of England, may be expunged, as may that concerning the heir to the proudly won peerage of Roberts ot Kandahar. "We will not think of themes like these," neither will we dwell upon the losses such as that of the Dukes of Beaufort and Westminster, the Marquess of lownshend, the Earl of Wharncliffe, and many others whose places were difficult to fill, even though their demise came about in the fulness of years. Through all vicissitudes of life Burke s Peerage maintains its place with the antiquary, the his- torian, the genealogist, the herald, and we cannot think of ourselves without this best and most trustworthy of guides. We are not disposed to envy Mr. Burke the labour that we fear, ab.nl omen, will await him at the close of the coming year but we are glad to think that bis work is not likely to fail us. In dimensions the volume is largely increased, since we find that the shelves that somewhat grudgingly accepted the previous issue decline to admit the present. The Englishwoman's Year - Book and Directory. Edited by Emily Janes. (A. & C. Black.) This useful publication, which has now been in existence twenty years, has reached the second ■ear of the new issue. The information supplied nas been carefully verified and extended, and the work is of extreme utility to those for whom it is specially intended. Its circulation needs not be confined to such, since masculine readers are now compelled to take an active interest in feminine proceedings, of which this constitutes an unusually satisfactory record. An Almanack for 1900. By Joseph Whitaker, F.S.A. (Whitaker.) .,.,*. v. f Such changes as appear in the latest number ot 'Whitaker's Almanack' are principally connected with geographical expansion or kindred subjects. An historical record is afforded of Boer grievances : Egypt and the Soudan provinces have received special attention; the colonial and foreip section has been thoroughly revised ; new maps have been inserted in the geographical section, illustrating the British Guiana settlement, the Anglo-German agreement in West Africa, the Anglo-French con- vention in the Nile Valley, and the Petersburg to Peking railway. With these and other improve- ments ' Whitaker' worthily maintains its position, indispensable and unique among books of reference. Whitaker's Peerage for 1900. (Whitaker.) With the still juvenile publication constituting a cheap and convenient guide to the titled classes has been amalgamated the ' Windsor Peerage. A special feature in it consists of an Index to Lounty „ Seats and Residences,' which is likely to be of service, and almost constitutes in itself a separate work of reference. Our readers will hear with pleasure of the §resentation on 21 December to the Rev. Prof, keat of a portrait of himself, which will, it is anti- cipated, find a permanent resting-place in Christ's College, Cambridge, the Professor's own college. The presentation was made at the close of the address which, as President of the Modern Language Association, he delivered before that body at its annual general meeting held in the theatre of the University of London. The picture, which is an admirable likeness, was the result of a subscription headed by the Bishops of London, Durham, and Bristol, and including the vice-chancellors of all our principal universities, and very many of the most eminent scholars of various countries. Mr. Israel Gollancz, as hon. sec. of the movement, gave its history, and of those who spoke in praise of Prof. Skeat's devotion to literature and services to it were Mr. A. T. Pollard, of the City of London School ; Mr. F. Storr, of the Merchant Taylors' School; Dr. Peile, the Master of Christ's, Cam- bridge; Dr. Furnivall; Prof. Hales; Sir Walter Besant; Mr. Sidney Lee, editor of the ' Dictionary of National Biography'; and the Editor of 'N. & Q.,' with one or two others whose names we were unable to grasp. In acknowledging the presentation Prof. Skeat recited a fine poem of his own composition which we hope to set before our readers. The whole occasion had exceptional interest, and a more worthily earned testimonial has rarely been accorded. It is pleasant to know that a replica of the painting will be given to Mrs. Skeat, the Professor's wife and participant in his labours. gjtoliass to ©tfrrfsnontotjj. We must call special attention to the following notices:— On all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. We cannot undertake to answer queries privately. To secure insertion of communications corre- spondents must observe the following rule. Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. Correspond- ents who repeat queries are requested to head the second communication " Duplicate." Kelso.—Your lines, which you do not quote very correctly, you will find in Arnold's ' Geist's Grave,' stanza vi. p. 486 of the single-volume edition of his ' Poems.' NOTICE. Editorial Communications should be addressed to "The Editor of 'Notes and Queries'"—Advertisa- ments and Business Letters to "The Publisher"— at the Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E. C. We beg leave to state that we decline to return communications which, for any reason, we do not print; and to this rule we can make no exception. Terms or Subscription by Post. For Twelve Months For Six Month! ... 1 0 0 10