Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 5.djvu/520

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NOTES AND QUERIES.

s. v. j raE 23, 1900.

proofs. On p. 4 we find William Maitland, the historian of Edinburgh, spoken of as "her." We could, if we wished to be censorious, point to graver errors. The book is, however, pleasant and readable enough, and is to be regarded as homage rather than history. It is freely illustrated, and some of the pictures are excellent. A not very attractive portrait of the Duchess of St. Albans is among them. We should have preferred a reproduction of Romney's portrait exhibited at Burlington House in 1887, or if that or the pictures in the possession of Lady Burdett Coutts are not accessible, the well-known engraving of her in the character of Cherry would have answered. British Music Publishers, Printers, and Engravers,

London, Provincial, Scottish, and Irish. By

Frank Kidson. (Hill & Sons.)

IN issuing, in dictionary form, a list, to be hereafter extended, of British music publishers and early music typographers, Mr. Kidson, to whom is owing ' Traditional Tunes,' has secured, by reference to imprints, the dates of the vast mass of undated musical publications ranging from 1700 to 1825. For an effort in this direction Dr. Burney, we are told, clamoured a hundred years ago. This is, however, the first attempt to deal with the subject. Many years have been occupied with the task, and much original and important matter has been brought to light. How thorough is the workmanship and how important the information supplied will be seen by those turning to such headings as Playford or Wright. The book, which covers the period between the reign of Queen Elizabeth and the first quarter of the present century, is intended to serve, not only musical antiquaries, but librarians, booksellers, and bibliographers generally. This desirable end is accomplished, and the work, which is issued in a limited edition, is likely to meet with the warm reception it merits.

WE have received Part 1. of the Life and Times of Queen Victoria (Cassell & Co.), with a special personal memoir by Mrs. Oliphant. The frontis- piece reproduces very agreeably the well-known picture ' Your Majesty,' and a well-executed por- trait of Her Majesty accompanies the part.

WE have also received from Messrs. Dawbarn & Ward two parts of the Photominiature, and from Messrs. Methuen & Co. the inspiriting Matabele Campaign, and the no less stirring Downfall of Prempeh, both in a sixpenny edition, with illustra- tions by the author, Col. S. S. Baden-Powell.

DR. BRUSHFIELD, F.S.A., has reprinted from the Journal of the British Archaeological Association his excellent paper, read at Buxton last July, on Arbor Low, which he regards as one of the oldest prehistoric monuments in England, older than either Abury or Stonehenge.

DR. JOHN YOUNG, Keeper of the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, has sent us two interesting pamphlets, The Making of a Book and Three English Medical MSS., 1550-1660.

THE use of acoustic jars, boundary stones, and small bells such as serve for domestic purposes, are all discussed in the recent numbers of the Inter- mediaire. In regard to the last it appears that the secret museum at Naples contains some very curious Pompeian door-bells. Their indecency was probably intended to counteract the evil-eye of any one seeking to enter the dwelling which they orna- mented. Two interesting communications on the

lack of musical sensitiveness in certain r>eorle arp published in the number for 7 May. Poets It would seem, have frequently but a dull elr in this reject A list of harmonious verse-makers who have failed to appreciate music might be of use both to the physiologist and the psychologist, for at first sight it is astonishing that the faculty of hearing should be highly developed in one direction and Abortive m the other. In the issue for 22 May is an article on the practice of wearing the sword on the dexter !i e ', i e Koman soldiers carried the sword at the right because they bore a buckler on the left and their scabbard was not attached to the belt', but to the baldric, which allowed the weapon to be easily seized by the right hand when tKrapof the baldric was drawn a little forward by the left while the Roman officers, not having a buckler had the sword at the left in the time of C^sar, anS could suspend it indifferently, either from the baldric or the waistbelt." Further articles touch on the use of the bee and the swan in heraldry, and on the literature devoted to cats, the first of twelve sonnets addressed by Taine to his household favourites being printed in full.

THE first article in Melusine for March-April relates to the phenomena known as visual and auditive mirages, which are necessarily of great importance m the unravelling of many folk-tales.

Ine moment will come without doubt when all illusions of the desert will be submitted to a methodical examination making the necessary division between hallucination, fantasv and reality *\ Till then the folk-lorist does well who collects instances of phantasmagoria and " mirages ot sound. The second paper relates to the ' Pre- feres du Bon Dieu,' while the third is another instal- ment of M. Tuchmann's voluminous work on the evil-eye.

We must call special attention to the following

ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for rmb- hcation, 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 rules 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. When answer- ing queries, or making notes with regard to previous entries m the paper, contributors are requested to put m parentheses, immediately after the exact heading, the series, volume, and page or pages to which they refer. Correspondents who repeat queries are requested to head the second com- munication " Duplicate."

G. A. B. We cannot insert unless correct refer- ences are given, as the rules above request.

T. W. ("Weeping Infant ").- Answered 8* S.

X. loO.

MOTICE.

S&3S8S Comm " ni cations should be addressed to "The Editor of 'Notes and Queries '"-Advertise- merits and Business Letters to "The Publisher" at the Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.G. 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