Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/517

 9* s. vii. JUNE 29, 1901.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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if an account was given of the above incident. Mr. Stewart was born on 24 December, 1759, and I am desirous of ascertaining some par- ticulars of his parentage. He was twice married, first to Mary Bignall in July, 1781, and secondly to Mary Beves in September, 1790, by both of whom he had several children.

CHARLES STEWART. 22, Gloucester Road, Stoke Newington, N.

AUTHORS OF BOOKS WANTED. The Travels and Adventures of William Bing- field, 1753. 2 vols. 12m o.

A Narrative of the Life and Astonishing Adven- tures of John Daniel, 1751. 12mo.

Inquiry as to the authorship of these two books was made at 2 nd S. v. 108, 157, but to no purpose. To the particulars there given I may add that the former contains a frontis- piece by Boitard and the latter four curious plates by the same artist, a second edition of this being issued in 1770 without the plates. In 1848 Mr. Charles Clark printed at his private press at Great Totham, Essex,

" Flying and no Failure ; or Aerial Transit accomplished more than a Century ago: being a minute descriptive account of 'a most surprising Engine,' extracted from 'The Life, &c., of John Daniel.'"

In Lockhart's * Life of Scott ' (first edition, vol. iii. p. 313) we read :

"On the fly-leaf of the first volume [of Bingfield's 'Travels and Adventures'] Scott has written as follows: 'I read this scarce little "Voyage Imaginaire " when I was about ten years old, and long after sought for a copy without being able to find a person who would so much as acknowledge having heard of William Bingfield or his Dog-birds, until the indefatigable kindness of my friend Mr. Terry, of the Hay-Market, made me master of this copy. I am therefore induced to think the book is of very rare occurrence.' "

C. D.

BLOOD AS A PROPHYLACTIC. The Duchess of Choiseul, when writing to Madame du Deffand in June, 1767, speaks of a Marquis Ginori, a man of good position in Tuscany, who had applied his wealth to introducing many social improvements into his country :

" His death was a public calamity. He died of apoplexy. While he was still breathing a charlatan thought of suggesting that he should be rubbed with human blood ; then all his servants eagerly con- tended for the honour of giving him their blood, many piercing themselves before they could be pre- vented, and causing it to flow to give to their master." " Correspondance Complete de Madame du Deffand avec la Duchesse de Choiseul, 1'Abbe Barthelemy et M. Craufurt, public avec une introduction par M. le Marquis de Sainte-Aulaire," tome i. p. 118.

Is blood still a popular cure for apoplexy in Italy ? M. P.

SUSANNA HOPTON, DEVOTIONAL WRITER, 162,7-1709. W. R. Williams, in his recently issued 'History of the Great Sessions in Wales, 1542-1830,' p. 109, states that this Susanna Hopton, the wife of Richard Hop- ton, the Welsh judge, was "daughter of Sir William Harvey, of an ancient Staffordshire family." There was, however, no Sir William Harvey belonging to a family of that county, nor indeed any person of those names, to whom the statement could refer. I shall be glad if any of your correspondents can eluci- date her parentage from authentic sources, and also give the place and date both of her baptism and marriage. If she left a will, in what court was it proved ? I am aware of the biographical notice relating to her in the'D.N.B.' E. C.

" GRAND TOUR." Is there any known use of this term before 1692 ? Is there any book dealing specifically with the " Grand Tour " ? Of course I know of many references to the and other periodical publications.
 * ' Grand Tour " in the Gentleman's Magazine

GEORGE WHALE.

17, Vanbrugh Park, Blackheath, S.E.

SMOKING A COBBLER. Steele's Spectator, No. 358. has, "After which they have gone in a body and smoaked a co61er " (sic). What does this mean ? ** Smoke " does not appear to be used in the same sense as " to smoke " =find out, used by Shakespeare, Addison, Goldsmith, and Scott, as pointed out lately in 9 th S. iii. 406; iv. 355. Then why should these "very merry fellows," as they are called a few lines before, devote their ** smoking " attentions to a cobbler rather than to any other

rude mechanicals

That work for bread upon ' the London ' stalls ? Is cobbler a " souter " here, or has it a cryptic meaning 1 JONATHAN BOUCHIER.

[Does not "smoke" mean "smoke out," as we say now fumigate the cobbler's stall ?]

"THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP." When did the house in Lincoln's Inn Fields first bear this title ? It is quite certain from Charles Dickens's words that it cannot possibly be the one that he wrote about :

"He [Kit] sometimes took them to the street where she had lived, but new improvements had altered it so much it was not the same ; the old house had been long ago pulled down and a fine broad road was in its place." Is it known where the original house was situated? ANDREW OLIVER.

[Mr. Kitton's note to ' The Old Curiosity Shop ' in the "Rochester Edition" (Methuen) just pub-