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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. ix. APRIL 26, 1002.

Isabella. I know several instances of "the usage at the present time. Paterson, in his ' Contemporaries of Burns,' introduces the notice of Isobel Pagan of Muirkirk with the remark, " Isobel or Tibbie Pagan is the re- puted authoress of the following version of 'Ca'the Yowes to the Knowes.'" Through- out his article he uses Tibbie as often as Isobel, thus, no doubt, recording the name by which the beldam had been familiarly known in her lifetime. THOMAS BAYNE.

In the spurious second part of 'Don Quixote ' there is a passage, bk. vi. chap. iii. p. 348, of Capt. John Stevens's translation (1705), which may be of use in discussing this expression. Sancho Panza is made to say, " What will my poor master Don Quixote be in the hands of that confounded Goliah, who is like to sell all our guts for fiddle- strings, if good Saint Tib does not assist us 1 " I am unable to refer to the original or to any of the three other English translations. Perhaps some of my fellow-readers will do so and let us know the result. " Saint Tib " might be a similar translation to "By Jingo," into which the " Par Dieu " of Rabelais was turned. E. G. B.

"PULQUE" (9 th S. ix. 226). Though not bearing upon the point in question, the fol- lowing extract from Ruxton's ' Mexico ' may be found interesting :

"From every Pulque-shop is heard the twanging of guitars, and the quivering notes of thecantadores, who excite the guests to renewed potations by their songs in praise of the grateful liquor."

The popular chorus of one of these is : Sabe que es pulque ?

Licor divino o ! Lo beben los angeles

En el sereno o,

which is thus poetically rendered : Know ye what pulque is ?

Liquor divine ! Angels in heaven

Prefer it to wine.

N. BUCHANAN.

COMIC ANNUAL (9 th S. ix. 1 88). The work about which POMANDER is seeking informa- tion, " which appeared about sixty years ago," was Hood's ' Comic Annual,' 1830-42. It was run upon very similar lines to Cruik- shank's * Comic Almanack,' but without the artistic aid of King George. The illustra- tions, the literary part, the jokes, and so on, were, with a few exceptions, entirely the work of Tom Hood. His drawings, though cut by the best engravers of the time Bonner, Branston,and others were strangely crude ; yet they were full of originality, wit,

and true genius. He has had as an artist (although at the period shamefully pirated from) only one genuine imitator. As the last-named artist is still with us I refrain from mentioning names. In " Dicks's Eng- lish Library " (published quite recently) will be found many of the poems and drawings of Hood which appeared in his ' Comic Annual.' To the best of my knowledge it was in Hood's ' Comic Annual ' that Sir John Gilbert (frontispiece, 1839) and John Leech, who illustrated the entire volume for 1842, made their (almost) maiden attempts at woodcut illustrations. It is true that Leech had drawn for Punch early in 1841 ; but his talents were not at the time appreciated very highly by the promoters of the London Charivari. The publishers of Hood's ' Comic Annual ' were : 1830, Hurst, Chance & Co. ; 1831-4, Charles Tilt ; 1835-9, A. H. Baily & Co.; 1842, Henry Colburn. The 'Annual' did not appear in 1840, and seems to have been finally discontinued in 1842, probably owing to Hood's unfortunate illness. Original copies of the ' Comic Annual ' are now very scarce ; bound volumes in " mint " condition should be of some value. HERBERT B. CLAYTON. 39, Renfrew Road, Lower Kennington Lane.

MATHEWS OF TRURO (9 th S. ix. 229). The two following extracts from a catalogue re- cently received from Mr. James Coleman, of Tottenham Terrace, Tottenham, London, N., may afford some clue to MR. MATTHEWS, as Norfolk and Cornwall have been tried with- out success :

" 11. Berkshire. Deed between Anne Lane, of Banbury, and Sarah Playdell, of the city of Oxford, and Edward Bacon, of Milton, in the county of Berks, gent., relates to land, &c., there in the tenure of William Mathews, in the town of Abing- don, with signatures and seals of Sarah Playdell and Edward Bacon ; dated 1695."

"283. Mathews [sic] Family and their Estates, in the county of Essex, in the parishes of Kelve- don, Coggeshall, Witham, Boxted, and places adjoining, sold by the Court of Chancery in January, 1785; gives the names of the tenants and farms, the rentals and terms, quantities, acres, &c,, &c. [of] the estates of the late Daniel Mathew, Esq. This is in [a] good state, 16 pages folio. The trial took place in 1784 and the sale in 1785."

Note. "Maybe there is a good balance waiting in the Court for some fortunate family of Mathew yet."

I understand my uncle-in-law, the Rev. Joseph Hardinge- Matthews, of Hollywood, near Birmingham, and his brother William (?) were born at Newbury, Berkshire. Their father, I believe, had grounds for thinking he was the heir of a relation who died many years ago, leaving large estates in Jamaica