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Patrons.-The Archbishops of Canterbury and of York, and nearly all the Bishops. Council.-Lord Hawkesbury, G. E. Cokayne, Clarenceux, Rev. Canon Mayo, J. C. Challenor Smith, Esq., Francis Collins, M.D., G. W. Marshall, Rouge Croix, J. Paul Rylands, Esq. Hon. Treas.-W. F. Irvine, Esq., 4. Eaton Road, Birkenhead. Hon. Sec.-E. A. Fry, Esq., 172, Edmund Street, Birmingham. Formed for the purpose of transcribing and printing the Parish Registers of England and Wales. Prospectus and full particulars from the Hon. Sec. THE AUTHOR'S HAIRLESS AMERICAN PAPER-PAD. (The LEADENHALL PRESS, Ltd., Publishers and Printers, Contains hairless paper, over which the pen slips with perfect freedom Sixpence each. 58. per dozen, ruled or plain. New Pocket Size, 3s. per dozen, ruled or plain. Authors should note that The Leadenhall Press, Ltd., cannot be responsible for the loss of MS8. by fire or otherwise. Duplicate copies should be retained. 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NOTES:-King Alfred': a Long Poem-Letter from Lord == Derby, 101-Eliza Meteyard-Cyclops or Cyclop "City of Lushington," 103-Regimental Nicknames-Rubbing Eyes with Gold for Luck - "Horse-Gentler" Wigwam": "Tepee"-Box-irons - Coincidence in Names Orientation of Churches, 104-Eighteenth-Century Advertisement Competition-Word Corruption-Literature for Soldiers, 105-A Son of George II.-Lucan Quotation-A Bulgarian Bard, 106. QUERIES:-"Hurry" Staith - "Hirst GovernorGeneral of Madras-Sir H. Linthorne-St. HierethaLytes of Lytes Cary-"See how these Christians love one another" Highland Incantation, 107 Proverbs in Jacula Prudentum'-"Irish Fearagurthok" Davis Arms-"Nostoc"-Poker Virtue - "Bottle,' St. Paul's Churchyard-Sir A. Keck-Empress Eugénie-Drawings by Sir J. Gilbert, 108-Classical Reference Wanted-John Thurbane-Haydon's Pictures-Authors Wanted, 109. REPLIES:-Welsh MS. Pedigrees, 109-Bill of ExchangeEgyptian Chessmen-Marriage Gift, 111-Name SwiggAfrican Names-"Hoyt "-"Hoodock"-St. Michael's Church, Bassishaw, 113-Pewter Marks-" Thé Beurré”The Mint-Number of Baronets in each Reign-New Critical Review of Public Buildings,' &c., 114-Norman Gizer"-Bensted Family - Emery Family-Shepherdess Walk-Misquotation, 115-The late Mr. Quaritch - The Discoverer of Photography, 116-" Petigrewe," 117. NOTES ON BOOKS :-Piper's 'Church Towers of Somerset-Upper Norwood Athenæum Record '-' Lambkin's "Wroth Silver," 112 - Old Church at Chingford-South Remains-Reviews and Magazines. Notices to Correspondents. Hotes. 'KING ALFRED,' BY FITCHETT: IN 1897 (8th S. xi. 498) appeared a note on Dr. Beaumont, in which the writer (R. R.) spoke of 'Psyche; or, Love's Mystery,' as one of the longest poems in the English language. As to length a Warrington poet has far surpassed Beaumont. Psyche (second edition, 1702) has twenty-four cantos, making, including the arguments, only 38,688 lines. 'King Alfred,' a poem by John Fitchett, is in forty-eight books, containing in all 131,150 lines. The last book (2,585 lines) was written by Robert Roscoe, who edited Fitchett's poem after the latter's death, and wrote the forty-eighth book to complete the work, Fitchett having failed to exhaust his subject in 128,565 lines. The poem was published by Pickering in 1841 in 6 vols. 8vo. An incomplete edition was printed in Warrington by J. Haddock, and then J. & J. Haddock, for Cadell, Davies, and others, 5 vols. 4to., 1808-34. These quartos were, I believe, never published, but given to friends. The quarto poem was divided into twenty-two books. The shortest book has 863 lines, the longest 23,045 Mr. Madeley, the librarian of the Warrington Museum and Library, gives the number as 131,238. lines. The title is 'Alfred,' not 'King Alfred.' Vol. i. (1808) is dedicated by permission to the king. Roscoe, in his preface to the Pickering edition, in which he does not mention the first edition, excepting that he speaks of the first volume having been called in by Fitchett, refers to the poem as "an Herculean labour, which had it been found in the centre of the loftiest pyramid of Egypt might have been considered as a specimen well worthy of the massive character of that land of wonders, and of the shrine in which it was inclosed." Allibone does not say anything about Fitchett, but says, under 'Robert Roscoe,' that he "was the author of 'Alfred, an Epic Poem,"" whereas he wrote no more than 2,585 lines of 'King Alfred.' A copy of the incomplete edition was bought by the Warrington Museum and Library in 1882 at Sotheby's, when the library of the late John Fitchett Marsh, formerly of Fairfield House, Warrington, and late of Hardwick House, Chepstow, was sold. Our library also possesses a copy of the second edition (not called second edition). Mr. Marsh was a nephew of Fitchett, and at one time his partner in the locally well-known firm of Fitchett & Marsh, solicitors, Warrington. Probably 'King Alfred' is the longest poem in the English language, perhaps in any language. The Warrington Library in its collection of local books has also the manuscript of 'Alfred,' as well as several minor poems of Fitchett, published or printed mostly at Warrington. Fitchett was born at Liverpool, 21 Sept., 1776, and died at Warrington, 20 Oct., 1838. See Profiles of Warrington Worthies,' collected, &c., by James Kendrick, M.D., Warrington, 1853. The poem ought not to be estimated by its weight, though doubtless it is very heavy, but rather by its length. In the MS. the lines average at least six inches. Taking that as the length per line, the total length would be a little over 12 miles 3 furlongs. A critique of this portentous poem appeared in the Spectator of 20 April, 1844. The writer confesses that he has only dipped into 'King Alfred.' There is a good deal about Fitchett and his works in the Palatine Note - Book, vol. ii. p. 168. ROBERT PIERPOINT. St. Austin's, Warrington. LETTER FROM LORD DERBY TO in 1840 the art of epistolary correspondence SINCE the introduction of the Penny Post has been dying out, and it is rarely that one meets with a letter of later date either of much general interest or in good style. The following-in my collection of autographswritten in his twenty-fifth year, when residing at the Albany, by the Hon. E. H. Stanley, shortly afterwards known as Lord Stanley, and subsequently fifteenth Earl of Derby (b. 1826; d. 1893), to his friend and, if I remember rightly, late fellow-student of Trinity (Camb.), Charles Astor Bristed, the author (b. 1820; d. 1874), at Washington, U.S., is, however, an exception to the rule, and (as containing references to the then prevailing epidemic of catarrh called "influenza," to our first Great Exhibition, to the recent changes in the Government, the "No Popery" agitation, and other matters of considerable public interest) deserving of publication. It will be noted that the writer terms his letter "short and dull," but this is in the humorous vein which runs throughout: justice, of the talking of the New York coteries: had you only seen London ten days back, you would have gone home reconciled to your country, and patriotic for life. We have cooled down for the present, but I expect fresh troubles before the autumn. For myself I left Paris about a fortnight after to Madrid, thence returned you, rambled on 66 through the South of France, paid Lord Brougham Albany, London, March 9th, 1851. DEAR BRISTED,-You will owe this epistle in part to your pamphlet of last year, which arrived in safety, and was eagerly read: and also to an influenza, as I believe the learned in such things call it, which keeps me at home half-deaf, nearly dumb, and altogether lazy. I never knew until now that doing nothing was so amusing an occupation as I find it: the discovery once made, I shall profit by it in future. We are a nation of invalids, and France, at least Paris, is the same. They say there are there 40,000 people ill with colds, coughs, &c. I don't put much faith in such social statistics, but certainly London does nothing but sneeze and wheeze in chorus. This is since the ministerial When I first came home, I found England in one crisis: then everybody was too busy, too anxious, of its periodical fits of No-Popery madness. No or too impatient for news, to recollect that they one could speak, write, or think, of anything except were ill. As I see none of your papers except the the Pope and Cardinal Wiseman: it reminded me New York Herald, and that only in the edition in- of the three months immediately before a Pretended for Europe, I never know to what extent sidential election. Among the mob the feeling the transatlantic editors keep you misinformed on amounted to frenzy. You may judge whether this the state of affairs here. Our penny-a-liners com- is exaggeratic, when I tell you that soon after Wisebine on such occasions not only to tell all that is man came over, his legal adviser (a Mr. Bagshaw) passing, but a great deal more into the bargain: asked him to dinner. On the day for which his and the inventive powers of "our own correspond-party was fixed, the butler came and told him that ents" have been heavily taxed in the course of the "other people might do as they liked, but for his last few weeks. The history is briefly this. Govern- part, he had a soul to be saved, and he could not ment found themselves weak, and grew weary of reconcile it to his conscience to wait upon Papists." being baited every night in the speeches, and often The man persisted, and left his place accordingly. beaten in the division: besides, they had raised Can you fancy this in England, and in 1851? I heard difficulties innumerable, which they could not the story directly from the person concerned. It settle, and durst not leave alone, but which they really ought to be set down to our credit politically, hoped to have the satisfaction of bequeathing to that we have done everything to discourage this their successors: so one fine morning they resigned, mania. Had we chosen to avail ourselves of it, we and we tried our chance. During three or four might long ago have been carried into Downing days we thought ourselves nearly certain of success: Street on a high tide of fanaticism. To be sure we unluckily our intended colleagues did not agree should have had a civil war in Ireland: but there with us, and looked on at our efforts as an English are some speculators who say that such an event man (according to some authors) looks on at a row: rather strengthens a government, since nobody in the end it failed, and things remain as they were. dares then oppose their measures for fear of being The most peculiar feature of these political changes suspected of abetting revolution. is the immense amount of slander and gossip which they produce: no old maid in a country town could invent or circulate half the scandals which on these occasions are hatched in the clubs, and passed round from one grave politician to another. You used to complain, and as far as I could judge, with perfect We have no new books of much interest, except a posthumous memoir of Lord Holland's, containing much scandal, not exactly about Queen Elizabeth, but what is hardly newer, about Marie Antoinette. A minister's politics follow him into the grave: the rival reviews have praised and |