Mr. Gray has therefore done good service in reprinting the copy of the list of contents made for Mr. G. A. Matthew some years ago, and now in the Cambridge University Library, which seems, as far as we have checked it, to be an. accurate one. Unfortunately, he does not appear to have collated it with Sir F. Madden's printed Index, and many entries there are not to be found in this list-e.g., the correspondence of Sir John Hinde Cotton with Cole does not appear under either name. Mr. Matthew's copyist seems to have reserved to himself an unsuspected liberty of omission. The book is well arranged and printed. THIS is the seventy-fifth year of issue of The English Catalogue,' a work of reference invaluable to all associated with the world of books. If any one of our readers is the happy possessor of the previous seventy-four volumes, we heartily congratulate him. We have here in one alphabet the most sensible plan of cataloguing-a complete list of the books published during the past year, and this shows the highest number ever recorded in the United Kingdom for a single year, reaching the huge total of 10,914, an increase of 110 on 1910. How public excitement interferes with publishing is seen during last year in June, the Coronation month, when only 673 books were issued. However, the depression was but tem-graphy and ecclesiastical works; and Part III. porary, for in October the number mounted up to 1,527 (a record). The statistics for the past eleven years, including 1911, not only bear witness to a remarkable increase in the number of works published, but also make it clear that this increase is evenly distributed over all classes of literature. This is proved by the classified table adopted by the International Congress of Librarians at Brussels in 1910. What surprises us is the fact that the number of works on music should be so small during last year; only 52 were published, and these included two new editions. No other subject gives so low a figure. The highest, naturally, is that for fiction, with 2,215 entries, including 933 new editions. The next, numerically, is religion930 entries, including 128 new editions; next comes sociology, proving how rapidly interest in this subject has grown-725 entries, new editions 55. Poetry and the drama come next, followed by science-650 entries, 108 new editions. Technology shows up well, with 525 entries. The increase in the annual total number of books issued during ten years-from 1901-is marvellous in that year the total was 6,044, and WE have received Part I. of A Guide to Books on Ireland, edited by Stephen J. Brown, S.J. (Dublin, Hodges, Figgis & Co.; London, Longmans). This deals with prose literature, poetry, music, and plays; Part II. will contain biolast two parts has already been collected to a miscellaneous sections. The material for the great extent, but their publication has been delayed owing to the editor's lack of sufficient leisure; as moreover, the reception accorded to the present volume will determine what is done to further publication. We heartily hope that the reception may be such as to encourage the editor to proceed with his plan. For, as he reminds us in his Preface, Ireland does little of her own publishing, and the English houses from which Irish books are issued do not trouble to keep them in print. The Irish reading public is small, and thus the treasures of a literature, which is precious as possessing qualities no other literature possesses, tend to become lost and forgotten. Still, a few names have by this time penetrated beyond the circle of lovers of Ireland and lovers of poetry, and have begun to arouse interest in that general public for whom this work of “vulgarization We think no better is intended. way could have been found to inform and stimulate this incipient interest than the way taken by So far as the the editor of this bibliography. Irish books of any importance are concerned, his lists are exhaustive. To the necessary details of title, author, date, number of pages, publisher, The value of the volume is further enhanced and price is added, in the great majority of by an Appendix containing lists of the publica-instances, a short account of the work in question tions of Learned Societies and Printing Clubs. -intentionally rather descriptive than critical, There is also a Directory of Publishers. Every yet not without useful discrimination. praise is due to Mr. James Douglas Stewart for the time and labour he has bestowed in making the contents so complete. in 1910 10,804. Mr. Holloway has made the list of Irish plays, which fills about half the volume. The earliest is The Pride of Life,' a morality performed at Holy Trinity Church, Dublin, about the middle Index to the Contents of the Cole Manuscripts in of the sixteenth century. The list includes any the British Museum. By George J. Gray. plays into which Irish characters are introOld Fortunatus,' With a Portrait of Cole. (Cambridge, Bowes & duced-e.g., King Henry V.,' Bowes.) The White Devil,' and so on. The twentiethEVERYBODY interested in the history of Cam-century plays alone equal in number the total of bridgeshire and of Cambridge Colleges will be the rest; and Mr. Holloway prefaces them by a brief discussion of the characteristics of the new glad to have in a handy form this Index to the Celtic drama and of the criticism it has evoked enormous mass of manuscript collections made by Cole, and left, after much hesitation, to the both in Ireland and America. British Museum. Sir Frederic Madden's very full of Poetry and Prose alike occur names all too Catalogue is difficult to obtain in the ordinary little known to the general reader, and that to his way, leaving out of account the fact that it was printed in the now despised form of a folio; and though the manuscript Subject Catalogue in the Museum Library itself is useful and almost exhaustive, it can only be consulted on the spot. loss. Under the heads We hope that every public library will add this volume to its open reference shelves, and that many a lover of books will consult it as an aid to the building up of a representative library. BOOKSELLERS' CATALOGUES.-MARCH. 66 THE Catalogue of books on Tudor and Early Stuart Literature (No. 52) sent to us by Mr. P. M. Barnard of Tunbridge Wells runs to 203 items. Thomas Stafford's Pacata Hibernia,' a copy which has the rare genuine map of Munster, folio, printed in London 1633, is offered for 81. 108.; and Parkinson's Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris,' the first edition, bound in old calf, in some places injured by having had flowers pressed in it, for 91. 58. There is a first edition of Roger Bieston's The Bayte and Snare of Fortune....Treated in a Dialogue between Man and Money,' with the author's name given in an acrostic on the verso of the last leaf-a good sound copy, 1550 (?), for 91. 9s.; and a first edition of Cotgrave's The English Treasury of Wit and Language, collected out of the most and best of our English Drammatick Poems: Methodically digested into Common Places for General Use,' 1655, for 12l. 10s. A black-letter Erasmus, 'Praise of Folie,' Englisshed by sir Thomas Chaloner Knight," 1549, a first edition of the English translation, costs 71. 78.; and a copy of Caxton's translation of the Recuile of the Histories of Troie' (Raoul le Fevre), in the third edition, which was printed by William Copland in 1553, is offered for 10l. 10s. For 101. is also offered a quarto volume in half russia containing, bound together, two first editions, the one in black letter of Peter Whitehorne's translation of Machiavelli's Art of War,' 1560, and the other Whitehorne's own book on "Certain waies for the orderyng of Souldiers in battelray ....And also Fygures of certaine new plattes for fortificacion of Townes: And more ouer, howe to make Saltpeter, Gunpoulder and diuers sortes of Fireworkes or wilde Fyre,' 1562. Nash's The Unfortunate Traveller; or, The Life of Jacke Wilton,' must also be mentioned-a first edition, black-letter, 4to, 1594-offered at 127. 108.; and Tindale's Obedyence of a Chrysten Man,' black-letter, 8vo, printed by Copland in 1561, the price of which is 57. 58. IN Catalogue No. 53 Mr. Barnard offers some 240 books on Scandinavia, many of which should be of value to students. The Diplomaterium Islandicum, vols. i. to vi. complete, and parts of vols. vii. and viii., 1857-1906, for 21. 58. ; Peringskiold's Monumentorum Suco-Gothicorum, Liber Primus,' 1 vol., folio, published at Stockholm 1710-19, having with it Monumenta Ullerakerensia,' which forms "Liber Secundus," for 31. 38.; and the Natural History of Norway,' 1755, by Erich Pontoppidan, Bishop of Bergen, for 11. 78., are the most important of the more general works; but we must not omit a copy, to be had for 128. 6d., of the Kongs-Skugg-Sio,' the Speculum Regale,' which contains Scandi · This navian versions of ancient Irish tales. edition was printed in 1768. Of reprints of the Sagas and Eddas, the most valuable is a complete set of William Morris's and Eirikr Magnusson's Saga Library," one of 125 numbered large-paper copies, for which 47. 108. is asked. collection of MSS. from the library of David Garrick. The latter includes fourteen items which are offered separately, the most costly being the first sketch of The Clandestine Marriage,' partly in Garrick's, partly in George Colman's handwriting, 361.; three pages of Cymon,' a fairy story, entirely in Garrick's handwriting, 151. 158.; and the part of Lysander in Home's tragedy of Agis, performed by Garrick on the first production of the play, and here annotated in his handwriting, 71. 158. A letter of Charles Lamb's to Moxon, giving directions as to printing, at 15l. 158. ; a letter from Walter Savage Landor to W. L. Bowles, at 61. 6s.; a letter from Nelson to "Lieut. Green, Marines, H.M. Ship Thunderer, Sheerness," 71. 15s.; and a brief note from Thackeray, while ill and staying at Brighton, 5l. 15s., may be taken as some of the best of the letters. We noticed three foreign books once belonging to Meredith, with translations or notes by his hand, viz., Grillparzer's 'Ahnfrau,' 151. 158.; 'Chants Populaires de la Bretagne,' par M. BarzazBreiz, 81. 88.; and Gautier's Les Grotesques,' 41. 108.; and a French poem, 'Paysage,' written by him on the back of a tradesman's card, 51. 58. There is a letter, too, from him to Frederick Sandys, 7. 108. From Peter Hardy's library come 2 vols. of the sermons of St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the Cantica Canticorum,' manuscript on vellum, in Gothic letter, in two different hands, one vol. bound in purple morocco, the other in boards, 71. 158. 'Liber Thomæ Reade, Magdalensis Collegii Oxoniæ Alumnus,' is a commonplace book, "A not booke of divinity and honor... containing "Notes gathered out of many bookes," and a number of poems, 1624, 81. 88. But in the way of MSS. the greatest prize which this Catalogue offers is undoubtedly the fifteenth-century Franco-Flemish Hora B.V.M. cum Calendario,' written in Gothic letter, and adorned with five miniatures representing the Crucifixion, Pentecost, the Annunciation, the Office for the Dead, and the Day of Judgment, 301. There is another Hora' belonging to the same country and century, but somewhat less for 121.; and a fifteenth-century French Roman perfect, and not fully decorated with miniatures, Lectionary,' having two pages with illuminated borders, 201. [Notices of other Catalogues held over.] Notices to Correspondents. EDITORIAL communications should be addressed to "The Editor of Notes and Queries '"-Advertisements and Business Letters to lishers"--at the Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery "The Pub. Lane, E.C. CORRESPONDENTS who send letters to be forwarded to other contributors should put on the top left-hand corner of their envelopes the number of the page of 'N. & Q.' to which their letters refer, Otherwise much time has to be spent in tracing the so that the contributor may be readily identified. querist. MR. BERTRAM DOBELL sends us his Catalogue No. 3, of which the principal features (are an autograph the letter from Earl of Pembroke (Shakespeare's friend) to Robert, Earl of CORRIGENDUM.-Ante, p. 220, col. 2, line 8 Leicester (1625, 301.), and a very interesting | from bottom, for “book read hook. LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1912. CONTENTS.-No. 119. NOTES:-A Runic Calendar, 261-Charles Dickens, 262Americanisms, 264- Sugar Cupping at Easter'Pickwick': Early Reference - Archbishop Laud's Relations, 265-Ancient Terms-English Bards and the Scottish Language-The National Anthem, 266-Taking Tobacco: Women Smoking - Vanishing London: The Sardinian Archway, 267. QUERIES:- Drummond of Hawthornden, 267 - Authors of Quotations Wanted Quotation from Emerson H.E.I.C.S. Chaplains' Certificates-Ralph Antrobus Portrait of Leland -Tenterden Steeple and Goodwin Sands-Byron and the Sidney Family-De Quincey and Coleridge, 268-Register of Bacon's Birth-An Epigram of Spenser-Dr James of St. Bees School-Arms for Identification--Kroll's Hotel: Mysterious Crime-Knell Book of Barking-"Queer his pitch"-James BrookeBelasyse" Sportsman" Hotels, 269-"Sone"-Hough Family-James Mathews-Penleaze-Relics of London's Past-Osmunderley - -Powell-Dean Hearn-Meaning of Nursery Rimes-Thomas Wharton--Massey, 270. REPLIES:- Arithmetic among the Romans - Register Transcribers of 1602, 271-Author of Song Wanted-Marmontel or Molière Halfacree Surname - The Levant Company, 272-Henry Blake-Felicia Hemans-Duchesse de Bouillon, 273 Whittington and his Cat-Queen Anne's Children, 274-John Mildenhall-Isaac Hawkins Browne St. Agnes: Folk-lore "De la" in English Surnames, -Toasts and Good Stories-"The St. Albans Ghost' 275-Mummers-Beazant Family-Skating in the Middle Ages-Money-box-Nottingham as a Surname, 276. NOTES ON BOOKS:-' Cambridge County Geographies' -'Benvenuto Cellini'-' Fortnightly Review.' Booksellers' Catalogues. Notices to Correspondents. Notes. A RUNIC CALENDAR. 66 known to have been used by the Scandinavian race. The word rūn in Anglo-Saxon meant a mystery," the name being given by those to whom the notion of being able to transfer thoughts, by means of mere scratches on wood, bone, stone, &c., appeared to be a kind of magic. Although subject to variations, there is one point on which all runic alphabets agree, and that is the order of the first six characters, of which the Latin values are F, U, Th, O, R, K, an arrangement which makes it customary to speak of a runic "futhork" instead of using the more familiar word "alphabet." It is convenient to note here the " clog calendars " used in this country. The most usual form of these was a square prism of wood, on which the days were marked by notches cut on the four long edges, each edge corresponding to three months; every seventh notch was made longer than the other six. The day of the month was not indicated, otherwise than indirectly from the saints' days and ecclesiastical festivals, which were denoted on the calendar by means of conventional symbols, or initials cut opposite and connected to the corresponding date. One defect of these calendars is that the day of the week is not clearly indicated. The runic calendar is an improvement on the clog, but not necessarily developed from it. Instead of by notches, the days were represented by the first seven runes of the futhork, repeated as often as necessary. The immediate consequence of this arrangement is that during any one year, with a VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, ROOM 132, slight modification in leap years, the same No. 9014-'63. THE calendar which forms the subject of these notes has the appearance of a somewhat lengthy walking-stick, made of china; but a closer inspection shows that it is enamelled on a thin copper tube. Over the greater part of the length there are four rows of characters, and two rows of somewhat crudely painted objects, largely agricultural. The crook handle is decorated with a dragon's head and lotus leaves, and a hole is provided in it for a tassel or for suspension. The workmanship is said to be Chinese, and is known as Canton Enamel "; but there is not the slightest doubt that it is a copy of a carved wooden calendar that originated somewhere in Scandinavia or Denmark. The characters alluded to above are called "runes," the earliest writing symbols day of the week is always represented by a perfectly distinct symbol. In order to calculate, it is sufficient, of course, to know the symbol of any one day of the week, and the day invariably chosen for this purpose is Sunday, its symbol being known as the Dominical or Sunday letter for the year. In the calendar we are considering, the upper row of runes consists of the characters off by quatrefoils. January may be dis- V N P F R Y X July begins * PMP the Sunday letter for some particular year is then, instead of continuing to use this symbol in the next year, the one which precedes it in the futhork must be taken. Taking the following seven runes as the first etc. week in January, FRY,etc. VNPFRY* it is seen that Sunday, in the first year of the example, is on 3 January, and in the second year on 2 January, which is in The last, and odd, day of the year will be accordance with common knowledge. represented by if this character denoted the 1st of January, as is usual; so that to follow on the next year without a break the 1st of January would have to be represented by This arrangement would have the advantage that the same day of the week is always represented by the same symbol; but at the same time it would involve a set of seven entirely distinct calendars, which is avoided by the simple expedient of changing the Sunday letter from year to year, and always starting with on the 1st of January. This change will hold good for any whole since leap-year day cannot conveniently year in the case of a common year; but be represented on the calendar, 1 March will in reality be two days ahead of 28 February, although the calendar represents them as consecutive dates. This means that the Sunday letter must now be moved back one character more. Thus the Sunday letter never changes otherwise than to the preceding letter; but whereas common years have only one letter for the whole year, leap years have two-one to be used from 1 January to 28 February, and the other from March to 31 December, all dates being inclusive. The sequence of Sunday letters is given by a group of runes at the end near the ferrule, which are as follows: R been discussed, but a jump would have (To be continued.) CHARLES DICKENS. FEBRUARY 7TH, 1812-JUNE 9TH, 1870. (See ante, pp. 81, 101, 121, 141, 161, 182 203, 223, 243.) DICKENS was now hard at work on 'Our Mutual Friend,' the first number of which was published May, 1864, the last, No. 20, appearing November, 1865. It will be remembered by many what disputes there have been as to this title, but Dickens had chosen it four years before its publication, and he held to it. As early as 1861 he was anxious 66 to begin the book, but delays occurred, and he determined not to publish until five numbers had been completed. In the midst of his labours illness overtook him, and while not wanting in industry. he had been "wanting in imagination." Then, on the 10th of June, 1865, occurred the terrible railway accident at Staplehurst. Dickens was in the only carriage which did not fall into the stream, being caught as it turned over by some of the ruins of the bridge, and suspended and balanced in For hours an almost impossible manner. Dickens worked among the dying and the dead. Fortunately, as his daughter Mamie relates, his family were spared any anxiety, 66 as we did not hear of the accident until after we were with him in London. With his usual care and thoughtfulness, he had telegraphed to his friend Mr. Wills to summon us to town to meet him." After rendering all the help he could, he remembered that he had left the MS. of a number of Our Mutual Friend' in the carriage, and clambered back into it and secured it. He never recovered entirely from the shock then sustained, and when he was on a railway or in any sort of conveyance there would come over him, for a few seconds, "a vague sense of dread that I have no power to check. It comes and passes, but I cannot prevent its coming." On the completion of Our Mutual Friend a review of it, written by Chorley, appeared in The Athenæum on the 28th of October, 1865. Though critical, it pronounced the work to be "one of Mr. Dickens's richest and most carefully-wrought books. If we demur to Wegg and to Miss Jenny Wren as to a pair of eccentrics approaching that boundary-line of caricature towards which their creator is, by fits, tempted, we cannot recall anything more real, more cheering, than the sketch of the Milveys-clergyman and clergyman's wife, both so unconscious in their selfsacrificing virtue and goodness." attention hold The reviewer cons'ders that In the course of the notice reference is made to the French story of 'Little Bebelle,' which appeared in 'Somebody's Luggage,' All the Year the Christmas number of Round for 1862 : this the reviewer proone of the most exquisite pieces of pathos in fiction." Among the friendships formed by Dickens, of all his friends was Mrs. Browning-well 66 Chorley and Dickens first became intimate in 1854, as Hewlett tells us in his biography of Chorley, when, appropriately enough, an office of charity, in which both were interested, brought them into frequent intercourse. In 1865, at the time of the review of Our Mutual Friend,' the following letter from Dickens will show upon what terms the friendship then stood: "I have seen The Athenæum, and most earnestly thank you. Trust me, there is nothing I would have wished away, and all that I read there affects and delights me. I feel so generous an appreciation and sympathy so very strongly that if I were to try to write more, I should blur the words by seeing them dimly. Ever affectionately yours, C. D." It would have been a precious addition to our Dickens letters if Chorley had preserved one cannot but those he received, and regret that he thought well to destroy the If you could be a very little louder, and would never let a sentence go for the thousandth part of an instant, until the last word is out, you would |