received the thanks of the City for his con-
duct in the chair. His friends said that he
was zealous and firm as the chief magistrate;
some of his opponents accused him of
and
“brutality
haughtiness. Special
allusion was made to his services on behalf
of the police. The Bill which he suggested
for the government of the cities of London
and Westminster provided that the magis-
trates should not be nominated by the Crown,
but elected by the inhabitant householders.

These years were spent by Townsend in a tornado of politics. He was one of the deputation from the City that presented the remonstrance to George III. (14 March, 1770). Two letters written by him in May, 1770, and one from Lord Chatham in reply, are printed in the Chatham Correspondence,' iii. 458-61. They bear witness to the authenticity of Beckford's speech to the King. In a speech in the House of Commons on 25 March, 1771, Townsend made a strong attack on the influence of the Princess of In October, 1773, Wilkes was again disWales upon the Government, and in that appointed over the Lord Mayoralty. By year he refused, on the ground of the mis- Townsend's casting vote another alderman, representation of the constituency of Middle- Frederick Bull, was preferred to him. Next sex, to pay the land tax. His goods were year he was duly elected to the coveted consequently distrained upon to the amount chair by eleven votes to two, the dissenof 2007. (October, 1771), and an action which tients being Townsend and Oliver (Walhe brought in the Court of King's Bench on pole Journals of Reign of Geo. III., 1771-83,' 9 June, 1772, against the collector of the taxi. 117-18, 124-6, 163-4, 184-5, 262, 420-22). was unsuccessful, Lord Mansfield showing his In return for a long unanimity of action usual timidity during the case, but obtaining Townsend was in 1774 the chief supporter from the jury a verdict against him (Gent. of Oliver for the representation of the City. Mag., xli. 517, xlii. 291; 'Letters of Junius,' ed. 1812, iii. 264-8).

Townsend disliked the character of Wilkes so much that he was determined not to "have any connexion or intercourse with him," but he helped in the payment of Jack's debts (Percy Fitzgerald, Wilkes,' ii. 89, 109, 206-12). A fierce struggle for the Lord Mayorship took place in November, 1772. With the desire of keeping out Wilkes, two aldermen were nominated in support of the government. He and Townsend stood in the popular cause and had a great majority of the votes, Wilkes polling twenty-three more than his coadjutor. The majority of the aldermen were not friendly to the demagogue, and through the intrigues of another Whig alderman, Richard Oliver, the Court of Aldermen named Townsend for the office. Wilkes was furious and on the night of Lord Mayor's Day an angry mob attacked the Guildhall in his interest. In his revenge Wilkes drew up a remonstrance, couched in the most violent terms, against the Middlesex election, and forced the unwilling Townsend to present it to the King, although it was known that the action would meet with general disapproval. Townsend's portrait as Lord Mayor was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in March, 1773. His wife as Lady Mayoress also sat to Reynolds (Graves and Cronin, iv. 1480, M.M.).

On 22 February, 1773, Townsend succeeded in passing through the Court of Aldermen a motion for short Parliaments, and at the close of his year of office he

6

66

to

Townsend was an original member of the society for supporting the Bill of Rights. He was on intimate terms with Horne Tooke, and they worked together in politics. Four of the friends of Tooke on his resigning his orders in the Church with a view to going to the Bar agreed to enter into a bond for allowing him, until he could be called, the sum of 100l. a year apiece. Two out of the four were Sawbridge and Townsend (Stephens, John Horne Tooke,' i. 163, 418; ii. 284-5). Tooke dedicated his solitary sermon Townsend, eulogizing him for his exertions for Wilkes, a much injured and oppressed individual," and lauding his "noble motives." On the elevation of John Dunning to the peerage, Lord Shelburne, the patron of the borough of Calne, nominated Townsend (5 April, 1782) as its representative in Parliament, and he continued its member until his death. While in Parliament he lived during the session at Shelburne House, and met within its walls many distinguished persons. His name and that of his brother Joseph Townsend, the Rector of Pewsey, frequently occur in the correspondence of the Abbé Morellet with Shelburne. The Abbé refers to his " grande chaleur," and there is a general agreement that he was violent in temper. He was resolute and determined, very tenacious of his promise, and his speeches in the House of Commonsthe substance of many of them will be found in the debates of Sir Henry Cavendishwere full of animation, and marked by great natural eloquence." It is said that a highway robbery having been committed

in the neighbourhood of Tottenham, he and The unwitnessed will of Townsend, then a friend disguised themselves and appre- described as of Conduit Street, Middlesex, hended the culprit. The man was naturally was dated 18 December, 1764. He left his much surprised to find that his captors personal estate whatsoever to his wife, were gentlemen of recognized position. One except 100l. to his friend Samuel Phipps of of his peculiarities was that he would travel Lincoln's Inn, and he appointed Phipps and from one end of the kingdom to the other his wife executors and guardians of his without a servant and with a small change of daughter Henrietta Jamina. He also left an linen in a leathern trunk behind the saddle annuity of 40l. to his friend Thomas Law. (Beloe, 'Sexagenarian,' ii. 20-24). On 11 September, 1787, John and Henry Smith of Drapers' Hall swore to their knowledge of Townsend and his handwriting for twenty years, and proved the will. Next day administration was granted to Henry Hare Townsend, the son, Mrs. Townsend being dead and Samuel Phipps renouncing.

Still acting with Lord Shelburne, he supported Pitt against Fox. He was spokesman for the City (28 February, 1784) on the presentation to Pitt of the resolutions of the Court of Common Council against his rival. But his active days were past. A cold brought on fever, and he died at Bruce Castle, Tottenham (a property which he had acquired through his wife), on 1 July, 1787. He was buried in the Coleraine burying-place adjoining the parish church of Tottenham, a passage being broken through the wall of his garden, and only his servants attending. This is said to have been the ancient custom on the death of the owner of that estate.

Townsend during his lifetime divided the Manor of Walpole in Norfolk, 3,000 acres in all, into small holdings, and built houses for his tenants. After his death the greater part of the property at Tottenham was sold on 24 and 25 September, 1789, to pay his debts; but Bruce Castle, to which he had added a new east wing (Home Counties Mag., xi. 139-40), the gardens, and sixty acres of rich meadow land which adjoined them, were bought in. An etching of the castle was made by Townsend (Robinson, Tottenham,' i. 171, and App. II., p. 41, &c., vol. ii. p. 64; Dyson, "Tottenham,' 2nd ed., 1792, pp. 37-8, 93). Mrs. Townsend is said to have been an etcher and to have made an etching of St. Eloy's Well, Tottenham.

The son, Henry Hare Townsend, sold the
Manor of Tottenham in 1792, and Busbridge
Hall, near Godalming, about 1824. He
died in April, 1827, and was also buried at
Tottenham. A memoir of Chauncy Hare
Townsend (1798-1868), his son and James
Townsend's grandson, is in the 'D.N.B.'
For the dates relating to the Mercers'
Company I am indebted to the kindness of
Mr. G. H. Blakesley.
W. P. COURTNEY.

Townsend married at St. George's, Hanover Square, on 3 May, 1763, Henrietta Rosa Peregrina du Plessis, only child of Henry Hare, third and last Lord Coleraine, by Rose du Plessis (d. 30 March, 1790). She was born at Crema in Italy, 12 September, 1745, and baptized at St. Mary's Church, Colchester, on 13 December, 1748, a long entry being inserted in the parish register in explanation of the desertion of Lord Coleraine by his lawful wife, and of his union in 1740 with Mlle. du Plessis. At his death at Bath on 4 August, 1749, the peer left his estates to this child. "She, being an alien, could not take them; the will, being legally made, barred his heirs at law; so that the estates escheated to the Crown' (Nichols's Lit. Anecdotes,' v. 349-51; Gent. Mag., 1787, part ii. 640-41, 738). Through the influence of Henry Fox, Lord Holland, and the senior Townsend, a grant of them was made by the Crown to Mr. and Mrs. James Townsend, and confirmed by Act of Parliament (See 11 S. i. 402, 465; ii. 323; iii. 64, 426 ; (3 George III., 1763, iv. 1764). Horace Walpole met the Townsends at dinner at Lord Shelburne's in October, 1773, when he described the wife as a bouncing dame with a coal-black wig, and a face coal-red " ('Letters,' ed. Toynbee, viii. 347). She died on 8 November, 1785, leaving issue one daughter and one son, Henry Hare Townsend, who was at the University of Cambridge in 1787. She too was buried privately at Tottenham Old Church.

SIGNS OF OLD LONDON.

iv. 226.)

THE list of signs presented hereunder is compiled from the printed (but altogether unindexed) Calendar of the Chancery Proceedings,' Second Series, vol. iii., extending from 1621 to 1660:

Sword and Buckler, St. George's-in-the-Fields.
Chequers, Holborn.
Boar's Head, King Street, Westminster.
Mitre, Bread Street.
Rose, West Smithfield.

Three Crowns, Allhallows, Lombard Street.
Windmill Inn, St. John Street, parish of St. corrections, and as the type is distributed,

Hare and Bottle, St. Agnes, Aldersgate Street [sic]. is throughout the book printed Pritchard. Dolphin, Ludgate Hill.

Green Dragon, Fowl Lane, St. Saviour's, South-being no mention of their meeting at that

Swan, Long Lane, West Smithfield, parish of by the family doctor. It was bound in

All mouths I copy from my own;
And when I look for eyes
I see 'em as I walk abroad,

For colour, shape, and size.

Very likely this pamphlet was an ephemeral local production, now quite unknown. BOOKWORM.

PEPYS'S DIARY': BRAYBROOKE EDITION -Pepys evidently makes a mistake in the name of a town which he visited on 8 June, 1668. I write to point it out, as there is no note in my edition mentioning the error, though I think it must have been noticed

before this.

On 8 June he travelled from Bedford to Newport (evidently Newport Pagnell, I think), then to Buckingham. Then he goes

on :

"At night to Newport Pagnell; and there a good pleasant country town, but few people in it. A very fair and like a Cathedral Church; and I saw the leads, and a vault that goes far under ground: the town and so most of this country, well watered. Lay here well, and rose next day by four o'clock; few people in the town: and so away. Reckoning for supper, 17s. 6d. ; poor, 6d. Mischance to the coach, but no time lost. “9th (Tuesday).—We came to Oxford," &c.

is possible that De Quincey's prediction is being fulfilled after all.

66

G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. "CINEMATOGRAPH": "CINEMACOLOR.' -N. & Q.' is protesting against linguistic impurities. Is it too late to protest against two recent introductions to our language? For some time we have been suffering under cinematograph," often pronounced as though it were written sinni-mattograph. Now we have the deplorable hybrid cinemacolor." Better than these, though not themselves perfect, would be “kinēmachrome." They may serve, at least, as magraph," or kinēmascope," and a starting-point for improvement, and, if adopted, would not give rise to the absurd

66

66

kinē

sounds which now result from the words

employed. A protest from 'N. & Q.' may move etymologists, and may, perhaps, induce PROF. SKEAT himself to say something in behalf of our language. CIVIS.

THE KING "OVER THE WATER."-In his book 'Some Recollections' the late Canon Teignmouth Shore, writing about a visit

This town must have been Bicester, not which he paid to Osborne in 1878, says :Newport Pagnell.

C. LESLIE SMITH.

DE QUINCEY: THE MURDERER WILLIAMS. -In the postscript to 'Murder, considered as one of the Fine Arts,' De Quincey winds up by the peroration :—

"They perished on the scaffold: Williams, as I have said, by his own hand; and, in obedience to the law as it then stood, he was buried in the centre of a quadrivium, or conflux of four roads (in this case four streets), with a stake driven through his heart. And over him drives for ever the uproar of unresting London."

However, at the beginning of August, 1886, the following statement appeared in The Citizen :—

"In excavating a trench for a main for the Commercial Gas Company, the workmen of Messrs. John Aird & Sons made a remarkable discovery

"I had noticed before that at the Household dinners there were never any finger-bowls, and thinking there might be some interesting reason I ventured to ask Sir John Cowell, the Master of for the absence of what is so general elsewhere, the Household, whether this was So. He explained to me that in old days, when there was a certain Jacobite element even in the vicinity of the Court, it had been noticed that on the toast of The King' being given after dinner, some of those present used to pass their glass over the finger-bowl, and it was discovered that thus they drank To the King over the water,' and the temptation to do so was removed by the abolition of the finger-bowls."

HERBERT B. CLAYTON. 39, Renfrew Road, Lower Kennington Lane.

THE BLINDFOLDED MAN: JAPANESE VARIANTS. (See 11 S. iii. 424.)-Only a few days ago. At a point where Cannon Street recently I have come across a passage in Road and Cable Street, in St. George's-in-the- Hiuen-tsang's Si-yih-ki,' A.D. 646, tom. x., East, cross one another, and at a depth of six feet which seems to prove these Japanese stories below the surface, they discovered the skeleton to have originated in an Indian tradition. of a man with a stake driven through it, and some portions of a chain were lying near the bones. It After narrating how enormous a quantity is believed that the skeleton is that of a man who of gold King Sadvaha had expended for murdered a Mr. and Mrs. Marr, their infant child, the completion of the grand rocky monastery and a young apprentice in their house in Ratcliff on Black Peak in Central India, the Chinese Highway in 1811....He hanged himself while under remand in Coldbath-fields Prison. itinerary says:coroner's jury having brought in a verdict of felo-de-se, the murderer was buried in accordance with the custom of the time."

It is true that there is nothing in the quotation from The Citizen to show that the remains have not been left in situ, and it

Then there arose a dispute among the cenobites resident in it, who applied for a decision to the sovereign. The anchorets deemed the cenobites to be the cause of the coming desolation of the monastery, and expelled all the cenobites from it. Thus it has become inhabited by the anchorets only, who made its entrance quite