reference. J. B. McGOVERN. THE GROSVENOR CANAL (clv. 424). ،، This canal is shewn in a Map of London and its vicinity' attached to Bohn's Pictorial Handbook of London, 1854. It leaves the Thames about fifty yards east of the proposed bridge," now Chelsea Suspension Bridge, and runs due north for about 450 yards to St. George's Bridge, then northeast, widening out considerably, for a further 550 yards, passing under Elizabeth Bridge at the junction of Elizabeth Street and St. George's Road, and again under a bridge at the junction of Eccleston Street and Belgrave Road, from which point it forms large triangular basin bounded on the west by Victoria Road and on the east by Wilton. Road, the apex or northern extremity reaching a point then called Windsor Terrace, the whole area of the basin approximately corresponding with the present Victoria Station. The well-known Pimlico Wheel Works were to the west of the basin, but have long since disappeared. a Also in 'A new pocket plan of London, Westminster and Southwark,' dated 1795, the basin only is shewn, under the name of "Chelsea Water Works." The Ordnance map of 1869 contains the railway and as much as was then left of the canal with names of factories and houses between. Since then the station has been greatly enlarged and has swallowed up all buildings on the east of Buckingham Palace Road. At the present time some alteration is being made at the entrance of the canal under the Embankment. WALTER E. GAWTHORP. 96, High Road, N.2. RECRUITING POSTERS (clv. 443).-A considerable number of old Army recruiting posters have been reproduced in vols. ii. and iii. of the Journal of this Society. A. S. WHITE. Society of Army Historical Research, c/o War Office Library, Whitehall, London, S.W.1. PORTRAIT STATUES AND PICTURES OF COWS (clv. 367, 431, 446).-The towers of Laon cathedral should not be forgotten "qui ont l'air d'étagères superposées à la hâte et dont la dernière se termine par une simple plateforme au-dessous de laquelle, meuglent, en se penchant, des bœufs." J. K. Huysmans, 'La Cathédrale, p. 149. The contributions were edited, and chiefly written, by my old friend, the late Richard B. Prosser, himself an occasional contributor to 'N. and Q.' These 'Notes and Queries' began on Feb. 3, 1897, and lasted until Jan. 2, 1903, when they were discontinued. Fortunately, Mr. Prosser was able to induce the proprietors of the newspaper to lay aside the stereotyped columns until there were sufficient to make up into a 32-page, quarto, part, and these were offered to subscribers at sixpence each, including a wrapper, but unfortunately they were published so erratically (not being commenced until January, 1900), that few complete copies (with title-page and contents, issued afterwards), must be in existence. an ،، In January, 1900, I commenced and edited Antiquarian and Historical Notes and Queries" column in the Hampstead and Highgate Express, which ran for over twenty years, but owing to my removal from Hampstead and from other causes, this has now ceased. I was not able to republish in any other form, except a few "pulls," which I gave away to interested persons, although some of the matter has been included in my Hampstead in the Olden Time.' I still have the honour of writing for the paper. Middlesex and Hertfordshire Notes and Queries, mentioned at the first reference, was a quarterly publication of octavo size, which ran from 1895 until 1898, when it was merged into a new antiquarian periodical, called The Home Counties Magazine, with an extended area, but this only lived a few years and died for want of support. Both publications contained many valuable contributions, several being fully illustrated; each was one shilling and sixpence a part. At clv. 446, under 'Telegraphs from the Admiralty to the Coast,' Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries, vol. xi., 1920-21, is mentioned; is this the same publication as Devon Notes and Queries, 1901, etc., Exeter, alluded to at clv. 442? Doubtless many county newspapers contain "Notes and regularly contributed Queries" column, and it would be very in a The Library. (Oxford, The The Oxford Book of Regency Verse, 1798-1837. THE interest of this anthology is consider- THE interest of this, an We ourselves were particularly glad of the pieces from Peacock and Beddoes. Anthologies are intended, we suppose, in great measure, to be companions: this will answer that pleasant purpose unusually well. Samuel Butler: Satires and Miscellaneous Poetry and Prose. Edited by René Lamar (Cambridge University Press. 15s. net.) third of is one almost unsurpassed in English litera- THEword holmesented Butler's propomplete ture, even almost unrivalled for volume and greatness of the greatest poetry produced in it. We first, then, note what it has pleased Mr. Milford to do in the matter of choosing among the supreme things. We have one complaint here: we cannot quite forgive the omission of 'Laodamia.' Otherwise, having due regard to the conditions of the selection, we do not think this part of the work could have been better done. It is to our mind very satisfactory to note-and Mr. Milford makes observation upon it in his introduction that Scott as a poet, when thus placed at his best among his contemporaries, shows himself their not unworthy peer. We think the time has perhaps come to revise, and rectify, common opinion of Scott's verse. Byron took the world by storm; Scott, believing himself inferior, bowed to the storm and gave up poetry. and the world has since, more or less, accepted the two in the positions then taken up. It may be conceded that the long poems of Scott's later days show a dwindling power; but that does not affect the claims of the three great lays, and of the shorter poems and songsclaims, we think, which extend even to requiring new comparison with Byron in which Scott will by no means be found altogether at a disadvantage. The second point of interest concerns the character of the average mass of poetry of the period. The interest here is largely historical; for this mass represents, as nothing but poetry can, the innermost impulse and trends of the intellect, taste and spirit of the time-revealing what existed to support and make response to the greater poetry. Here, perhaps, too little, for historical purpose, has been granted to sentiment, and where sentiment is represented not the best examples have always been chosen. Lastly, and here we come to the principal merit of this anthology, between the great and the almost indistinguishably numerous and small are poets of real signifiance, not well known, and poems apt to be forgotten though other works of the author are for ever in everyone's mind. Here Mr. Milford earns the real gratitude of the lover of poetry; here are things of Blake and of Hood and of Landor which have most often been passed by: still more, here we find Clare, whom Mr. Blunden has brought home to many of us but whose presence in English poetry still wants asserting, and, even better, Darley, whose name lately has cropped up fairly often in the writing of critics but who awaits establishment in his true place. Two or three more might be mentioned, and each owner of the book will probably have his special praise for this or that. his editor.. Professor Lamar has solved that of authenticity on the principle of taking as genuine only those pieces which can be asserted to be so either on positive evidence or on the word of trustworthy witnesses. He adds to the recognised pieces Cydippe her Answer to Acontius' and Mola Asinaria' on the authority of Dryden and Anthony Wood; and also Mercurius Menippeus Memoirs of 1649 and 50,' on the strength of its resem blance to Butler's undisputed work. The text of the pieces comes largely from the Genuine Remains, in Verse and Prose of Mr. Samuel Butler,' published by Thyer in 1759 or from original editions, but no inconsiderable portion comes from the Butler MSS. in the British Museum and has not been printed before. This mass of material has been happily and conveniently, arranged upon a plan of Professor Lamar's own. He puts together 'Ballads,' Formal Satires,' 'Pindaric Odes, together 'Mock Encomiums,' 'Translations' and 'Miscellaneous Pieces,' and, under the heading 'Poetical Thesaurus' gives strings of epigrams in verse upon a number of different subjects, all printed direct from the British Museum MSS., though some of them are to be found in Genuine Remains.' This is the group which probably will most attract the general reader. Following the prose Pamphlets and Imitations and the political writings is a valuable Appendix into which are gathered, among other things, what the editor has called Tentative Lines on Various Subjects' scraps which, like the rough sketches and studies of a draughtsman, occasionally succeed better than the finished and polished verses. The Notes with which the volume closes are chiefly alternative readings. We must not omit the careful bibliographical particulars set out in the Introduction, or the care expended on settling and producing a text which should represent the author's mind as faithfully as might be. Charles Dickens as Legal Historian. By William S. Holdsworth. (Yale University Press: Oxford, Humphrey Milford. 9s. net). THE two last of these four lectures are those the procedure of the Court of Chancery, by way of illustrating 'Bleak House'; the other of the procedure of the Common Law as pourtrayed in 'Pickwick.' It is, of course, wellknown that the law and lawyers of the midnineteenth century presented anomalies, absurdities, and injustices which have now been swept away. They are near enough still to create indignation, so that Dickens's descriptions still carry a sting; but they are passing in reality worth while. as out of memory, and accounts of them which The Notable Churches of Barton-on-Humber. HOSE who know Lincolnshire know that St. the architectural glories of the county. St. Peter's goes back, as foundation, to the end of the seventh century, and there is yet standing, west of the tenth century tower, part of the first stone church which was erected in the eighth century. at a time when Barton Church was in the hands of Bardney Abbey, set their hearts on having a parochial church with a parish priest. There is much in the history of these churches, as also in the special treasures they contain the east window of St. Peter's north aisle, for example, with the (mutilated) rood upon the mullions which is not only of deepest interest in itself, but valuable for light it throws in various directions. Mr. Varah's book, though so unpretentious and inexpensive, is a true scholar's work and worthy of its subject. It is, indeed, the best of its kind that has come into our hands-being not only pretty well exhaustive in its account of detail, and full and clear in the explanations it supplies from custom and history, but also most pleasapple antly readable, so that one finds oneself enjoying it merely as a book. There is so much of general information about architecture woven into it that it would be an excellent work to recommend to anyone just starting on the discovery of the world of various enjoyment offered to us by the old churches of England. THE Clarendon Press has sent us anotherand one of the most satisfactory of its beautiful reproductions of the original editions of old poems. This is Pope's Dunciad, set up from Mr. Wise's copy of the first issue (which has "Book" for "Books" in the first line), with the Worcester College copy of the same issue used for verification and without We have also received any The tower, to which a hundred years later a top storey was added, formed, in its day the main body of the church, having eastward of it a chancel, which was demolished when the present edifice was erected. Except for loss of the chancel, the Anglo-Saxon church remains complete, and our author tells us it is believed to be the only complete AngloSaxon church now in regular use. From venerable nucleus, which he describes almost stone by stone, Mr. Varah takes us through the great church-a choir first of all to the original building-which was erected in the thirteenth century. on corrections. the Collector's Guide to Marks of Origin facts required for practical use. In this there is abund ance of detail to be observed and again we go through it almost stone by stone. The present chancel is fifteenth century work. St. Mary's Church, first mentioned in 1115 as the parochial Chapel of All Saints, though a large and stately building, is a chapel of St. Peter's. The reason for the churches having been built so close together, in Mr. Varah's opinion, is simply that the population of Barton required more room, and that, since they could not readily enlarge their beloved St. Peter's, venerable by association with St. Chad, St. Winfred and St. Higbald, they chose to build new church, rather than pull it down and rebuild it. St. Mary's, too, stands on the site of an earlier building; and it incorporates a good deal of early Norman work, bearing some exceedingly interesting Norman ornamentation. As a whole the building is of the thirteenth century, and tradition credits it to the merchants of Barton, who, maybe, a That the gether by an expert who knows exactly the Guide has met a want is shown by the fact that the first edition of 5,000 was sold out in less than a month. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. APPROVED Queries are inserted free of charge. Contributors are requested always to give their names and addresses, for the information of the Editor, and not necessarily for publication. We cannot undertake to privately. answer queries WHEN answering a query, or referring to an corres article which has already appeared, Press, Ltd., at their Offices, 20, High Street, Printed and Published by The Bucks Free |