LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1912. CONTENTS.-No. 127. Re NOTES:-Charles Dickens, 422-A Runic Calendar, 422 London People governed.” On leaving he promised to return the following year to distribute the prizes to the students. 66 That Dickens had great business abilities is well known, and these were always at the The signing of an service of his friends. agreement, which he had himself drawn up, for Fechter to go to America was the occasion of one of the international gatherings at "Gad's" this autumn; and another of his acts of kindness was the revision of an agreement for Miss Glyn, who had received offers to visit Australia. To Miss Glyn he had ever shown himself one of the most sympathetic of friends, and she often told my father how useful his advice had been to her. Her troubles excited the sympathy of all who knew her; indeed, she herself was all kindness, and at my father's request came to my house and gave a reading of Hamlet' to my friends, and often spoke to me of Dickens's thoughtful care for her interests. The bravery with which she bore her many troubles was marvellous, but her REPLIES:-Dr. James of St. Bees-Latin Guide to Westminster Abbey, 430- German Romans de Cape et d'Epée"-Georgiana, Duchess of Bedford-"The memorable lady"- Barnett, 431 Alex. Garden- Commonwealth Mercury': Tea, 432-Henry Mayhew Centenary Congrès Internationaux des Sciences Historiques, 433 -Wiltshire Phrases-Long Ago'-Military Executions, 434-Carlyle Explanation Wanted-De Vere at Drury Lane-Polish Poets-Dutchman's Anchor, 435-Belasyse --The Thames: Vortigern-Napoleon and the Bee, 436-impetuous disposition once caused her to Baker Peter Smith, 437-Upham-Authors of Quotations Wanted--Selby Peculiar Court-"Hemsman"-Mumtaz Mahal, 438. NOTES ON BOOKS:-'Survey of London: Lincoln's Inn 'Cornhill.' Notices to Correspondents. Notes. CHARLES DICKENS. FEBRUARY 7TH, 1812-JUNE 9TH, 1870. (See ante, pp. 81, 101, 121, 141, 161, 182, 203, 223, 243, 262, 284, 301, 323, 344, 362, 383, 404.) ALTHOUGH during the last autumn of Dickens's life all that could be done to spare him from over-excitement was done, yet there were certain public engagements in which he felt bound to take part. In August, 1869, at the dinner to celebrate the International Boat - race, he proposed the health of the Harvard and the Oxford crews; and on Monday, the 27th of September, he fulfilled his promise to open the session of the Birmingham Institute. In his address, which was on Education for the People,' he said "that his invention, such as it was, never would have served him as it had done, but for the habit of commonplace, patient, drudging attention"; and he declared his political creed to be " infinitesimal faith in the people governing, and illimitable faith in the be committed to Holloway for contempt of court. My father visited her there, and the wardress told him that she was the most merry prisoner in all her experience. She was a handsome woman, with a stately presence, and dark complexion and hair. Her voice was exquisite, and her power of changing and modulating it she maintained to the last. I saw her, at her request, a few days before she passed away on the 18th of May, 1889, after a long and painful illness, and was present at her funeral at Kensal Green on the following Wednesday. Sir Henry Irving and many of her friends in the theatrical world (for she was a woman greatly beloved) were among the mourners. The Athenæum, in its obituary notice of her (May 25th, 1889), stated that on the 8th of November, 1847, she made her At début as Constance in King John.' Sadler's Wells with Phelps she took the part of leading lady, vacated by Mrs. Warner, and appeared as Volumnia, Queen Catherine, Portia, and Cleopatra. On New Year's Eve he went to Forster's and read a number of Edwin Drood.' He made light of his pains, which had returned both in the left hand and left foot, and he read "with such an overflow of humour Mr. Honeythunder's boisterous philanthropy that there was no room, then, for anything but enjoyment." His only allusion to any effect produced by his illness was a mention of his increasing dislike to railway travel. This had decided him to take a London house for the twelve last readings; and finding that he could have the residence of his friend Milner Gibson, 5, Hyde Park Place, he became his tenant. This handsome house occupies a splendid position, looking out towards the Marble Arch. With its large, lofty rooms, it was just the house for a Cabinet Minister, and in its dining-room, during the agitation for the repeal of the paper duties, Gibson frequently received deputations. a The Farewell Readings at St. James's Hall began on Tuesday, the 11th of January, 1870. On the 23rd Dickens met Carlyle for the last time. On the 7th of February his last birthday was passed with Forster. On the 15th of March the final reading took place. This was one of the hardest struggles he had to face, but he went through with it with his usual undaunted courage, and it was indeed crowning triumph. The great hall was packed; there were over two thousand persons present, and the receipts amounted to 4251.; while the numbers turned away far exceeded those that were able to be admitted. With much agitation Dickens walked on to the platform, book in hand. After reading the Carol,' which he never gave more effectively, he closed with the trial from Pickwick.' Then came the most dreaded part of all, in which, in a few words, he bade his audience "a heartfelt, grateful, respectful, and affectionate farewell," and told them that he "closed this episode of his life with feelings of very considerable pain." As he left the platform, Dolby tells us, "the tears rolled down his cheeks." But he had to go forward yet once again, to be stunned by a more surprising outburst than before, and dazzled by the waving of handkerchiefs. Respectfully kissing his hand, Dickens retired for the last time." Dolby estimates the entire amount Dickens made by his readings at 45,000l. It is sad to remember that, although the pleasure he derived from them "is not to be told in words," yet without doubt they materially shortened his life. Forster, from notes taken by Dr. Beard, gives the following record as to Dickens's pulse immediately after these last twelve readings: "His ordinary pulse on the first night was 72, but never on any subsequent night was lower than 82, and had risen on the later nights to more than 100. After Copperfield' on the first night it went up to 96, and after Marigold' on the second to 99; but on the first night of the Sikes and Nancy' scenes it went from 80 to 112, and on the second night (the 1st of February) to nights, it never was lower than 110 after the From this, through the six remaining first piece read; and after the reading of the Oliver Twist' scenes it rose from 90 to 124 on the 15th of February." 118. On the 5th of April Dickens took the chair for the Newsvendors, when I had the pleasure of having my father and brother with me. He was full of merriment, and overflowing with humour. On the 30th of the same month, at the Royal Academy dinner, he returned thanks for Literature." Only three days previously he had had the shock of reading at a railway station the announcement of the death of his old friend Daniel Maclise, and the last public words uttered by Dickens were this tribute to his friend : "In 'wit a man, simplicity a child'-no artist ever went to his rest leaving a golden memory more pure from dross, or having devoted himself with a truer chivalry to the art-goddess whom he worshipped." JOHN COLLINS FRANCIS. (To be continued.) A RUNIC CALENDAR. VICTORIA AND Albert Museum, Room 132. (See ante, pp. 261, 285, 321, 363, 384, 403.) THE days under the signs of the Zodiac show very clearly that the original was made before the introduction of the New Style, or It will be convenient Gregorian, calendar. to tabulate the possible dates on which the sun could have entered the various signs, according to the information given, as well as the dates on which the sun enters them according to the New Style. For the purposes of such a rough comparison as is 6 Owing to the over-correction caused by making every fourth year a leap year, under the Old Style calendar the sun entered the signs before the correct date, so that all the values in the column headed Possible Dates' that are greater than the corresponding Present Date' may be discarded. This eliminates all but the first three vertical columns of Possible Dates.' Subtract these three columns from the corresponding 'Present Date,' and the anticipations will be 18, 11, and 4 days respectively. In the twentieth century the Old Style calendar is only 13 days in error; so that the first column, which gives an anticipation of 18 days, may also be rejected. The choice is now between the centuries in which the error of the calendar was 11 and 4. The error was 11 days during the period 1700-99, and 4 days during the period 700-899. The latter period is obviously out of the question, so that the probable date, from this information, is 1700-99. If the date of the introduction of the New Style be considered, this period can be materially shortened. The change was made in Norway and Denmark in 1700, and in Sweden in 1753. It is very unlikely, therefore, that the calendar is later than 1753; and the possible range is now 1700-53. The fact that the original was prior to 1753 is confirmed to some extent by the use of a solar cycle of twenty-eight years. The numerical values of the Golden Number and the epact enable the date to 4, 11, 18, 25 be calculated somewhat roughly. This is due to the fact that the errors of the Metonic cycle necessitate an occasional revision of the epacts after one, two, or three centuries. On consulting a table of epacts it will be found that the epacts calculated corresponded to the Golden Numbers assumed from 1500 to 1799, if the Old Style were retained during this period. The evidence afforded by the saints who are commemorated on the calendar is not of much value. The latest one is St. Birgitta, who was canonized in 1391. The calendar must therefore be subsequent to this date. It will be observed that none of these sources of information contradicts any of the others. Taking them all into consideration, it is very probable that the original calendar was made between 1700 and 1753. Before giving the full arrangement of the calendar, attention may be drawn to the errors which are to be found on it. In the first place, errors arise from the confusion of similar runes. The following groups contain runes which are frequently inter changed : : (JANUARY 3/DAYS.) Errors of this kind have not been recorded in the calendar. In one or two cases the person who painted the runes "lost his place," and either VERYYNERYVNPERV* VOPĚRY*YOP & FAR BM 1 % * YETY I TV MP 4th omitted one or substituted an incorrect one. It should be remembered that, apart from mistakes on the part of the Oriental copyist, the Swedish peasant who cut the original would be entirely unfamiliar with runes in any other connexion. The calendar that follows is given in its correct form, and the errors are shown by placing the runes as painted rune in squares. Where a empty square calls attention The titles, names of the months, and the names of the signs of the Zodiac, all $NARY*YPART+YMBPRY*YNTERVIV shown in parentheses, do not occur on the calendar. The first line of runes under each month represents the days of the week, and the second line the dates of new moon. The omission in the two lines for March occurs at a joint. In the Explanatory Runes the second line represents the solar cycle, the runes above indicating the leap years. The third line shows the lunar cycle. E. CHAPPELL. OR BM 1 ** YF MY I TY MP 4 N RY ‡VO ÞERY + VN PERY ‡ VO PERYŤ V OPERY (SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC.) (AQ) (Ps.) (AR.) (TS.) (GI.) (CR.) (LEO) (Vo.) (LB.) (Sc.) (SGT.) (CPC 66 WALE = CHOICE. In his recent book on Edinburgh and the Lothians' Mr. Francis Watt devotes a chapter to Tantallon and the Bass, and appropriately refers to the Covenanters who were confined for a time within the prison on the massive rock. Dwelling particularly on the character of the enthusiast Peden, who is popularly known as "Peden the Prophet," he says that this singular indivi dual is " admirably touched off" $ER!*YDPERV+VNDERVAVNRYUNDER in R. L. Stevenson's Catriona,' Bn 1 X * Y F TY I TY MY OF ARB and then gives an excerpt which begins thus: Gart cheis of all his steidis furth the waill. Rob Morris, an ancient swain of Scottish song whom Burns reinvigorated, has permanent distinction as "the king of good fellows and wale of auld men." Then there is the standard anecdote of the Laird of Balnamoon's wig. It blew off at midnight on a lonely Y★YNPERV★YNPÈRY★YRRV moor, and when found by the ** YFTY ITY MP 4 AR BM 1 owner's manservant was declared to be too bedraggled to be the genuine article. "Ah, but," quoth the shrewd attendant, 'it maun e'en be the right thing, for there's nae wale o' wigs here! 66 THOMAS BAYNE. FRANCIS BACON : A RECENT EXEMPLUM ALPHABETI BILITERARII. -A cursory inspection of the preface to Mr. Granville C. |