NOTES AND Medium of Inter-Communication FOR LITERARY MEN, ARTISTS, ANTIQUARIES, GENEALOGISTS, ETC. "When found, make a note of."-CAPTAIN CUTTLE VOLUME FIRST. NOVEMBER, 1849- MAY, 1850. LIBRARY LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR GEORGE BELL, 186. FLEET STREET. 1850. [SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS AND NEWSMEN.] A MEDIUM OF INTER-COMMUNICATION FOR LITERARY MEN, ARTISTS, ANTIQUARIES, GENEALOGISTS, ETC. neglects it. There is some trouble in it, to be NOTES AND QUERIES. sure; but in what good thing is there not? THE nature and design of the present work and what trouble does it save! Nay, what have been so fully stated in the Prospectus, mischief! Half the lies that are current and are indeed so far explained by its very in the world owe their origin to a misplaced Title, that it is unnecessary to occupy any confidence in memory, rather than to intengreat portion of its first number with details tional falsehood. We have never known more on the subject. We are under no temptation than one man who could deliberately and conto fill its columns with an account of what we scientiously say that his memory had never hope future numbers will be. Indeed, we deceived him; and he (when he saw that he would rather give a specimen than a de- had excited the surprise of his hearers, espescription; and only regret that, from the wide cially those who knew how many years he had range of subjects which it is intended to spent in the management of important comembrace, and the correspondence and contri-mercial affairs) used to add, because he had butions of various kinds which we are led to expect, even this can only be done gradually. A few words of introduction and explanation may, however, be allowed; and, indeed, ought to be prefixed, that we may be understood by those readers who have not seen our Prospectus. "WHEN FOUND, MAKE A NOTE OF," is a most admirable rule; and if the excellent Captain had never uttered another word, he might have passed for a profound philosopher. It is a rule which should shine in gilt letters on the gingerbread of youth, and the spectacle-case of age. Every man who reads with any view beyond mere pastime, knows the value of it. Every one, more or less, acts upon it. Every one regrets and suffers who never trusted it; but had uniformly written down what he was anxious to remember. But, on the other hand, it cannot be denied that reading and writing men, of moderate industry, who act on this rule for any considerable length of time, will accumulate good deal of matter in various forms, shapes, and sizes- —some more, some less legible and intelligible-some unposted in old pocket books some on whole or half sheets, or mere scraps of paper, and backs of letters—some, lost sight of and forgotten, stuffing out old portfolios, or getting smoky edges in bundles tied up with faded tape. There are, we are quite sure, countless boxes and drawers, and pigeon-holes of such things, which want looking over, and would well repay the trouble. Nay, we are sure that the proprietors would find themselves much benefited even if we were to do nothing more than to induce them to look over their own collections. How much good might we have done (as well as got, for we do not pretend to speak quite disinterestedly), if we had had the looking over and methodizing of the chaos in which Mr. Oldbuck found himself just at the moment, so agonizing to an author, when he knows that the patience of his victim is oozing away, and fears it will be quite gone before he can lay his hand on the charm which is to fix him a hopeless listener:-" So saying, the Antiquary opened a drawer, and began rummaging among a quantity of miscellaneous papers, ancient and modern. But it was the misfortune of this learned gentleman, as it may be that of many learned and unlearned, that he frequently experienced on such occasions, what Harlequin calls l'embarras des richesses -in other words, the abundance of his collection often prevented him from finding the article he sought for." We need not add that this unsuccessful search for Professor Mac Cribb's epistle, and the scroll of the Antiquary's answer, was the unfortunate turningpoint on which the very existence of the documents depended, and that from that day to this nobody has seen them, or known where to look for them. But we hope for more extensive and important benefits than these, from furnishing a medium by which much valuable information may become a sort of common property among those who can appreciate and use it. We do not anticipate any holding back by those whose "NOTES" are most worth having, or any want of "QUERIES" from those best able to answer them. Whatever may be the case in other things, it is certain that those who are best informed are generally the most ready to communicate knowledge and to confess ignorance, to feel the value of such a work as we are attempting, and to understand that if it is to be well done Some cheap and they must help to do it. By this time, we hope, our readers are pre- Now, with all modesty, we submit, that for the title of such a work as we have in view, and have endeavoured to describe, no word could be so proper as "NOTES." Can any man, in his wildest dream of imagination, conceive of any thing that may not be-nay, that has not been-treated of in a note? Thousands of things there are, no doubt, which cannot be sublimed into poetry, or elevated into history, or treated of with dignity, in a stilted text of any kind, and which are, as it is called, "thrown" into notes; but, after all, they are much like children sent out of the |