The Journal is a veritable storehouse of information and pictures for any one who is writing about churches, country seats, castles, well-known characters of the time, and many other subjects. Thus it has numbers of articles on contemporary celebrities with portraits: for example, in No. 5, for 29 March, 1845, a portrait of 'England's Future King,' on horseback. There are in addition articles on all sorts of subjects, such as married life, the newspaper press of London, anecdotes of Napoleon, Hatfield House (with a woodcut), and North-American Indians (with three illustrations). In vol. viii. there is a view of 'Hobart Town'—a few houses scattered about fields—which would much amuse the present population of Hobart. The illustrations are always good, and many of them really excellent, being executed by the best artists of the day.
Since my first note your contributor Mr. William Douglas, whose knowledge of actors and the stage is encyclopædic, has informed me that J. F. Smith's father was George Smith, manager of the Norwich Theatrical Circuit, and that he died on 19 December, 1877, aged 78, at Grimsby. The Era of the 30th, p. 12, gives no further particulars, only announcing his death.
This information at once reminded me of an omission at 11 S. vii. 222, col. 2: 'Stanfield Hall' is described as being by J. F. Smith, author not only of 'The Jesuit,' but also of 'The Siege of Colchester,' &c. Thanks to our National Library, I have been able to see the latter work:—
"The Siege of Colchester, in the Year 1648, an historical drama in two acts [and in prose], by the author of 'The Idiot,' 'Deaf and Dumb,' 'The Hoaxing Trio,'[1] &c., Colchester, 1824."
It is dedicated by permission to Sir George Smith, Bart., Berechurch Hall, Essex[2]
Had the fact that Colchester was in the "circuit" of J. F. Smith's father anything to do with this title? That Smith should begin with writing plays appears to suggest that in early life he had some theatrical experience. He was only about 20 years of age in 1824; he died in America in March, 1890. Perhaps one of your readers in the United States can give the day and place.
I thought I recollected seeing many years ago a portrait of J. F. Smith in Cassell's, and this after much searching I have now found. It occupies the whole of the front (p. 385) of Cassell's Illustrated Family Paper dated 22 May, 1858. He is described as author of 'Smiles and Tears,' which appeared in Cassell's. He has a fine head, long hair, moustache and beard, but whiskers shaved. There are no biographical particulars, except that he was "a native of Norwich." He is indexed under 'Portraits of Living Celebrities.'
A very curious light has lately been thrown on the foreign idea of an English baronet by another old contributor to 'N. & Q.' It is contained in the following letter to The Observer for 19 January, 1913:
"The Wicked Baronet."
Sir,—Some will remember how the Shilling Shocker of a generation or two ago was seldom complete without a "wicked baronet," and how the leading villain of the transpontine theatre was generally drawn from this ancient order. But few, perhaps, realize that this calumny on the character of a respectable class has been, carried across the Channel and established in parts of Germany with the aid of a manual of the English language prepared by a learned Doctor of Literature for the instruction of his country-folk.
Last year, when at a well-known spa, a German lady asked me if I knew the address of an English Milord ———? I had never heard the name, but a 'Who's Who' in the hotel bureau revealed a baronet of that name. I gave the lady the address, remarking: "He is not a lord; he is a baronet." The lady seemed much exercised, and replied: "Really, monsieur, I cannot understand your speaking thus of my friend, who is not only a thorough gentleman, but also very religious." I made an attempt to explain that I had no intention of speaking disparagingly of the gentleman, but that he was what the books term a member of the lesser nobility. She, however, would accept no explanation, saying she knew quite well what "baronet" meant. . . .
I had forgotten the incident until this afternoon, when on opening that most delightful of little books, Trench's 'English Past and Present,' the origin of the mystery was revealed. My copy is the tenth edition, and therein the Archbishop explains in a foot-note how in an early edition, when he was quoting from Cowper "rakehell baronet," the words were printed in such a way as to suggest that they were synonymous. . . .But the Archbishop must be allowed to tell the joke in his own words:—
"I regret by too much brevity [runs the footnote] to have here led astray Dr. G. Schneider, who has written a 'History of the English Language.' Freiburg, 1863, and done me the honour to transfer, with very slight acknowledgment,- ↑ I could not find any of these plays in the National Library.
- ↑ Did not this eccentric baronet, who renounced "his title of baronet" at the notorious dinner held in Paris during the Revolution of 1792, come up to Smith's expectations, and did Smith therefore pillory baronets in his novels?
I have looked the baronet up in the hope that some information might have been obtained from the family about J. F. Smith. The baronet was M.P. for Colchester, 1826-30; ho died in 1952 without male issue. See 'The Complete Baronetage,' by G. E. C., vol. iv. p. 10.
