520
NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. ix. JUNE 27, 101*.
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C. A. WARD.
.AMONG the correspondents of 'N. & Q.' who have most vividly impressed themselves upon the memories of the staff, not only by the voluminous- ness of their contributions and the wide range of information these discover, but also be it said without the least intention of unkindness by their quaint eccentricities and their occasional vehemence, few stand out more clearly than the subject of this notice, who died last month at Walt-ham stow. For many years he enlivened our pages with sugges- tions, queries, trouvailles, and occasional settings to rights of all kinds and sorts. His eager mind would attack any question, find room for any interest ; but it often refused to endure the checks of fact or of authority, and, as a correspondent has reminded us, his vagaries in the matter of etymology once nearly deprived ' N. & Q.' of the learning of the late Prof. Skeat, who could not tolerate irresponsibility in that particular field. Accounts of Mr. Ward in the daily press have made much of his "hermit " life at Walthamstow, where he lived in almost complete solitude, surrounded by a huge and miscellaneous collection of books, of which, by his will, the London Library has now possession. These, it appears, were intended to be worked up into some epoch-making book. They include the classics of many literatures, as well as treatises on out-of-the-way subjects, and masses of material on London and other topics. Evidently the pleasures of accumulating had swimped whatever creative power he may once have possessed. In his early years he knew and corresponded with Carlyle, and letters from Carlyle, with notes of his conversation in diaries, are among the most valuable of the MSS. he has left behind him.
BOOKSELLERS' CATALOGUES. JUNE.
MB. L. C. BRAUN'S Catalogue No. 88 gives a list of books offered at unusually low prices for the purpose of a clearance sale previous to alterations. It is worth looking through, for it offers sundry bargains, of which the few mentioned here may be taken as specimens. There is a first edition of Speed to be had for 51., lacking the portrait, but containing all the maps, and in particular the map of the Bermudas, which shows the name and holding of each colonist. There are Cooke's
- Voyage to the South Sea and Round the World,'
1712, 20-s., and, at the same price, an extra-illus- trated copy of Hawkesworth's translation of
- Telemaque,' 1768. For 5s. one may become
possessed of ' L'Oncle de 1' Europe devant 1'objectif caricatural,' being a collection of the carica- tures of Edward VII. which have appeared in different countries. Three books of rather uncanny interest are Pierre de Lan ore's work on ' Mauvais Arises et Demons,' 1612, 20s. ; Langlois's * Essai
Historique sur les Danses des Morts,' with
54 plates and numerous cuts, 1852, 15s. ; and 'Hermippus Redivivus,' or 'The Sage's Triumph over Old Age and the Grave,' Campbell's trans- lation from the work of the German physician John Henry Cohausen, 1749, II. 5s. From a literary
point of view the most important item is an uncut
first edition of * Vanity Fair ' bound in whole
calf, U.
MESSRS. MAGGS'S Catalogue No. 327 contains descriptions of between 400 and 500 Engravings of historical and topographical interest, as well as several oil paintings. Those relating to foreign parts are especially noteworthy e.g., the pictures by Ogrumoff of the taking of Kasan and the corona- tion of Michael Romanov (60Z. the pair) ; a painting by Butterworth of the fight between the Shannon and the Chesapeake (50 guineas) ; and a set of seven water-colour drawings of Chinese towns and scenery, by George Chinnery (211.).
MESSRS. E. PARSONS have sent us their Catalogue No. 32, describing a small collection of old engraved portraits, which includes a series of engravings from Van Dyck in early states. From among these latter we may mention one example each of Pontius's and of Vorsterman's engraving of Van Dyck's portrait of John, Count of Nassau both offered at 3J. 3s. ; De Baillue's engraving of the por- trait of Lady Carlisle, 4Z. 10-9. ; Gulielmus Hondius's rendering of the Hondius portrait, 51. 5s. ; the portraits of Rockox (Vorsterman) and Maharkysus (Sebastian Barris), each 51. 5s. ; Snyers's * Prince Rupert,' 12Z. 12*. ; and McArdell's Lady South- ampton,' 211. They have the whole-length mezzo- tint printed in colours of Mrs. Musters as ' Hebe,' by Hodges after Sir Joshua Reynolds, for which they ask 100Z. ; Earlom's portrait of Rembrandt by himself, and another engraving of the same by an unknown hand, 1767 ana 1780 respectively, priced at 25 guineas ; and Bartolozzi's 'Miss Farren,' in its first published state, offered at 70 guineas. There are examples of Cousins, C. Turner (in par- ticular the ' Lady Louisa Manners,' 85 guineas), J. R. Smith, Watson, and many other well-known men'; and a rather attractive item for which 38 guineas is asked is Nutter's ' George Wash- ington,' after C. G. Stuart, printed in colours.
[Notices of other Catalogues held over.]
j&oiuus 10 <K0msp0ntottt5.
CORRESPONDENTS who send letters to be for- warded to other contributors should put on the top left-hand corner of their envelopes the number of the page of *-N. & Q.' to which their letters refer, so that the contributor may be readily identified.
EDITORIAL communications should be addressed tp " The Editor of ' Notes and Queries ' " Adver- tisements and Business Letters to "The Pub- lishers " at the Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.C.
A CORRESPONDENT Writes : "HAMPSHIRE FlELD
CLUB. The Rev. G. W. Minns has never been abroad. He was editor three years, resigning 1913, when the editorship was accepted by John Hauten- ville Cope, who is co-editor with the Rev. P. H. Ditchfield (of the Berks Arch. Journal).
" The H. F. C. volume reviewed ante, p. 479, is Vol. VII., but Vol. VI., which was undertaken by the Rev. G. W. Minns, did not make its appearance till a fortnight after Vol. VII. was issued."
CORRIGENDUM. Ante, p. 425, col. 2, 1. 2 from foot, for ," Wotton Waven " read Wootton Wawen.
