Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 5.djvu/362

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354
NOTES AND QUERIES.
[9th S. V may 5, 1900.


author's name, I found a date in F. Boase's invaluable ‘Modern English Biography.’ He says, “‘Box and Cox,’ the most popular play ever written, was produced at Lyceum Theatre, 1 November, 1847.” Under Sir A Sullivan's name, p. 1432, Dr. Brewer again makes the mistake of saying he wrote the music for 'Box and Cox,' without a date It was for ' Cox and Box,' which was a musical version of 'Box and Cox.' The authors of ' Cox and Box,' as in the British Museum Catalogue, were J. M. Morton and F. C. Burnand, with music by A. Sullivan.

A list of English plays is much wanted Dr. Brewer says his list is entirely original, Although there are probably upwards of 3,000 plays enumerated, I notice in a cursory glance numerous omissions of plays that must have been popular, because I have prints of "scenes and characters" in them, and also theatrical portraits of the more celebrated actors who performed the chief parts. For example, I do not find the ‘Battle of the Alma,’ the ‘Battle of Waterloo,’ ‘The Blind Boy’ (three or four printsellers published their own series of prints for this play), ' The Bottle Imp ' (8th S. iv. 46), ' Casco Bay' (4th S. xii. 463), 'The Cataract of the Ganges ' (a gorgeous spectacle), ' Elephant of Siam' (ibid.), 'Captain Ross,' 'Dumb Savoy- ard,' 'Echo of Westminster Bridge,' 'Hyder Ali,' 'Mary, the Maid of the Inn,' 'Philip Quarll,' 'Sadak and Kalasarade' (explained by Dr. Brewer at p. 945), and numbers of others.

Most of our plays used to be taken from the French ; now, I fancy, it is they who borrow from us. Long lists appeared in the Figaro about 1873. RALPH THOMAS.

[The scene and date of ' Box and Cox,' with other information, may be found under ' John Maddison Morton' in * Diet. Nat. Biog.' A complete cata- logue of plays is indeed wanted.]

“PAVILION.” Under ‘Marquée’ (ante, p. 76), one of your correspondents mentions that pavilion began to be used in its present meaning about 1774. The French pavillon was so used quite forty-five years earlier, e.g., in Baron de Pöllnitz’s letter of 10 Oct., 1729, from Carlsbad to Mr. L. C. D. S.:—

“Les Ecuries [à Pommersfelden] répondent parfaitement au Château, auquel elles font face. Elles sont construites en Demi-lune, avec un Pavillon au milieu, qui est un Sallon ovale,” &c.

H. E. M.

St. Petersburg.

VANISHING LONDON. By degrees the note- worthy landmarks in this little village of ours are being effaced. A sigh of regret


should certainly follow the final disappear- ance of the old Queen's Concert, or (as they were better known) the Hanover Square, Rooms now in process of demolition. In particular for the musical world pleasant memories must always linger round a spot where concerts, Antient, Select, and Phil- harmonic, have rejoiced our forefathers and, as late as the year 1875, our own generation. Save in this respect, the place may be said to have been "many things by turn, but nothing long." For have not assemblies, lectures, readings, meetings, all courted some- what fitful patronage within its walls from time to time 1 Nor can a permanent success be chronicled for later ventures of the gigantic club kind. Now, alas ! we must be prepared for the inevitable erection of flats. But it is to be hoped some reverent hand will spare the many fine ornamentations of the cnief, historic " room." These are doubtless familiar to some of us either in their past or renovated glories. CECIL CLARKE.

Authors' Club, S.W.

DICKENS AND YORKSHIRE SCHOOLS. To the Athenaeum of 17 March Sir David O. Hunter- Blair communicates the following interesting piece of information :

Having occasion to consult the Times of 29 June, 1838, I lighted in its educational column on an ad- vertisement which will, I venture to think, be read with interest side by side with Mr. Squeers's scholastic announcement in 'Nicholas Nickleby':

The Times. Nickleby.

At Mr. Simpson's Aca- At Mr. Wackford demy near Richmond, Squeers's Academy, orkshire, youth are Dotheboys Hall, near warded and instructed Greta Bridge in York- jy Mr. S., in whatever shire, youth are boarded, their future may require, clothed, booked, fur- at 20 or 23 guineas a year, iiished with pocket - according to age. No money, instructed in all extras, and no vacations, languages living or dead. 3ards with references to ...... Terms twenty

)e had from Mr. S., who guineas per annum. No attends daily from 12 to extras, no vacations, and 2 o'clock at the Saracen's diet unparalleled. Mr. S. Head, Snow Hill. Con- is in town, and attends veyance by steam vessel daily from one till four weekly. at the Saracen's Head,

Snow Hill.

There are other similar advertisements in the ame column, but none so evidently the prototype )f the immortal Wackford's. There is certainly omething audacious about the parallel : the locality for Greta Bridge is, of course, quite near Rich- nond), the terms, the initial ' Mr. S.,' and, above all, he rendezvous at the Saracen's Head. It is worth


icing that the serial publication of ' Nickleby ' >egari in April, 1838, and was therefore actually in )rogress when the above advertisement was appear- ng daily in the leading London newspaper. " Mr. Simpson, it will be observed, recommends iff ' load of infant misery' to travel, not by coach,