^s.vra.Aua.3,i9oi.] NOTES AND QUERIES.
99
series of memoirs like that of Don Quixote,
in which the abuse of learning in every
department was to be ridiculed. "Polite
letters," says Warburtou, "never lost more
than in the defeat of this scheme." Dr. John-
son held an opposite view. " The follies," he
says, " which the writer ridicules are so little
practised that they are not known ; nor can
the satire be understood but by the learned."
This latter verdict may be true to a certain
extent, but the account of the 'Process at
Law upon the Marriage of Scriblerus and the
Pleadings of the Advocates' is as good a
satire upon legal debates and decisions as it
is possible to imagine. G. W. NIVEN.
23, Newton Street, Greenock.
(To be continued.]
' ANSON'S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.'
A FEW days ago, being wishful to obtain
a copy of Walter's famous account of Lord
Anson's voyage round the world, I inquired
for the work in a well-known bookseller's
shop where old books are dealt in as well as
new ones. Two copies, both in good con-
dition, were produced. One of these was a
copy of the eighth edition, printed at Dublin
for G. & A. Ewing, and dated 1754. This
copy I bought. The second copy, which was
half the price of the first one, is called "a
new edition," dated 1845, and was printed in
London for the Society for Promoting Chris-
tian Knowledge. I had only a few minutes to
spare, so could not attempt any elaborate
comparison of these two volumes ; still, being
anxious to make sure as far as possible that
both books were complete, I did place the
title-pages alongside each other, and there-
upon found that in the 1845 edition there
have been added, following on "George
Anson, Esq.," the words "afterwards Lord
Anson"; following on "South Seas," before
" compiled," the words " with a map, showing
the Track of the Centurion round the world."
Also after " compiled," instead of the words
"From Papers and other Materials of the
Right Honorable George Lord Anson, and
published under his Direction," we read
"from his Papers and Materials." In the
older volume, after "expedition," the con-
cluding words are, "The Eighth Edition.
Illustrated with charts, views, &c. Dublin :
Printed for G. and A. Ewing, at the Angel
and Bible in Dame-Street, MDCCLIV."; whereas
in the later issue, following on "expedi-
tion," we read instead, "A New Edition.
London : printed for the Society for Pro-
moting Christian Knowledge ; sold at the
Depository, Great Queen Street, Lincoln's
Inn Fields, and by all Booksellers, 1845."
The dedication to John, Duke of Bedford,
signed by Richard Walter, is omitted
altogether from the 1845 edition. I next
compared the opening sentence of the in-
troduction in the older volume with the
same sentence as reproduced in the more
modern edition. That opening sentence has
been garbled, and for no reason that is apparent
to me. Thus the words which originally
ran "an enterprize of a very singular nature j
and the Public have never failed to be
extremely inquisitive about the various
accidents and turns of fortune, with which
this uncommon attempt is generally attended :
And," &c., appear in the new edition of
1845 as "an enterprize of so very singular
a nature, that the public have never failed to
be extremely inquisitive about the various
accidents, with which this uncommon attempt
is generally attended. And," &c. So also,
on the last page of the narrative, "the
blows of adverse fortune" has been altered
into " accidents and adverse circumstances " ;
"to its power" after "superior" has been
omitted ; and after " successful," the last word
in Mr. Walter's narrative, the words " through
the blessing of Divine Providence " have been
added.
I did not carry my examination into any other parts of the book, though it would perhaps be interesting to ascertain, if some one had the time to spare for the under- taking, the full sum of the alterations which were introduced into the book before it was reprinted by the Society answerable for the edition of 1845. I confess that I should much like to know the authority under which these changes were made ; and also whether tampering with the language in which the heroes of the past thought fit to clothe the accounts of their exploits, when transmitting them to posterity for an inheritance, is a practice morally justifiable. H. G. K.
' THE TRIBAL HIDAGE.'
(Continued from 9 th S. vii. 444-)
IT is impossible to study a document like 'The Tribal Hidage' without forming some opinion as to its purpose and date, and the following suggestions are offered for criticism :
1. Its purpose. Probably military. The King of the Mercians wished to know how many men he could summon from his own dominions and from the subordinate king- doms in case of need. The hidages of the smaller tribes are multiples of 300, as if 300 hides corresponded to the smallest military unit. There is an obvious connexion between
