no 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd s. VII. Feb. 6. '59. 



ho closes nn oratorio with the chorus " The name 

 of the wicked," with which, I presume, he in- 

 tended to create a laugh or a sneer. And, lastly, 

 no question he felt the necessity of some strong 

 contrast in style as a relief or variety to his own 

 work. Hence the charm of the ls7'ael in Egypt ; 

 there are so many heads and hands engaged in its 

 composition. As an Impresario he was compelled 

 to extemporise oratorios, but no man has yet lived 

 who could extemporise alia cappella choruses. 

 There is no man now living who can write in the 

 ratios used by Kerl in the chorus " Egypt was 

 glad," and if Handel could compose in this school, 

 he never did so. 



Let no one imagine I desire to depreciate Han- 

 del, who was, and is, the greatest recitative writer 

 the world has ever seen, and could do in a few 

 bars that which neither Bach, nor Mozart, nor 

 Beethoven could do at any time, or in any num- 

 ber of bars. Recitative teaches variety of rhythm, 

 and none but one great in recitative could have 

 written the Hallelujah Chorus of the Messiah. 

 His great rival in this variety is Meyerbeer, whom 

 I suspect knows Handel in a way our professors 

 little imagine. H. J. Gauntlett. 



WATER-MARKS IN PAPER. 



(2"« S. vi. 434.) 



At the meeting of the Utrecht Historical So- 

 ciety, on May the lOtli, 1851, a report was read, 

 written by Mr. J. A. de Zvvaan, C.'s son, of the 

 Hague, concerning a chronological collection of 

 water-marks in paper, copied from the records, 

 formerly in the archives of Buren, and extending 

 from the year 1354 to the year 1425. This col- 

 lection had been submittedto his inquiries by the 

 Society's directors. Mr." de Zwaan explained 

 that very many of these paper-marks corresponded 

 with those in the archives of the realm, but that 

 some of them also, as, for instance, the Swan in 

 1425, hud never been noticed by him before. He 

 thought this collection interesting enough to be 

 published in chronological order ; but this, he 

 said, should be done with the utmost exactness, 

 and with the observation of the most minute 

 particulars and deviations, as these sometimes 

 are the only characteristics by which to decide 

 upon the age of the paper-mark. Thus the BulTs 

 Heads, which are continued daring a very long 

 period, are only to be distinguished by tlieir slight 

 variations. It is also important always to state 

 the width of the standing lines {pontuseaux) ; for 

 the lines that are more distant, viz. some four or 

 five inches (Dutch or French centimeters') apart, 

 will seldom be found after the thi-ee last quarters 

 of the fifteenth century, or later than 1480 ; or, 

 he should rather say, towards that time the narrow 

 lines of two inches and a half come in fashion. 



Mr. Craeyvanger was invited to make accurate 



drawings of the paper-marks before mentioned, 

 and to undertake the care af their farther publi- 

 cation ; a request which this gentleman acceded 

 to. See Kronijk van het Historisch Oenootschap 

 gevestigd te Utrecht, Zevenden Jaargang, 1851, 

 2de Serie, p. 162. 



At another meeting of the same body, on Jan. 

 18, 1853, it was stated by Jonkheer C. A. Re- 

 thoran Macare, LL.D., of Utrecht, that during 

 his 'stay at the Hague, Mr. de Zwaan, a gentle- 

 man employed at the government archives in 

 that place, had shown him a very interesting col- 

 lection of paper-marks he had formed, and which 

 he would not be unwilling to part with, if the 

 Society could resolve upon its publication. 



Subsequent negotiations, however, do not seem 

 to have had any results. (See Kronijk, Negenden 

 Jaargang, 1853, 2de Serie, p. 21.) 



The 19th of January, 1850, a letter was read in 

 the Society from Mr. C. II. Hermans of 's Herto- 

 genbosch, dated Jan. 9, 1850, in which this gen- 

 tleman states his belief that, before the year 1320, 

 not many documents will be found, written on 

 paper. He thinks a diligent inquiry might settle 

 this point. (^Kronijk, Zesden Jaargang, 1850, 

 2de Serie, p. 20.) Hereupon Dr. P. Scheltema 

 of Amsterdam informs the Society, April lOth, 

 1850, that the oldest paper in the Amsterdam ar- 

 chives dates from July 18th, 1388, and May Gth, 

 1390; but it has no water-mark or character of 

 any kind. (Kronijk, Zesden Jaargang, bl. 140.) 

 Mr. H. O. Feith, LL.D., of Groningen, writes, 

 April 15th, 1850, that the oldest paper in the con- 

 joined archives of the town and province of Gro- 

 ningen is of the year 1420. This document is half 

 a sheet in folio ; the paper thick and substantial : 

 it bears for watermark a Lion or Dog rampant, 

 (i. c, p. 15G.) 



After this a letter was received from Jonkheer 

 P. Opperdoes Alewijn, indited from Hoorn, April 

 22nd, 1850, in which is stated that Mr. J. A. van 

 Viegen, the gentleman charged with the classi- 

 fication of the town archives, enabled him to ofier 

 the Society a fac-simile of some watermarks 

 of the years 144G and 1502, taken from the 

 oldest cotton papers amongst the records. The 

 size of the earliest paper is in small folio, whilst 

 that which has the watermark P is of the thickest 

 and firmest quality, and therefore seems mostly 

 to have been used. The marks of 1446 and later 

 are coarse and irregular, but from the year 1500 

 they are better formed. (Kronijk, I. c.) 



Lastly, Mr. R. W. Tadama, LL.D., of Zutphen, 

 sent in the following account concerning the oldest 

 paper in the arcliives of that town : — 



" I. Letter of Edward van Gel re and John, Lord of 

 Blaarsveld, to the Zutphen magistrates. Collated with 

 Nijhoff's Gedenkwaardigheden, vol. ii. p. liv., it appears to 

 date from the year 1353. The paper is very strong aiu.1 

 coarse. Watermark : A Can, in lukich is a Reajnng-liooh. 

 '• II. Declaration of war ( Vcedebrief) of Sweder, Lord 



