372 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2»d S. VII. May 7. '59. 



executed by a native artist in the earlier part of 

 the fifteenth century. 



The official Catalogue (p. 147.) has the follow- 

 ing note upon them : — 



" Fresco painting, on the north chancel wall of the 

 ancient abbey of Knockmoy, co. Galway, and supposed 

 to represent the execution in the 12th century of the 

 young son of Dermod Mac Murrough, King of Leinster, 

 who was hostage to O'Connor, King of Ireland, for his 

 father's fidelity as tributary sovereign to O'Connor, and 

 was put to death by that monarch on his father joining 

 Strongbow." 



Whatever may be the value of this hypothesis, 

 and whatever may be the subject of these paint- 

 ings, it is indisputable that their absolute merit is 

 far from inconsiderable, — and such interest in 

 Irish works of art in general, and of fresco in 

 special, is very high. The subject is, therefore, 

 worth investigation upon many grounds interest- 

 ing alike to Englishmen as to Irishmen. 



Mr. O'Donovan has some valuable remarks 

 upon the paintings, in regard to their date {An- 

 nals of the Four Masters, vol. i. p. 213., in note). 

 He says : — 



" Ledwich was of opinion that the fresco paintings on 

 the north wall of the choir were executed in the 17th 

 century," when (he says) " the confederate Catholics pos- 

 sessed themselves of the abbeys of Ireland, which they 

 everywhere repaired, and in many instances adorned with 

 elegant sculpture. But it is quite clear, from the stj'le 

 of these paintings, and from the legible portion of the 

 inscriptions, among which may be clearly read — orate 

 pro anima Malachice — that they belong to the period of 

 the aforesaid Malachy O'Kelly, by whom the abbey of 

 Knockmoy seems to have been repaired, if not in great 

 part re-edified." 



Mr. O'Donovan had previously observed in his 

 great work (which is an honour to Ireland), that 

 there was a monument in the same church to 

 Malachy O'Kelly, who died in 1401 ; and to his 

 wife Finola, the daughter of O'Conor, who died in 

 1402. 



These frescoes should be photographed and pub- 

 lished before time and destruction become too 

 strong for them. H. C. C. 



ANDERSON PAPERS. — NO. V. 



The following letter relates to the sale of An- 

 derson's book, after he had fallen back in the 

 world : — 



" Patrick Anderson to James Anderson, Esq., W. S. 

 Edinburgh. 



" London, June 15, 1723. 

 " My dearest Sir, 

 " I have the pleasure of yours of the 8th, and am glad 

 that [the] ship is saill'd, and hope the boxes will come 



in a very few days now. Our C r [Chancellor?], 



during his absence, was provided in many books he 

 wanted, but has made me lay by some for him ; so I 

 made out a new list, and have given it to E[arl] 

 K[innoul] *, who I believe will take some, and also re- 



Kinnear of Kinlock. 



commend me to the curious here ; so I put both lots to- 

 gether, which I hope will be agreeable to my associates, 

 because by that I may have an opportunity of oblidging 

 the ingenious, and by that means they become our cus- 

 tomers ; and if any remains, they shall be given to our 

 friend Mr. M^Ewen* ; but in my humble opinion it were 

 better we made an ofier of the remainder to Mr. Bateman, 

 because it's necessary a list be shewn him, before we 

 settle a correspondence. So m3' friends will see it's neces- 

 sary all the books coming in these four boxes be given to 

 me ; for should they be marked bj' any the list is shown 

 to, and not delivered, it may pi-ove hurtful. Their view 

 was indeed extremely kind to have me soon home ; but 

 that indulgence must be suspended for a little to fix others 

 to our interest, so I'll enquire for these boxes when they 

 come. 



" Had it not been that the most of people are one day 

 in town and another out of it, I might have disposed of 

 most of them, though my friends have put very high 

 prices on them. By all I can learn, the publishing what 

 is curious about Queen Mary f would be very acceptable, 

 so I shall take care to send down, the box as directed. I 



shall in a day or two pay D y what you 4esire, and 



will take particular care of the small bill. 



" Let me know if my friend George Montgomery has 

 settled that matter with Mr. Auchterlan, so as I may 

 have up the bond ; and in my humble opinion that will be 

 a better method to do the job you mention than other- 

 wise, tho' in that and other matters I shall be directed 

 by 3'ou. 



"Mr, Cockburn and Mr. Woods, friends, are in the 

 country, else I had carried them the specimens, and kept 

 out the ' Abbreviaturte,' your reSBOhs being very good. 



"Good Mr. Anderson J begs the favor you would mind 

 his afiair of the Charter, and likewise at the Lyon office. 

 Babie § and I give our hunjble duty to my mother, and 

 service to all friends. 



" My dearest Father, adieu." 



J. M. 



SfCtnar ^atti, 



George III. — In No. 210. of the Quarterly iJe-? 

 oiew just published, at p. 490., under the head of 

 George III., there is an anecdote, which the re- 

 viewer designates as "very apocryphal," and which 

 is adduced as a proof of the king's " reticence " of 

 some occurrences. The story was related by the 

 Princess Augusta, who had it from her father. 

 There was a lane between the Kew and Richmond 

 Gardens (which was stopped up in 1785), but was 

 then a footway from one village to the other, and 

 was close to the royal palace, called the Queen's 

 Lodge ; and the king stated that a man had been 

 murdered in that lane during the time the king 

 resided at the Queen's Lodge, but as the crim^e 

 committed had not been generally known he had 

 forborne to talk of it, as he was of opinion such 

 things were bad examples if put into the heads of 

 the evil disposed. 



Having lived in the neighbourhood, and heard 



* Printer and publisher of the Edinburgh Courant. 



t This refers to the collection published by Anderson 

 of papers relating to Queen Tsi&ry, a work of great value 

 to all those who are interested in the Marian controversy. 



X His cousin. § The writer's wife. 



