324 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2°« S. N» 69., April 25. '57. 



By adopting this plan, greater facilities would 

 be afforded to the public, and the wear and tear 

 of the original registers would be saved. It would 

 also, I think, accomplish all the objects advocated 

 by your correspondents who have written on the 

 subject, and even dispense with the necessity of 

 printing the registers ; but as this is a point rather 

 strongly advocated by some, allow me to say a few 

 words respecting it. The certified copies of the 

 registers of births, deaths, and marriages in Eng- 

 land and Wales from June 30, 1837, to July 1, 

 1857, deposited in the General Register Office, 

 will form about 6876 folio volumes of the largest 

 size, and the Indexes thereto, 1 128 more volumes 

 of the same size, making a total of 8004 large folio 

 volumes in only twenty years. I think this will be 

 sufficient to convince anyone of the inexpediency 

 oi printvig the registers and indexes for 300 years, 

 and providing fifty-two large offices (for I suppose 

 one office at least would be required in each 

 county) and salaried clerks out of the public 

 funds; for the fees for searches and certificates 

 would be totally inadequate for the support of a 

 number of local offices, although they might suf- 

 fice for one central office. Besides, I consider 

 that the facilities afforded by the Post Office and 

 the railways so great as to render it almost, if not 

 c^uite, as inexpensive generally to procure a cer- 

 tificate from London, as it would be from the 

 county town.* There are agents now in London 

 who will procure a certificate from Somerset 

 House on payment of a small sum (2*. to 45.) in 

 addition to the legal fees (Is. for searching, and 

 2s. 6rf. the certificate) and the postages. 



It now only remains to be decided whether 

 these public registers shall be allowed to continue 

 scattered all over the country, inaccessible to the 

 public, and liable to be falsified, lost, stolen, burnt, 

 or otherwise destroyed ; or whether they shall be 

 all collected and secured in a central office, and 

 rendered easily accessible to the present and future 

 generations. W. H. W. T. 



LONDON S LOYALTT. 

 "A NEW BALLAD OF LONDON'S LOYALTY. 



To a pleasant new Tune, call'd ' Burton- Hall,' 



" Rouze up Great Monarch of this potent land, 

 Least Traytors once more get the upper hand ; 

 The Keble Rout their former Tenents own, 

 And Treason, worse than Plagues, Infects the Town : 

 The sneaking Mayor, and his two pyning Shrives ; 

 Who for their honesty no better are then Thives, 



* The Select Committee on Parochial Registration in 

 page 10. of their Report (1833) state their preference for 

 a metropolitan office, " because the metropolis is now so 

 easily and universally accessible," and " because searches 

 might be more promptly and economically made." The 

 evidence of the witnesses on this point was to the same 

 effect. 



Fall from their Soveraigns side, to court the Mobile, 

 Oh 1 London, London, where's thy Loyalty ? 



" First, Yorkshire Patience twirles his Copper Chain, 

 And hopes to see a Common -wealth again. 

 The sneaking Fool, of breaking is afraid, 

 Dares not change sides, for fear he loose his Trade ; 

 Then Loyal Slingsby does their Fate Devine, 

 He that Abjur'd the King, and all his Sacred Line, 

 And is suppos'd his Fathers' Murderer to be, 

 Oh ! Bethel, Bethel, where's thy Loyalty ? 



" A most notorious Villain late was caught. 

 And after to the Barr of Justice brought ; 

 But Slingsby packt a Jury of his own, 

 Of worser Rogues than e're made Gallows groan. 

 Then Dugdale's Evidence was soon decry'd, 

 That was so just and honest, when Old Stafford dy'd : 

 A Witness good, he is not now believ'd to be. 

 Oh ! Justice, Justice, where's thy equity ? 



" Now Clayton, murmers Treason ; unprovoak't 

 He sup't the King, and after wish't him choak't. 

 He longs for Danby's Lofty place of State, 

 And Rebble turns because he can't be Great ; 

 His sawcy Pride aspires to High Renown, "] 



Leather Breeches are forgot, in which he trudg'd to 



Town ; ^ I 



Nought but the Treasury can please the scribling [ 

 Clown. J 



Oh 1 Robin, Robin, where's thy modesty ? 



" Heaven Bless Fair England, and it's Monarch here, 

 In Scotland, Bless your High Commissioner ; 

 Let Perken his ungracious error see, 

 And Tony scape no more the Triple Tree : 

 Then Peace and plenty shall our joyes restore, 

 Villany and Faction shall oppress the Town no more : 

 But every Loyal Subject then shall happy be. 

 Nor need we care for London's Loyalty." 



The preceding poem, which is not included in 

 the Poems on Affairs of State, forms No. 3. of the 

 Collection of Proclamations, &c. presented to the 

 Chetham Library, Manchester, by James O. Halli- 

 well, Esq., F.R.S. Bxbliothecab. Chetham. 



Pope and Theohald. — I do not remember to 

 have seen the following verses, in which the merits 

 of Pope and Theobald are so nicely discriminated, 

 referred to by any of the writers on the subject of 

 the controversy in which tliey were engaged. I 

 found the lines in A New Miscellany, 8vo., London, 

 printed for A. Moore, 1730. I suspect a misprint 

 in the last line but one, and that we should read 

 " show" instead of " share." 



" On the Controversy between Mr. Pope and Mr. Theobalds, 

 1729. 



" In Pope's melodious Verse the Graces smile ; 

 In Tlieobalds' is display'd sagacious Toil ; 

 The Critick's Ivy crowns his subtle Brow, 

 While in Pope's Numbers, Wit and Musick flow. 

 These Bards, to Fortune will'd, were mortal Foes, 

 And all Parnassus in their Quarrel rose : 

 This the dire Cause of their contending Rage, 

 Who best could blanch dark Shakespear's blotted Page. 



