338 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2W s. No 69., AtRiL 25. '57. 



The Bottom ofthe^Sea (2""^ S, iii. 287.) — Your 

 correspondent Alfred Gattt observes, under 

 this head, that "Tennyson, participating in the 

 common natural impression, seems to regard the 

 fate of a drowned human body in the sea as being 

 restlessly tossed in the moving waters, which are 

 superficially agitated before our eyes, by tides and 

 winds." In elucidation of this remark, as well as 

 to bear out the accuracy of the poet's view of the 

 subject, I would beg to record the following me- 

 lancholy fact on the pages of " N. & Q.," as indeed 

 I think it merits preservation. 



Wandering through the quiet little village of 

 Rottingdean, near Brighton, in the autumn of 

 1854, I strolled into the churchyard, and there 

 saw a tombstone inscribed to the memory of 

 Lieut. Hope of the Royal Navy, who was drowned 

 on March 6, 1838, when in command of H. M. 

 schooner " Pincher," the vessel being wrecked on 

 the Owers, when all on board perished. His body 

 was picked up at Rottingdean on August 5 fol- 

 lowing, and there interred. I confess this melan- 

 choly inscription struck me forcibly, from the 

 singular length of time which had elapsed between 

 the wreck of the vessel and the recovery of the 

 body, — a period wanting but a single day of five 

 months. T. C. S. 



Boohs Chained in Churches (P* S. passim.) — 

 Amongst those noted in former vols, of " N. & Q." 

 I have not noticed the black letter Bible in St. 

 George's Chapel, Windsor. Originally in an arch 

 opposite the tomb of Richard Beauchamp, Bishop 

 of Salisbury, a breviary of the Catholic church 

 was deposited by his order for the service of both 

 clergy and laity : the Bible now supplies its place, 

 but the original inscription remains : 



" Who leyd thys book here ? The Reuerend fFader in 

 God, Richard Beauchamp bisschop of this Dj-ocese of 

 Salisbury, And wherfor ? to this entent, that Preestis 

 and Ministers of Goddis Churche may here have the oc- 

 cupacion thereof, seyying therein theyre divyne servj'se, 

 and for all othir that lysten to sey therebj' theyr devo- 

 cyon. Asketh he eny squall mede ? yee, as mouche as 

 our Lord lyst to reward him for hys good entent, praying 

 euery man wos duty or devocyon is eased by thys booke 

 they woU say for hj^m thys comune orj'son Dne Jfeu Xye, 

 kneelyng in the presence of thys holy Crosse, for the 

 ■whyce the Reuerend ffader in God aboueseyed hathe 

 graunted of the tresure of the Churche to eny man xl 

 dayys of pardun." 



R. W. Haokwood. 



A Novel Game of Chess (2"'^ S. iii. 306.)— Mr. 

 Hackwood having sent an extract from Le Nord, 

 may not be aware that the novel game of chess to 

 which he alludes has already been practised in 

 this country. Some fifteen or sixteen years since, 

 on the opening of the Lowther Rooms, in King 

 William Street, Strand, since the temporary Cha- 

 pel of the Oratorians, and still more recently 

 occupied as Mr. Woodin's Polygraphic (?) Hall, 

 there was a large chess-board laid on the floor, 



and men and women, dressed as pawns and pieces, 

 were in attendance for the use of those who might 

 choose to play at what was termed " living chess." 

 The manner was as follows: — The players were 

 mounted in two boxes, something like pulpits, 

 and directed the living chess to move, or take an 

 opponent, which was always conducted by an 

 encounter of weapons, and the defeated person 

 driven off the board. The charge was five shil- 

 lings each player per game, and the public were 

 admitted at one shilling each as spectators. This 

 account may be relied on, as the writer, being a 

 lover of the game, once ventured to play a game 

 with the " living chess ;" but he found that how- 

 ever novel the affair was, though it might do for 

 once, yet the battling of the men and their not 

 being specimens of " still life," was very perplex- 

 ing to the player, and from the fidgetting of the 

 individual chess-men he was in momentary expec- 

 tation of seeing some of his pawns, or pieces, take 

 huff and walk off the board without leave. The 

 speculation was not a successful one, as few good 

 players adopted a second edition of the game ; so 

 it remained open but two or three months, and 

 the kings, queens, bisliops, knights, rooks, and 

 pawns, doffed their costume, and sought employ- 

 ment in some other sphere where they were more 

 at liberty to follow their own inclination than at 

 " living chess." M. C. 



Jane Holman (2"'' S. iii. 238.) — Richmond- 

 lENSis states that the father of Jane Holman was 

 "the Rev. F. Hamilton, of the Duke of Hamil- 

 ton's family." I have before me a note in Mrs. 

 Piozzi's handwriting (at Bath) : in reference to 

 Lady Archibald Hamilton, the " favourite " of 

 Frederick Prince of Wales, Mrs. Piozzi says : 



" She was the mother of poor dear old Mr. Hamilton, 

 who died here, in the Circus, a vei-y few years ago. He 

 was father to Lady Aldborough, yet living, and to Jane 

 Holman, lately dead. Prince Frederick was his godfather. 

 I loved Jane Holman sincerely." 



The Hon. and Rev. F, Hamilton was the eldest 

 son of Lord Archibald Hamilton, who was the 

 seventh son of AVilliam, third Duke of Plamilton. 

 The reverend gentleman was vicar of Welling- 

 borough, Northamptonshire. Of his two daugh- 

 ters named above, Lady Aldborough will best be 

 recollected ; for her name was once as freely 

 treated by the public as ever her grandmother's 

 was. Mrs. Piozzi's note appears to have been 

 written between 1815 and 1818. Jane Hamilton 

 was Holman's first wife : she died in 1810. The 

 second died two days before Holman himself. 



J. DoRAN. 



Overland Route to Australia (2"^ S. iii. 244.) — 

 As " N. & Q." has now become such a standard 

 of reference, correspondents should be very care- 

 ful as to the correctness of their Notes. Your 

 correspondent W. B. C. is perhaps unaware that 



