2'"» S. N« 70., Mat 2. '67.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



345 



father was utterly ignorant of the source through 

 which they were obtained. (S. Ireland's Vindica- 

 Hon of his Conduct, p. 30.) 



2. His solemn declaration that he was the un- 

 assisted author and writer of the forgeries ; and 

 that his father was unacquainted with the whole 

 affair, and firmly believed the papers to be the 

 production of Shakspeare. (^Authentic Account, 

 p. 42.) 



3. His reiterated assertion, as recently as 1832, 

 that his father was ignorant and innocent of the 

 matter, and utterly incapable, from principle, of 

 fabricating, or even conniving at, the imposture. 

 (^Vortigern, 2nd ed., 1832, p. vii.) 



Some further particulars were promised by the 

 correspondent to Current Notes, but have not yet 

 appeared : if these lines should meet his eye, 

 perhaps he will gratify the curiosity which he has 

 awakened. William Bates. 



Birmingham. 



LETTER OF JEAN JACQUES. 



I extract the following letter from an interest- 

 ing journal entitled L' Esprit des Joumaux Fran- 

 gois et Etrangers par une Societe de Gens-de-lettres, 

 Paris, vol. ix. Sept. 1781, p. 243. It is possible it 

 may have appeared in a subsequent edition of 

 Rousseau's works. I do not find it either in my 

 own edition, or in the Panth. Litt., Paris, 1836-7 : 



"^ Bourgoin, le 2 Decerribre, 1768. 

 " Laissons h, part, Madame je vous supplie, les livres et 

 leuB^ auteurs. Je suis si sensible k votre obligeante in- 

 vitation, que si ma sant<? me permettoit de faire en cette 

 Saison des voyages de plaisir, j'en ferois un biea volontiers 

 pour aller vous remercier. Ce que vouz avez la bonte de 

 me dire, Madame, des etangs et des montagnes de votre 

 contree, ajouteroit a mont empressement, mais n'en seroit 

 pas la premiere cause. On dit que la grotte de la Balme 

 est de vos cotes, c'est encore un object de promenade et 

 meme d'habitation, si je pouvois m'en pratiquer une dont 

 les fourbes et les chauves souris n'approchassent pas. A 

 regard de I'etude des plantes, permettez, Madame, que je 

 la fasse en naturaliste, et non pas en apothicaire: car 

 outre que je n'ai qu'une foi trfes-m^diocre k la medicine, je 

 connois I'organisatioa des plaiites sur la foi de la nature 

 qui ne ment point, et je ne connois leurs vertus medi- 

 cinales que sur la fois des hommes qui son menteurs. Je 

 ne suis pas d'humeur k les croire sur leur parole ni h. 

 porte'e, de la verifier. Ainsi, quant h, moi, j'aime cent fois 

 mieux voir dans I'email des pres des guirlandes pour les 

 bergeres que des herbes pour les lavemems. Puissai-je, 

 Madame, aussi-tot que le printems ramenera la verdure, 

 aller faire dans vos cantons des lierborisations qui ne 

 pourront qu'etre abondantes et brillantes, si je juge par 

 les fleurs que repand votre plume de celles qui doivent 

 naitre autour de vous. Agreez, J.Iadame, et faites agr^er 

 h. M. le pre'sident, je vous supplie, les assurances de tout 

 mon respect. "Rbnou.* 



"* Les Connoissances et les amis de M. J. J. Rous- 

 seau, n'ignorent pas que c'e'toit le nom qu'il prit dana sa 

 retraite en Dauphine." 



The letter is accompanied by the following : 

 " J'ai rhonneur de vous addresser, Messieurs, la copie 

 d'une lettre ^crite par Jean Jacques Rousseau k Mme. la 

 presidente de Verna, de Grenoble, qui, sur ce qu'elle avoit 

 appris qu'il ^toit venu herboriser en Dauphin^ I'avoit in- 

 vite h prendre une gite dans son Chateau. L'original de 

 cette lettre est entre les mains de Mme. la marquise de 

 Ruffieux, flUe de Mme. la presidente de Verna. Comme 

 ce n'est qu'avec la permission de cette Dame que j'en at 

 tir^ copie pour la rendre publique, j'espere que vous vous 

 ferez un plaisir de I'inserer dans votre journal. Ce nou- 

 veau temoignage de la singuliere tournure d'espirit de ce 

 grand homme ne peut que faire plaisir au public, et les 

 Idlteurs de ses oeuvres feront siirement, bien aises d'en 

 avoir connoissance. 

 " J'ai rhonneur d'etre, etc. 



«L. C. D. L." 



B. S. Chabnock. 



Gray's Inn. 



ENLARGES EDITION OF KING JAMES 8 IRISH ABMT 

 LIST. 



I have recently published Illustrations, Histori- 

 cal and Genealogical, of King James's Irish Army 

 List, comprising memoirs of upwards of 400 fa- 

 milies, who were represented in that muster roll 

 — the ancient aristocracy of Ireland : the gallant 

 men, who sacrificed their lives, their properties, 

 their estates, the homes of their ancestors, the in- 

 heritance of their children, all, for their religion 

 and their country. Extensive as was my volume, 

 956 pages (and I am proud to say it is out of 

 print), it has been objected that my family illus- 

 trations, having been limited by the terms of my 

 original prospectus to the " ambit" of the Revolu- 

 tion, are considered to fall short of what was due 

 to the greatness of the subject, the number and 

 rank of the families projected to notice, and the 

 absorbing results of that war. I most willingly 

 responded to the suggestion, that I might make 

 the advised enlargement a complete compendium 

 of these Irish genealogies, were I to foreshow the 

 earliest attainable information of the respective 

 septs and families of my heroes : carefully examin- 

 ing for that object all referable to each name, 

 through our native annals, as well as through the 

 rolls and records of public offices, accredited re- 

 positories, and public and private libraries. All 

 these collections have been since so industriously 

 gathered in, that within three months I could 

 furnish the manuscript to the press. In its en- 

 larged scope it would fill about 1600 pages ; and 

 may I ask my countrymen — Is this mass of Irish 

 history to perish with myself? I cannot learn of 

 any publisher that will undertake so heavy a 

 speculation, even were the risk controlled by 

 issuing the work in numbers. I am willing to 

 complete the compilation and cause the whole to 

 be printed, if an indemnity of at least 300^. be 

 guaranteed to me by a committee or otherwise, 

 irrespective of copies, the price of which should be 



