2»* S. X. Sept. 22. '60.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



231 



book ? She intimates it was in verse. It seems 

 its title was Small Literary Patchwork. I cannot 

 find it in the British Museum Catalogue, which, 

 by the way, is nothing extraordinary. At p. 120. 

 is an answer from some one, endeavouring to 

 show that her grievances are imaginary ; and at 

 p. 312. is the lady's reply, in which she does not 

 seem disposed to be pacified. She dates from 

 Shipston-on-Stour, which was perhaps her place 

 of residence. She writes well and feelingly, as 'if 

 she thought herself really ill used. It is very pos- 

 sible the lady may be still living. W. D. 



[Some few particulars of Miss Anne Clarke, of Ship- 

 ston-upon-Stour, are given in the notices of her work in 

 the Gevt. Mag. for March, 1808, p. 239., and June, 1814, 

 p. 582, Her little work is entitled Small Literary Patch- 

 work; or a Collection of Miscellaneous Pieces in Prose and 

 Verse, written on various occasions, chiefly on Moral and 

 Interesting Subjects. By a Countrywoman, 1808; the 

 2nd edit., 1814, contains a Biographical Sketch of her 

 father.] 



"Old Douro." — From the obliging reply in 

 your last number, p. 212., to my Query respecting 

 " The Two Sides of a River," I learn that by the 

 passage of the River Douro the Duke of Welling- 

 ton won for himself the title of " Old Douro " as 

 a sobriquet, and that by this title he was ever 

 after known to our forces in the Peninsula. I 

 never heard him so called ; nor do I remember 

 having seen the fact mentioned in any book that 

 I have read. Surely it deserves to be kept in 

 memory. I feel my curiosity excited, and ven- 

 ture to request some farther particulars. 



Rifleman. 



[A friend who served in the Peninsula under the Duke, 

 but who did not join till the spring of 1813, tells us that 

 on reaching head-quarters he found not onlj' that the 

 Commander-in-Chief was generally known bj' the sobri- 

 quet of " Old Douro " both to officers and men, but that 

 he was seldom mentioned by any other. On asking why, 

 our friend himself, much to his surprise, was saluted by 

 the title of " Johnny Newcome." At length, falling in 

 with an acquaintance who was an " old stager," he ven- 

 tured to repeat the inquiry, and received the following 

 explanation. The Duke acquired the title bj' his passage 

 of the Uouro, of course ; but the case stood thus. Previous 

 to that exploit, our soldiers had already discovered that 

 their Commander knew how to polish the French, that 

 the enemy could not stand against him in the -open field ; 

 in short, that he was a good Jighting general. But no- 

 thing which up to that time had occurred, since he be-- 

 came their leader, had generally impressed them with the 

 idea that his combative abilities were equalled by his 

 strategic skill, and that he was as good at tactics as at 

 hard knocks. When, however, they found themselves 

 (how, they hardlj' knew) brought across a broad, deep, 

 and rapid river under the very nose of Marshal Soult, 

 and saw the surprised enemy," after hastily evacuating 

 the city of Oporto, flying before them in the utmost con- 

 fusion, they at once formed a high opinion of their chief 

 as a first-rate tactician, and, as if by general consent, 

 gave him the title of" Old Douro;" a title both interest- 

 ing as a memorial, and significant as a symbol; for it 

 expressively indicated the confidence which from that day 

 forward they reposed in his skill as well as in his prowess. 

 By that name, our friend testifies, the Duke became gene- 



rally known in the British army ; and this continued, not 

 only throughout the remainder of the campaigning in the 

 Peninsula, but after the troops had entered the South of 

 France, and up to the peace of 1814. 



With all its military significance, this circumstance, 

 like many other interesting and some instructive matters 

 connected with the Duke's peninsular campaigns, has 

 never, we think, been generally known, or attracted much 

 public attention, in England. Perhaps this is partly due 

 to the crowning glories of Waterloo, which dimmed all 

 antecedents. No mortal man could take the shine out 

 of the Duke's peninsular achievements save the Duke 

 himself, ahd that he did. The fact of his having borne 

 in the Peninsula the title of " Old Douro " is not, how- 

 ever, a fact wholly lost to history. Traces of it we discern 

 in the title of " Marquis of Douro," which remained in the 

 Duke's family. Some notice of the sobriquet itself, too, 

 may be found in Blackwood's Magazine for Nov. 1849, 

 p. 560.] 



Life of James II. — I have before me a work 

 of which I wish to know who was the author, and 

 whether it is regarded as of much authority ? It 

 is entitled, The Life of James II., late King of 

 England, published in London in 1702. S. S. S. 



[Lowndes attributes it to David Jones, the author ctf 

 The Secret History of Whitehall.'} 



ABSTRACTS, '.INDEXES, OR FULL EXTRACTS OF 

 EPISCOPAL REGISTERS. 



(2''« S. viii. 202.) 



1. Canterbury: by Dr. Ducarel ; one copy at 

 Lambeth ; another more useful, as being the ori- 

 ginal abstract from which the Lambeth Index was 

 drawn, in the British Museum Library, MSS. 

 Add., 6062—6113. 



2. York : by Mr. Torre ; most full and elabo- 

 rate, in the Chapter House there. A very useful 

 abstract by Dr. Hutton, MSS, Harleian, 6969— 

 6972. 



3. London : abstract by Dr. Hutton, MSS. 

 Harl. 6955— 6956. 



4. Winchester : Index by Mr. Alchin, in his 

 own possession. 



5. Ely: most elaborate abstract by Cole. Brit. 

 Mus. Libr., MSS. Add. 5824-5827. 



6. Lincoln : very useful abstract by Hutton. 

 MSS. Harl. 6950—6954. 



7. Wells : similar abstract by Hutton. MSS. 

 Harl.' 6964— 6968. 



8. Salisbury : scanty abstract by Hutton, or 

 perhaps by Wharton. MSS. Harl. 6979-6980. 



9. Exeter : similar abstract by the same. MSS. 

 Harl. 6979—6980. 



10. Norwich: elaborate Index, &c., by Bishop 

 Tanner, in the Registry there. 



Of the Registers of Worcester, Hereford, Chi- 

 chester, Carlisle, and Durham, there are no ab- 

 stracts or IndexQS known to me in any public 

 library, 



