2»<» S. VIII. Oct. 29. '59.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



341 



LOIWON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29. 1859. 



No. 200. — CONTENTS. 



NOTES : — Another " Note to the Cornwallis Papers " — No. 2., by "Wil- 

 liam John Fitz-Patrick, 341 — Complete History of England: White 

 Kennett; Jolin Strypc, by Kev. J. E. B. Mayor, 343 — Sonnet supposed 

 to be by Milton, Mi — Anderson Papers — No. 5., by C. D. Lament, 

 315 — General Wolfe at Quebec, 346 — Northumbrian Notes, by T. 

 Harwood Pattison, 3^18 — Inscriptions on Fly-leaves, by William 

 Henry Hart, &c., 349. 



Minor Notes : — Laurence Sterne — Note on Chancer: Sire Thopas — 

 Oracles in Opposition — A Regiment all of one Name, 350. 



QUERIES : — Sir Thomas Roe, by John Maclean, 351. 



Minor Qoeribs :_ Boyle Lectures — Cooke of Gidea Hall — The " Te 

 Deum " interpolated — Inscription in Yorkshire — Oldl Boodleite — 

 Mile. Sall^, or SelW, Dancer at the Italian Opera in London — " The 

 Watchman " — Ancient Keys — D'Angreville: St. Maurice, &c., 352. 



MiKOR Queries with Answers: — Nell Gwyn's House at Windsor — 

 Oath of Vargas —Julius Csesar's Dispatch — Quarles — " Breeches 

 Bible " — Astrological Prediction of Moore's Almanack, &c., 355. 



REPLIES : — Sir Richard Nanfan and Cardinal Wolscy, by John Gongh 

 Nichols, 357 — Rev. John Anderson,Ministerof Dumbarton, by J. Irv- 

 ing, 358 — Percy Society's Edition of "Syr Tryamoure," by Rev. 

 Thomas Boys, 359 — Sale of a Man and his Progeny, by W. B. Mac 

 Cabe, &c., 360. 



Replies to Minor Queries: — Seal Inscriptions — Abdias Ashton: 

 Robert Hill — The Great St. Leger — Two Kings of Brentford — 

 Book-Markers- "O whar got ye that bonnie blue bonnet " — Jaco- 

 bite Manuscripts— Ephraim Pratt — Dr. Johnson's Chair — Somerset- 

 shire Poets— The River Liffcy, &c. 362. 



Notes on Books, &c. 



Sotetf. 



ANOTHER 



'note TO THE CORNWALLIS PAPEBS. 

 NO. II. 



Who corrupted Mac Nolly and Mac Quicken ? — 

 In the Memoirs and Correspondence of Marquis 

 Cornwallis (vol. iii. p. 320 ), a letter appears ad- 

 dressed by Mr. Secretary Cooke to the Lord-Lieu- 

 tenant, in which various persons are recommended, 

 including Mac Nally and Mac Guicken, as fit re- 

 cipients for a share in the 1500^. per annum whicli 

 in 1799 had been placed for secret service at 

 his excellency's disposal. Mr. Cooke thus con- 

 cludes : — 



" Pollock's services ought # be thought of. He ma- 

 naged Mac , and Mac Guicken, and did much. He 



received the place of Clerk of the Crown and Peace, and 

 he has the fairest right to indemnification." 



Mr. Charles Ross, the editor, reminds his 

 readers that "Mac" is "Leonard Mac Nally, 

 Esq.,^ a barrister of some reputation, son of a 

 Dublin merchant, who was regularly employed 

 by the rebels, and was entirely in their confidence. 

 He was author of various plays, and other works ; 

 born 1752, died 1820." 



It may interest the students of that eventful 

 period of Irish history to learn some account of 

 the unscrupulous and wily person who succeeded, 

 on behalf of the government, in corrupting the 

 counsel and solicitor of the unhappy men who 

 staked their lives and fortunes for Ireland. On 

 this negociation some calamitous and important 

 events hinged. For almost every name mentioned 

 in the Cornwallis Correspondence Mr. Ross has 

 furnished an explanatory foot-note. In the page 

 following the mention of Mr. Pollock's name the 

 editor says : " It has been found impossible to 



ascertain anything in regard to most of these in- 

 dividuals;" and as we have no note relative to 

 Mr. Pollock, it may be presumed that Mr. Ross 

 knows little or nothing of him. 



Half a century ago John Pollock was a well- 

 known solicitor in Dublin. In the Dublin Direc- 

 tory for 1777 his name appears for the first time, 

 and his residence is given as "31. Mary Street." 

 In 1781 he removed to 12. Anne Street, and in 

 1784 to Jervis Street. At this time, as recorded 

 in the Directory, he practised at the Courts of 

 King's Bench, Chancery, and Exchequer. In 

 1786, Mr. Pollock was appointed " Solicitor to 

 the Trustees of the Linen Manufacture ;" in 1788, 

 " Clerk of the Report Office of the High Court of 

 Chancery;" in 1791, " Transcriptor and Foreign 

 Appos. of the Court of Exchequer;" in 1793, 

 Registrar to the Hon. Judge Downes * ; and in 

 1795, Clerk of the Crown and Peace for the Pro- 

 vince of Leinster, and Clerk of the Peace for the 

 County of Dublin. In the year 1800, Mr. Pol- 

 lock is gazetted to the enormous sinecure of 

 " Clerk of the Pleas of the Exchequer." 



It has been said that the man who corrupted 

 Mac Nally and Mac Guicken deserves a share of 

 the obloquy which has been cast without stint on 

 their reputations ; and it perhaps becomes my 

 duty to embalm, as far as possible, Mr. Pollock's 

 memory. 



The MS. volume, already noticed, containing 

 an " Account of Secret Service Money Expendi- 

 ture employed in detecting Treasonable Con- 

 spiracies," chronicles the frequent payment of 

 pecuniary stimuli to Mr. Pollock. On Dec. 11, 

 1797, 300/. is recorded: "April 20, 1798, John 

 Pollock, llOZ.," appears. June 15, 109/. 7s. 6</.; 

 August 18, 56Z. 17«. Qd. ; August 28, ditto ; Sep. 

 14, ditto; and on January 18, 1799, the large 

 sum of 1137Z. 10«. arrests attention. There are, 

 however, various other payments to Mr. Pollock, 

 which it might seem tedious to enumerate. 



As soon as he received the enormous sinecure 

 of Deputy Clerk of the Pleas, Mr. Pollock re- 

 moved from Jervis Street to No. 11. Mountjoy 



Square East, where, as I am informed by M 



S , Esq., he lived in a style of lavish magni- 

 ficence, and spent not less than 9000/. a year. 

 This reign of luxury lasted until the year 1817, 

 when Mr. Pollock was suddenly hurled from his 

 throne. 



The sinecure office of Clerk of the Pleas of the 

 Exchequer had been, " in some measure, created 

 for Lord Buckinghamshire" as a reward for his 

 important services in India f, as well as in Ire- 

 land, when discharging the services of Chief Se- 



* William Downes, called to the Bar 1776: elevated 

 to the Bench 1792: created Lord Downes 1822. Died 

 unmarried, March 2, 1826. 



t Sketches of Irish Political Characters, London, 1799, 

 p. 49. 



