Seft. 1. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



159 



who usually correspond with emperors ; and if, 

 in the instance of Napoleon, any such had been 

 foolhardy enough to attempt it, what credit could 

 he have attached to revelations emanating from 

 such obscure quarters ? 



3rdly. Because it is altogether improbable that 

 in any class of men a whole host of traitorous 

 correspondents should have sprung up, so as to 

 supply Napoleon with several letters every day 

 (" un grand norabre de lettres chaque jour"), dis- 

 regarding, at the same time, the danger of detec- 

 tion, and the consequent prosecutions to which 

 such frequent correspondence would necessarily 

 have exposed them. 



4thly. The gist of the charge lies in the words : 

 " L'Empereur lit les journaux de Londres, et 

 chaque jour un grand nombre des lettres de I'op- 

 position;" and it is in these words that I find a 

 probable explanation of the facts. The Emperor 

 was in the habit of reading the London news- 

 papers, that is to say, their leading articles on the 

 war. In those newspapers he also found " let- 

 ters" from various correspondents on that fertile 

 topic ; and he made a point every day of perusing 

 several of those which proceeded from the oppo- 

 sition ; that is, the party, whether in or out of 

 parliament, which was opposed to the ministry 

 and the war. There were then, as now, " Own 

 Correspondents" attached to the chief metro- 

 politan journals ; and the statements forwarded 

 by them from the Peninsula were as much a source 

 of annoyance and displeasure to the Duke of 

 Wellington and the war party at home, as those 

 of our own time have been to Lord Raglan and 

 the promoters of the Crimean campaign. 



5thly. The letters that Napoleon read gave de- 

 tailed accounts of Massena's operations (" parlent 

 en detail de vos operations"). Now, which was 

 more likely, I will not say to furnish, but to be 

 able to furnish, such detailed information ? The 

 fire-side letter-writers of the British metropolis, 

 or the correspondents at the seat of war, who got 

 the particulars on the -spot ? 



Such, I have no doubt, were the " letters of 

 the_ opposition," which supplied Napoleon with 

 topics for daily meditation on the ruinous condi- 

 tion of the English army in the Peninsula. The 

 Emperor of Russia, too, on a recent occasion, 

 could boast of enjoying a similar treat ; and when, 

 on some future day, the correspondence of Men- 

 schikofF or Osten-Sacken is brought to light, we 

 must not be surprised to find mention therein of 

 the " letters of the opposition," and the delight 

 with which they were|perused by the Czar. 



Heney H. Bbeen. 



St. Lucia. 



No. 305.] 



DANCING AND DANCING TUNES. 



A century and two or three years ago, the 

 dancing master of a southern Scottish town wrote 

 out manuscript instructions for his pupils, of whom 

 my father was one ; and a copy is now before me 

 which may suggest some musical and other minor 

 matters relating to the amusements of our pro- 

 genitors, curious enough for a notice in " N. & Q." 

 It is entitled : 



" The Dancing Steps of a Hornpipe and Gigg. As also, 

 Twelve of the fewest Country Dances, as they are per- 

 formed at the Assemblys and Balls. All Sett by Mr. John 

 M'gill for the Use of his School, 1752." 



I do not know that the dancing instructions for 

 sixteen steps in the hornpipe, and fourteen in the 

 gigg, would be very intelligible now-a-days ; see- 

 ing that in the former, the second, third, and fourth 

 steps are " slips and shuffle forwards," " spleet and 

 floorish (Pflorish) backwards," " Hyland step 

 forwards ; " and there are elsewhere directions to 

 "heel and toe forwards," "single and double 

 round step," " slaps across forward," " twist round 

 backward," " cross strocks aside and sink for- 

 ward," " short shifts," " back hops," and finally, 

 " happ forward and backward " to conclude the 

 gigg with eclat. 



The lists of the minuets and reels preserve some 

 ancient names, but I cannot answer for Master 

 M'gill's orthography. The first are : The Prince 

 of Hess'es, Lady Fanny Askin's (? Erskine), Lady 

 Rothe's or My Lord Cathcart, The Duke of York's, 

 Miss Hay's, Sweetest when she's naked (fie), Miss 

 Forestor's, The Old Assembly's, Fools, Hasees 

 (? Asses), Captain Ross, Lady Grizel Montgo- 

 merie's, Mager Askin, Mrs. Locereter (?), Miss 

 Surchill's (? Churchill's), and General Blane's. The 

 reels are : Toluch Gorum, Cameronions March, 

 Doun youn Banks, MissFrazer's, MissMacdonald's, 

 Queensberry House, Your welcome to tlie Twon 

 again (can hardly, and yet must be the Jacobite 

 air " Yire welcome to your ain again"), A Mile to 

 Ride, The Corporal, Lochel's, Jock Hume's, Miss 

 Murray's, Short Apron, Lady Rothesse's 'new, 

 Miss Clark, and Mrs. Murray's. 



The twelve country dances are mostly figured 

 to well-known tunes, which have descended to the 

 present, such as : Up and war them a' Willy ; 

 Because he was a Bonny Lad ; Old Age and 

 Young ; My Wife's a Wanton wee Thing ; Rat- 

 tling Roaring Willy, &c. ; but there are others 

 which might provoke some inquiry, as, for in- 

 stance, The Cadgers of the Cannogate ; Ephey 

 M'Nab ; The Cornal or Backel ; The Lads of 

 Dunse ; Jock of the Green, &c. 



Several of the tunes mentioned have become 

 immortal in the songs of Burns. Others sleep in 

 personals and localities ; but yet there may be 

 some to interest your Scottish readers, and per- 

 haps bring correspondence on the subiect of old 



