2^ S. No 87., Ana. 2&. 'BT.1 



NOTES AND QUERIED 



Idl 



LONDON. SATURDAY, AVGVST 29, 1867. 

 PANCAKES. 



It was only last April* that the question of 

 " Cross-Buns" led to a Tartar elucidation ; and it 

 will be scarcely more surprising to find the subject 

 of pancakes now affecting the destinies of India. 

 That " there are more things between heaven and 

 earth than are dreamed of in philosophy " is 

 proved, and too fatally proved, by this fact. 



It seems that " from the Himalayas to Cape 

 XJomorin " there was not a single individual that 

 anticipated the storm, though its clouily precursor 

 was even then sailing up against the wind in the 

 open face of heaven ! For nearly a twelvemonth, 

 we are told, the mystic cakes and flowers were 

 passing everywhere from village to village, from 

 regiment to regiment, from hand to hand ; and 

 yet, so far as appears, not one functionary in India 

 found it within his scope, one scholar within his 

 knowledge, one native in bis duty, to explain the 

 meaning of this direful symbol — 



"i) ftvpi 'Axaiois aXyt eOrfKe," 



with the rest of the consequences too painfully 

 appropriate, as " the will of Jove is being fulfilled." 



In England the notices, even in the precision of 

 The Times, were so slight and inefficient that no 

 clue was obtainable, till Mr. D'Israeli's speech of 

 Monday fortnight too late revealed the details. 

 If given in proper time to the world, one single 

 hour had discovered the scheme, and saved Eng- 

 land and India from this dread disruption. The 

 lotus of my former Note has indeed bad its 

 mystery. 



This philological point, peculiarly within the 

 province of "N. & Q.," developes an. innocence of 

 India, its history, prejudices, and feelings, that 

 sanctifies the remark of Oxenstiern, As my last 

 letter connected linguistics with religion, let your 

 patriotism suffer politics to combine with them 

 here. 



The mutiny in India is declared to be causeless, 

 and this by one of the most amiable and admired 

 soldiers of the day, whose high and merited po- 

 sition near royalty gives a weight to his words 

 even beyond their value ; for the frantic Sepoy, 

 maddened to horrors the most detestable, pro oris 

 et/ocis, is yet human, and acting under impulses 

 intelligible, though abhorrent, to humanity. But 

 he has no representative here. 



Alas, then, for Hindostan if royalty be no better 

 informed than this ! And yet how have we used 

 our superior information and means there ? By 

 trampling on usage, ignoring learning, upholding 

 imposture, and consolidating superstition. The 

 tree of evil has thus produced its fruit — of injury, 

 ignorance, and crime. " Wisdom crieth, but no 



[* «N. &Q.,"2°<iS.iii.450.] 



man regardeth : " murder spoke aloud, but none 

 could recognise the accents : natives, and scholars, 

 and military, and functionaries, and supreme 

 councils, and commanders-in-chief, and governors- 

 general in India, — merchants, and East India Com- 

 pany, and directors, and boards of control, and 

 presidents, and ministers, and cabinet councils 

 here, — could in all these twelvemonths throw 

 no light on the subject, divine the symptoms, or 

 reveal the treachery. From the catastrophe of 

 Belshazzar to our own, " see with what wisdom 

 the world is conducted ! " In both cases the 

 identical ignorance produces the disastrous result : 

 a grain of learning had anticipated all the evil. 



The system, its sources, forms, modes of opera- 

 tion, ties, secrets, sympathies, aims, and ramifica- 

 tions, are they all really inscrutable ? Certainly 

 not. 



" Come then some beggar of the strolling crew, 

 To do, what all those Princes could not do." 



How far such discovery can be carried it is not 

 easy to determine ; but, once made, its use offers 

 the sole security to the Asiatic empire and its 

 European sister, and saves years and oceans of 

 blood, and millions of treasure to England and 

 humanity. R. G. Potb. 



P.S. Can anyone say whether the lotus flowers 

 sent round to the regiments were of any particular 

 colour, or of all indifferently ? The point is most 

 material to ascertain. 



KING CHABLES 11. AND ME. BUDWAYE8. 



[The following amusing and characteristic anecdote of 

 the Merry Monarch is taken from a MS. (written circa 

 1712) entitled Great Britain's Honeycombe.'\ 



There was a Gentleman whose name was Master 

 Budwayes, whose Estate was very great ; he lived 

 at Dotchet near Windsor, which had the Care 

 of King Charles very much. Master Budwaies 

 taking his opportunity one day when the King 

 was hunting in Windsor Forrest, humbly be- 

 seeched him that he would be pleased to honour 

 him with his presence at his little Habitation at 

 Dotchet, to take a glass of his wine. The King 

 very readily told him that he would come one 

 Morning or other and catch him Naping before 

 he was stirringe. Mr. Budwaies returned him 

 most humble thanks for kind condescention for his 

 gratious promise. But with all told the King he 

 must come early in the morning if he intended to 

 catch him in bed, for he was an early riser. His 

 Majesty replyed. He warrant you, Budwaies, I will 

 be as good as my word, rise as early as you will. 

 Mr. Budwaies taking his leave of his Majesty for 

 that time, and went home after killing a Buck. 

 Now, some little time after it so happened out 

 that the King one night could not sleep very well, 

 being disturbed either with the heat of the 



