July 29. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



89 



— "limsB labor et mora," as Horace justly styles such a 

 process.] 



The Everlasting Society of Eccentrics, 1803. — 

 At a meeting at Lloyd's Coffee House, as it was 

 then styled, held July 20, 1803, a Patriotic Fund 

 •was established for the " encouragement and relief 

 of those engaged in the defence of the country," 

 to which the mercantile classes and public bodies 

 largely subscribed, and from which votes were 

 made and honours paid to gallant actions by sea 

 or land. In looking through the list of contri- 

 butors I find the sum of 760Z. "from the women 

 of England;" several royal academicians, as Cos- 

 way, Copley, Flaxman. Rigaud Tresham, James 

 Wyatt, John Yenn Bourgeois, and Beechey, gave 

 ten guineas each. The theatres, London and 

 provincial, came forward with benefits ; and in 

 towns probably no longer maintaining the sock 

 and buskin, as, for example, Spalding, or " Thea- 

 tre Wallis Grove, Spring Gardens." I see also 

 the name of that scarcely-remembered " canta- 

 trice," Signora Storace, for 111. Out of all these 

 topics of more or less interest, I venture to make 

 but one Query : Has the Everlasting Society of 

 Eccentrics wandered from its sphere ? Has it the 

 intrinsic qualities it gave evidence of in subscrib- 

 ing 2\l. to the Patriotic Fund ? Has it even exist- 

 ence or subsistence ? J. H. A. 



[The Eccentrics, a convivial club so called, was an 

 offshoot of the Brilliants, which met at a tavern about 

 1796, kept by one Fulham, in Chandos Street, Covent 

 Garden. The Eccentrics met at Tom Rees's in May 

 Buildings, St. Martin's Lane, circa 1800. This club has 

 numbered, since its commencement, upwards of 40,000 

 members of the hons vivunts of the metropolis, many of 

 them holding a high social position : among others, Fox, 

 Sheridan, Lord Melbourne, Lord Brougham, &c. may be 

 mentioned. Its character was always held in such high 

 consideration, that they were treated with great indul- 

 gence by the authorities. There is an inaugural ceremony 

 gone through when a new member is made, which termi- 

 nates with a jubilation from the president. The books of 

 the club, up to the time of its removal to its present quar- 

 ters, are in the possession of the executors of the late Mr. 

 Lloyd the hatter ; they are of much interest, as containing 

 the autograph names and addresses of all the members. 

 The club at the present day meets on' Fridaj' evenings at 

 the Green Dragon Tavern, Fleet Street, and comprises 

 among its members many celebrities of the literary and 

 political world.] 



Life of Vandyke. — Do we possess any good life 

 of Vandyke in German or English ? E. M. F. 



[The following work was published in 1844 : — Pictorial 

 Notices : consisting of a Memoir of Sir Anthony Van Dych, 

 with a descriptive Catalogue of the Etchings executed by 

 him: and a variety of interesting particulars relating to 

 other Artists patronised by Charles I., collected from ori- 

 ginal documents in Her Majesty's State-Paper Office, the 

 Office of Public Records, and other sources, by William 

 Hookham Carpenter, 4to.] 



Early German History of Painters.— Can any 

 of your correspondents inform mc whether there 



is any German work on the early painters of Ger- 

 many, of the same kind as Vasari's Lives of the 

 Italian Painters and Sculptors f E. M. F. 



[Consult Universal Lexikon, von H. A. Pierre, art. Ma- 

 LEREi, band xviii. p. 339. Also, Geschichte der zeichnen- 

 den Kilnste in Deutschland und den verdnigten JVieder- 

 landen, von Jo. Domin. Fiorillo, 4 bde. 8vo. Hannov. 

 1815-20.] 



Crivelli the Painter. — Can any of your corre- 

 spondents furnish me with any notice of an early 

 Italian painter, Crivelli ? Oxonibnsis. 



[There were four Italian painters of this name : 1. An- 

 giol Maria, called II Crivellone, who died about 1730. 

 2. Jacapo, his son, died 1760. 3. Cav. Carlo Crivelli, a 

 Venetian, painted in 1476. 4. Vittorio Crivelli, also a 

 Venetian. In the Antichita Picene, torn. xxix. and xxx., 

 mention is made of his paintings of the dates 1489 and 1490. 

 See notices of each in Lanzi's History of Painting in 

 Italy.-] 



Life of Mendelssohn, — Is there any life of Men- 

 delssohn besides Benedict's short sketch yet pub- 

 lished, or in progress ? E. M. F. 



[The following work was published in 1848 at Leipsic: 

 — Felix Mendelssohn- Bartholdy. Ein Denkmal fiir seine 

 Freunde, von Werner Arthur Lampadius, 12mo. pp. 218.} 



dSitifliti, 



EBUI-MTION or FEELING. 



H. D. says : 



(VoLx., p. 61.) 



" Our own Wellington, on hearing that Marmont was 

 crossing the Douro, rose hastily from his seat, overturned 

 his table, and broke the utensils thereon arranged for his 

 own repast." 



I can give this statement the most decided 

 contradiction ; and I can also state the circum- 

 stance which, no doubt, gave rise to the fable 

 of so uncharacteristic an " ebullition of temper." 

 It was on July 22, 1812. The Duke was on 

 horseback at an early hour watching Marmont's 

 movements (not on, or near, the Douro, but be- 

 hind the Arapiles hills, near the Tormes), and 

 anxiously directing his own army, which was 

 marching on a parallel line to Marmont. The 

 Duke had resolved, that if Marmont should so 

 extend his line as to pass those hills, he would 

 attack him, which he had been long wishing to 

 do ; and he directed the officers of the right 

 division of his army to keep a sharp look out, and 

 to apprise him immediately if the enemy should 

 appear beyond the hills. This was about one 

 o'clock : and, far from being at table when Mar- 

 mont moved, neither the Duke nor his staff had 

 yet breakfasted ; but now, while waiting for the 

 report of the enemy's movement, the staff alighted 

 and sat down on the ground to have some cold 

 meat, the Duke continuing on horseback. He got 



