220 



NOTES AND QUEKIES. [2»<» s. n« 115., mab. 13. '58. 



condition thirty-five years earlier may not be 

 without interest. This is shown by the following 

 extracts from the registers of the Privy Council ; 

 and although there is nothing to impugn the pu- 

 rity of its waters, it is evident that the river itself 

 demanded a care which it required all the autho- 

 rity of the king and council to enforce upon its 

 conservators : — 



" A Lre to the Lo. Maior and Aldermen of the 

 Citty of London. 



" The clenseing of the Eiver of Thames, and the re- 

 moueing of such Shelues and Impediments as do fill vp 

 and choake the same, hath ben so often recomended to 

 yo"' care by his Ma*y speclall direccon, as wee shall not 

 neede to Enlarge C selves further by way of addicon, to 

 that w<=i> hath already bine signified, to shew the neces- 

 sity, and benifitt of a worke of this Consequence. Yet 

 for asmuch as wee conceive that this slow and cold pro- 

 ceeding in ordering any efi^ectuall course for the perform- 

 ance thereof, hath growne rather out of want of fitt 

 meanes to put the busines in execucon then out of re- 

 missnes or neglect : And that John Gilbert, gent, one of 

 his Ma'y Servante, and Anthonie Gibson, Cittizen of Lon- 

 don, out of their zeale, and good afi'ection to so worthie a 

 worke, have, at their greate charge, invented an Ingine 

 for that purpose, and fully perfected the same, vi"^ vpon 

 viewe of sum of vs, that were present when it wrought it 

 well approved, and hoped it would produce good effecte. 

 As wee have thought meete, once againe to put yo" in 

 mynde of his ma'y Comaundem* for the clenseing of that 

 River, and to require the accomplishm' thereof; Soe w"* all 

 wee pray yo" to take this new Engine and the imploym' 

 of the same into yo"" consideracon, and if it be found such 

 as is Expected, it will proue for the vse and advauntage 

 of that Seruice that yo" will imploj' it accordingly in such 

 manner and vpon such consideracOns as the gent may 

 thinke their Laboure well bestowed. And for what 

 favour j'o" shall further doe them therein, we doubt not, 

 but the eflTects of their Endeauor, will make a large and 

 ample requiteall. And soe, &c. 

 "Privy Council Register, 16 Febj'. 1618." 



"Privy Council Register, 18 June, 1623. 



" Whereas it was informed to the Boord that there had 

 bin presented vnto M^. Chancellor of the Exchequer dur- 

 ing liis late Ambassage at Bruxells a pson verie Expert 

 in the cleansing and scouring Rivers, who hade set down 

 certaine propositions, for the cleansing and scouring of 

 the River of Theames, Their Lps, calling to mind how 

 often and how lately both his Ma'" and their Lps had re- 

 comended to the Citty of London the care thereof, and 

 how little had hitherto bin performed in that behalf, did 

 this day order that the Lo. Mayo'' and Court of Alder- 

 men should bee required to depute some psons of their 

 bodie, or others, to attend their Lps on fr3'day next in the 

 afternoone, and to receiue notice from them of the said 

 propositions for the cleansing and scouring of the River of 

 Thames, and vpon debate to take such further order 

 therein as shulbe thought convenient; and whereas it 

 pleased his Ma*'" lately at Greenewich to admonish the 

 Lo. Mayo'' and the rest there attending, to reform fower 

 thinge in the government of the Cittie, viz. The great 

 Confluence of Beggars and Rogues to his Cittie, and the 

 p*' neare adioining. The decay of the Goldsmithes Rowe 

 in Cheepeside, by the creeping therevnto of other meane 

 and vnsutable trades. The decaye of the Bridge and the 

 vnserviceableness of the arches for passage, and lastlie the 

 cleansing and scouring of the Shelves of the River. Their 

 Lps according to his Ma*' pleasure, herein signified to 



them, haue ordered that an account shalbe from time 

 to time demanded from the Lo. Mayoi", and the Court of 

 Aldermen, how they do proceede in the reformacon of the 

 said points." 



" Privy Council Register, 25 June, 1623. 



'■Whereas in the account deliuered on the behalf of the 

 Lo. Maj'o'' and Aldermen of London, at the Board of their 

 proceedinges in the reformation of the points Enioyned 

 them by his Ma'K It was alledged by them that 'they 

 did not proceede so readilie in the cleansing of the river of 

 Theames fro"^ shelves by reason of a Patent granted to 

 Alsenso Terubosco, Innocent Lanier, and Hugh Lidiere 

 for the working w*!* certaine newe Engines and other in- 

 struments in the river of Theames, and taking vpp the 

 schelves therew'^. Their Lps having called the said La- 

 nier, &=. before them, and, in the presence of the Remem- 

 brancer of the Cittie, having hard the reasons alledged on 

 both sides, did this day order That the Lo. Mayor and 

 Aldermen might and ought (notwti'standing the pretence 

 of that or any other patent whatsoever) gett as many 

 men, and as speedilie as convenientlie they could on 

 worke to cleanse the river of Theames, by taking vpp all 

 soyle and shelves and other impediments, and bj' all other 

 good meanes to Endeavour the same from the Bridge 

 vpwards according as they have bin often and instantlie 

 required by his Ma"", and as they are bound by their 

 dewtie and place of conservation of the river of the 

 Theames to doe. But their Lps do leave the said Paten- 

 tees to use their priviledge of their patent, and working 

 •w"! their said Engine and other Instruments above the 

 Bridge likewise, so as it do give no impediment to the 

 Cittie in taking vpp the shelves and soyle of the river, 

 and belowe the Bridge do leaue the said Patentee alone, 

 to use the priviledge of their Patent vntill vpon furthur 

 Experience of their working, and the working of the 

 Cittie, other order shalbe taken by the Boord." 



John Maclkan, 



Hammersmith. 



ROGERS THE PAINTER. 



(2»'i S. V. 169.) 



Terra Vert asks who was Rogers the painter, 

 and where are any of his works to be seen ? 



The most satisfactory answer to this Query will 

 be the enclosed copy of a letter I received from 

 Mr. Rogers, August, 18, 1849, in which he does 

 not state having painted i\iQ famous picture of the 

 Bombardment of Algiers, 1813 : — - 



" Sir, 



" It was not until late last evening that I had the plea- 

 sure of receiving your letter of the 10th inst., which will 

 explain why it has remained so long unanswered. In re- 

 ply to your enquiry, wishing to know whether the picture 

 you did me the favor to purchase was painted from nature 

 on the spot, I beg to state that it was painted in Ger- 

 many /rom studies made from nature, when I was last in 

 Scotland. I never in my life copied either picture, print, 

 or any composition after Claude. If any one thinks my 

 pictures bear anything like a resemblance to those of that 

 great master, I find in it no cause of regret ; but if any 

 person asserts that the picture in question is after Claude, 

 then I ask such person to declare where the work is to be 

 found from which my picture was copied? There is a 

 picture by mj'self in the possession of the Duke of Suther- 

 land — a scene on the Ranee, near St. Male's; two others 

 in the possession of the Grand Duke of Baden — one of 

 Windsor Castle, in the possession of the Duke of Cobourg. 



