110 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 276. 



only all the old lady's household goods, but like- 

 wise the whole of her wardrobe ; the value of each 

 article being placed opposite thereto, and, on 

 running over the items, I think I may safely 

 hazard an opinion, that she took with her on 

 leaving London a few of her husband's movables. 

 The inventory is comprised in seven common law 

 folios, and affords a curious specimen of the man- 

 ner in which habitations occupied by persons in 

 Mrs. ]\Iilton's station of life were furnished at that 

 period, and of the apparel she was accustomed to 

 wear. The following are some of its most attrac- 

 tive items : " A large Bible," estimated at 8s. ; 

 " two books of Paradise" at 10s. (I must leave 

 your readers to form their own judgments on the 

 probability of these books being Milton's own 

 copies of his Paradise Lost and Regained) ; " some 

 old books, and a few old pictures," at 12s. ; " Mr. 

 Milton's pictures (unquestionably his portraits) 

 and coat arms," at 10/. 10s. ; "two teaspoons and 

 one silver spoon, w**" a seal and stopper," at 12s. 6c?. ; 

 " a totersheW knife and fork, w*** other odd ones," 

 at Is. ; and " a tobacco-box," at Qd. The aggre- 

 gate account of the appraisement is 38Z, 8s. 4rf. 

 I regret to say, that, after the most diligent in- 

 quiries in this town and the neighbourhood, I 

 have not been successful in discovering any of the 

 articles I have particularised, nor any of the 

 others enumerated in the inventory, except one 

 of the knives and forks ; the history of which I 

 have had the good fortune to trace satisfactorily. 



The subject of the relationship, historians had 

 persuaded themselves, and led others to believe, 

 existing between our poet's widow and the family 

 of MinshuU of Stoke, having engaged my atten- 

 tion, I cannot close my present communication 

 without mentioning, for the information and satis- 

 faction of such of your readers as take an interest 

 in her genealogy, that I am in possession of evi- 

 dence of the most conclusive character, which 

 fully goes to establish that Sir Edward MinshuU 

 of Stoke Hall resided at that mansion with his 

 family in 1667, and up to the time of his death, 

 which happened a few years afterwards ; and that 

 he had issue by his wife Dame Mary, who was 

 the youngest daughter and coheiress of Edward 

 Moryall, Esq., of Gray's Inn (whose eldest daughter 

 was Barbara, the wife of Randle Dod, Esq., of 

 Edge, of this county), viz. five children: — 1. 

 Edward, his successor; 2. William of Gray's Inn, 

 living in 1715 ; 3. Mary ; 4. Ann; and 5. Eliza- 

 beth, so long supposed to have been the third wife 

 of Milton. The two youngest daughters, Ann 

 and Elizabeth, lived with their mother Lady Min- 

 shuU, after Sir Edward's death, at a house she 

 enjoyed as a portion of her jointure, called " The 

 New Bell," situate in Nantwich, in 1674 — being 

 the identical year in which our immortal bard 

 breathed his last, and ten years subsequently to 

 his last marriage; thus rendering it utterly im- 



possible that his widow could have been Sir 

 Edward MinshuU's daughter. T. W. Jones. 



Xantwich. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC COHRESPONDENCE. 



Preservation of sensitised Plates. — It appears there is 

 now no doubt that the method of preserving collodion 

 plates in a sensitive state for eight or ten days is quite 

 practical. I have determined to try it as soon as the 

 weather becomes more favourable. Mr. Shadbolt having 

 been so liberal in giving us his plan, I have no doubt but 

 he will not think me intrusive if I ask him two or three 

 questions on the subject. What method does he pursue 

 when from home and has more sensitive plates to expose 

 than are in the dark frames ? That is, does he recom- 

 mend keeping the sensitive plates in a plate-box, and 

 using only one dark frame for exposing the whole of the 

 plates ? If so, does Ma. S. use a tent in order to remove 

 the plates into the frame and back into the plate-box ? 

 It certainly would be a cumbrous affair to have as many 

 dark frames as we had plates, or even half the number 

 providing they were double dark frames. I will be glad 

 to learn Mr. Shadbolt's plan, or any other photographer's 

 who may have had some practice in this process. 



R. Elliott. 



Fading of Positives. — Nothing is more vexatious in 

 photography than to find our pictures fade and disappear, 

 even after we suppose we have taken all the precautions 

 in our power to preserve them. The fading of positives 

 sometimes takes place soon after they are printed; at 

 other times they preserve their tints for many months or 

 even j'ears, and then begin gradually to lessen in inten- 

 sity and beauty of colour. This has generally been at- 

 ttibuted to some portion of the hyposulphite of soda 

 being allowed to remain, and no doubt that is the general 

 cause. But I beg to call the attention of your photo- 

 graphic friends to other causes, viz. the card-board on 

 which they are pasted, as wdll as the material used for 

 causing them to adhere to it. Near four years since I 

 was presented by a friend with a beautiful landscape 

 view, which has remained unaltered until lately, having 

 during the whole time been framed and exposed to light. 

 The picture has been stuck to its mount, round its edges, 

 to the extent of a quarter of an inch ; and here only, 

 where the picture is in contact with its mount, has the 

 colour gone. In my collection other pictures, which were 

 mounted at one time, appear to have deteriorated, whilst 

 they have not done so at another ; the mode of manipu- 

 lation being the same. I am therefore led to infer, that 

 bleaching chemicals have been suffered to remain in some 

 samples of card-board which has caused this decay; and 

 it is probable that even the paste itself, or other material 

 used for sticking, may undergo some change by time, 

 causing this effect. I am sure any hint tending to pre- 

 serve our works will be acceptable to us all. H. W. D. 



lUtjfUti to Minav ^utxltS. 



Oranges among the Romans (Vol. xi., p. 41.). 

 — Your correspondent L. has made it very pro- 

 bable that the orange-tree was not planted at 

 Rome till the thirteenth century. Gibbon is not 

 the only writer who has made the mistake of sup- 

 posing that the ancient Romans were acquainted 



