Mae. 25. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



269 



Milton. In the sublimity and harmony of your 

 verses, you have equalled, if not surpassed, the 

 latter; and in originality of ideas and variety, 

 you strikingly resemble the former ; but neither 

 can boast of anything superior to your beautiful 

 •episode of " Skiold and Nora." 



Hitherto, my dear Sir William Drummond, I 

 have looked on you as one of the first scholars and 

 most elegant prose writers of the age ; but, at pre- 

 sent, permit me to say that I regard you as the 

 jfirst poet. 



When I have been charmed with the produc- 

 tions of writers, who were either personally un- 

 known to me, or unhappily dead, how have I 

 regretted not being able to pour out my thanks 

 for the pleasure they had afforded me : in this 

 instance I rejoice that I have the happiness of 

 knowing you, and of being able to express, though 

 feebly, the admiration with which your genius 

 inspires me ; and of offering up my fervent prayers 

 that you may be long spared to adorn and do 

 honour to the age which is, and ought to be, 

 proud to claim you. In writing to you I abandon 

 my pen to the guidance of my heart, which feels 

 with all the warmth for which Irish hearts are so 

 remarkable. A poet can understand and pardon 

 •this Irish warmth, though a philosopher might 

 condemn it ; but in addressing you, I forget that 

 I am writing to one of the most eminent of the 

 last class, and only remember that I am talking of 

 Odin to the most admirable of the first. 



I am at present reading Academical Questions, 

 which, if I dare take possession of, should not 

 again find their way to Chiaja; Odin I shall most 

 unwillingly resign, as I find it belongs to Lady 

 Drummond ; but if you have any other of your 

 works by you, will you have the goodness to lend 

 them to me ? Pray name what day you will dine 

 with us, accompanied by Mr. Stewart^ to whom I 

 owe my best acknowledgments for having lent me 

 Odin. 



Believe me, 



My dear Sir William Drummond, to be 

 With unfeigned esteem, 

 Sincerely yours, 

 Marguerite Blessingtox. 



Villa Gallo, April 24th, 1825. 



The above Letter is copied from the original in 

 my possession. A. G. 



Edinburgh. 



dJftt'unr $attg. 



The late Judge Talfourd. — Some years since I 

 ventured to request information as to the proper 

 way of pronouncing the word Elia, from the ta- 

 lented and kind-hearted Judge Talfourd, whose 

 days have just been brought to a close under such 

 truly awful circumstances. The ready reply which 



he gave to an unknown inquirer, whilst it illus- 

 trates the courtesy and cordiality of his character, 

 may prove interesting to your readers. 



Sir, 



Temple, June 15, 1838. 



I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of 

 your letter of the 11th, and to express my plea- 

 sure at finding that you sympathise with me in 

 genial admiration of the delightful person to 

 whom it refers. All I know respecting the sig- 

 nature of Elia will be found at p. 65 of the second 

 volume of Lamb's Letters. It was the real name 

 of a coxcombical clerk thirty years dead, whom 

 Lamb remembered at the South Sea House, and 

 prefixed to his first essay (which was on the " Old 

 South Sea House") in the London Magazine. The 

 editor afterwards used it to distinguish Lamb's 

 articles, and he finally adopted it. The i is short 

 (Elia). It is an Italian name. 



I have the honour to be, 

 Sir, 

 Your obedient and faithful servant, 



T. N. Talfourd. 



C. W. B. 



Authors' Trustee Society. — Authors, as a class, 

 are perhaps the most unfit men in the world to 

 make the most of their own property ; and were 

 they ever so competent, it will often happen that 

 their works do not attain to any great value as 

 copyrights till after the poor author is laid in his 

 grave. It is then, when his family are sometimes 

 exposed to severe distress, that more favourable 

 terms might be obtained from publishers ; but 

 there is no one left who is capable of acting for 

 the benefit of the widow or children. 



A Society might be formed to take charge as 

 trustees of the property of an author in his works, 

 to make engagements with booksellers for the 

 privilege of publishing future editions as they may 

 be required, and to take care that the honorarium 

 for each edition be duly paid into the hands of 

 the person who is entitled to receive it. 



No expense would attend the formation of such 

 a Society. Its meetings could be held at scarcely 

 any cost. The advertisements, to announce from 

 time to time what works are open for offers from 

 printers, booksellers, and publishers, would amount 

 to a very small sum in the course of the year — 

 I dare say the Editor of " N. & Q." would insert 

 them gratuitously. But, if necessary, a small per- 

 centage on the fees paid would cover all the dis- 

 bursements of the Society. L. P. K. 



The Old Clock at Alderley. — In the investiga- 

 tion of this very old and curious piece of mecha- 

 nism by the Bev. Joseph Bockett, in the year 

 1833, an inscription was found signifying that it 

 was presented to the church of Alderley by the 

 great Sir Matthew Hale. It was copied, verbatim 



