368 Leaves from the Journal of the Poor Wiltshire Vicar. 



not mention it iu his autobiography. The Vicar, trying to console 

 himself for being prevented by want from continuing to share a 

 newspaper with "Weaver Westburn," mentions as recent news a 

 bet at Newmarket between the Dukes of Cumberland and Grafton, 

 and a present from the Venetians to the Dey of Algiers, and (as 

 still pending) General Paoli's efforts for the freedom of Corsica. 

 He obtained assistance from the French in 1764,so we may conclude 

 that Zschokke (who was not born until 1771) was using his 

 historical knowledge to make his romance chronologically correct 

 for the date which he had chosen for his story founded upon the 

 sketch which had appeared in 1766. 



William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, founder of Ascot, died 

 31st Oct., 1765, without issue, and the next Duke (Henry Frederick, 

 satirised by "Junius"), was not created till 18th October, 1766. 



Augustus Henry Fitz-roy, descended from King Charles II., held 

 the dukedom of Grafton from 1757 to 1811. Of the names in 

 Zschokke's story, jjeside those already mentioned, we may notice 

 that for the butchers called " G. Greasy " and " V Paunch " in the 

 week's journal, one is anonymous in the German, the other is 

 named " Colswood." For tailor " Cabbage," we have " Cutbay. 

 There is the old-clothes-shop kept by Mrs. Bardc; our rich Cousin 

 " Sitthiff," at Cambridge; and good-natured farmer Hurst, who 

 ■gives the poor Vicar his dinner on Christmas Day and the Sunday 

 next to it. I am not sure that even this last (a fairly common 

 English name) is found in Wilts If you were helping a foreigner 

 with a Wiltshire story, you would find no difficulty in supplying 

 distinctive local names : you might even amuse yourself by naming 

 a farmer Hedges, the butchers Whittle and Killing, the clothes- 

 woman Tinsell, all 18th century Wiltshire names. But there was 

 never a Cambridge graduate named Sitting ; and I am inclined to 

 think that Snart and Cutbay are mistakes of a Swiss jirinter for 

 " Snarl " and " Cabbage." Bleching, Colswood, and Withiel hardly 

 carry conviction to the English eye, and 1 do not find either of 

 them in Wiltshire portions of the Univeisal British Directory of 

 1792 — 8, nor in an Early Victorian London Directory. It looks 

 to me as if the laborious German author had done his best with a 



