Jan. 25. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



77 



9-ican Dictionary (1848) explains this phrase 

 thus — 



" The practice of punishing men for crimes and 

 ofTences by private unautliorized persons, without a 

 legal trial. The term is said to be derived from a 

 Virginian farmer, named Lynch, who thus took the 

 law into his own hands." (U.S.) 



Webster is considered the highest authority in 

 America, or I should not oifer the above. G. H. B. 



" Talk not of Lone" (Vol. iii., p. 7.).— The song 

 quoted by your Quc^rist, A. M., was written by 

 Mrs. MacLehose, the " Clarinda" of Burns, and is 

 to be found in most of the lives of the Scottish 

 poet. 



[J. H., Jr., says it is printed in Chambers's Jour- 

 nal, No. 1. New Series. Daniel Ferguson points 

 them out at p. 212. of a Collection of Sonc/s of Knglivd 

 and Scotland, pubhshed by Cochrane, of Waterloo 

 Place ; and in vol. ii. of .Johnson's Scots Musical 

 Museum; and G. T. also refers to the last-named col- 

 lection.] 



The Butcher Duke (Vol. iii., p. 8). — The 

 song referred to by INIezzotinto is to be found 

 in most of the collections of Scotch songs, under 

 the name of "Botuiie Laddie, Highland Laddie," 

 for which old air it was written ; or, when only 

 partially printed, by the commencing line of one 

 of its stanzas : — 



" Geordie sits in Charlie's chair." 



It is one of the numerous Jacobite songs com- 

 posed either about 1715, by some one " out in tlie 

 Fifteen," or later by a poet of "the Fortv-five." 

 The author's name is unknown. In the collection 

 of Scottish songs, published by Robert Chambers 

 i« 1829, the song, consisting of no less than 

 twenty-two stanzas, will be found at p. 367. 



[L. M. M. R. has also kindly transcribed the song 

 from the Scots Musical Museum; and Dr. C, of New- 

 castle, who says •' it is well known in the remoter dis- 

 tricts of Northumberland." obligingly offers to furnish 

 Mezzotinto with a copy, if he should desire it.] 



Curfeiv (Vol. ii., p. 103.). — The Curfew is rung 

 at Handsworth, near Sheffield. H. J. 



Robertson Struan (Vol. iii., p. 40.). — As one of 

 those who quarter the coat of Robertson Struan, I 

 may perhaps be able to affor<i C. R. M. some slight 

 information. My maternal grandfather was a son 

 of William Robertson, of Richmond, one of whose 

 daughters married Sir David Dundas, Bart. The 

 arms borne by him were. Gules, three wolves' 

 heads era.sed, langued, azure. A selvage man in 

 chains hiinging beneath the sliield. Crest, a bare 

 cubit, su[)porting a rogal Ci'owii. Motto, "Vir- 

 tutis Gloriae Merces." W. J. Bebnuabd Smith. 



Temple. 



NOTES ON BOOKS, SALES, CATALOGUES, ETC. 



The landing of Charles Edward Stuart, and the 

 " Seven Men of Moidart," on the memoral)le 25tU 

 July, 1745, was the opening of the last, and, in many 

 respects, the most brilliant and stirring chapter in the 

 liomance of English History. That Mr. Murray has 

 theiefore done wisely in the publication, in a separate 

 form, of The Forty-Five . by Lord Mahon, being the 

 Narrative of the Insurrection of 1 745, extracted from 

 Lord Mahon s History of England, there can be little 

 doubt. The memory of that eventful period is so kept 

 alive among us, by snatches of Jacobite ballads, and 

 recitals of the strange incidents in which it was so rich, 

 that tliis separate publication of so much of Lord 

 Mahon's History of England from the Peace of Utrecht 

 (171;S) to the Peace of Paris (176:3) as relates to its 

 '■moving accidents by flood and field," will be a great 

 boon to those numerous readers who have neitlier 

 means, time, nor opportunity to peruse Lord Mahon's 

 interesting narrative in that valuable contribution to 

 our national history for which it was originally written. 



Some time since the British Museum purchased for 

 about 120/. a volume containing no less than sixty-four 

 e.irlv French Farces and Moralities, printed between 

 the year 1542 and IS-IS, of which a very large proportion 

 was entirely unknown. How important a collection 

 of materials for tiie early history of the Drama, espe- 

 cially in France, is contained in this precious volume, 

 we learn from a work which has reached us, "pas 

 destine au commerce," under the title of Description 

 Bibliogra)>hique et Analyse d'un Livre unique qui se 

 trouve au Musee Uritannique, which contains a short but 

 able analysis of the various pieces which formed the 

 volume thus fortunately secured for our national library. 

 Though the naine of the editor is stated, on the title- 

 page, to be Tridace- Niife- Theobrome, Gentilhomme 

 Breton, we strongly suspect that no such gentleman is 

 to be found ; and that we are really indebted for this 

 highly curious and interesting book to a gentleman who 

 has already laid the world of letters under great obliga- 

 tions, M Delpierre, the accomplished Secretary of 

 Legation of the Belgian Embassy. 



Literature, Science, and the Arts have sustained a 

 heavy loss in the death of that accomplished patron 

 of them — that most amiable nobleman the Marquess 

 of Northampton. His noble simplicity and single- 

 mindcdncss of character, and his unaffected kindliness 

 of manner, endeared him to all who had the good for- 

 tune to be honoured with his acquaintance, and by all 

 of whom his death will be long and most deeply 

 regretted. 



Mr Sandys, F. S A., of Canterbury, has issued a 

 Prospectus f\)r the immediate publication, by Subscrip- 

 tion, of the Consuetudines Kancia : a History of Gavel- 

 kind and other remarkable Customs in the County of 

 Kent. 



Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson will sell on Monday 

 next, and four following days, a very select and valual)le 

 Lil)rary, the property of a gentleman deceased, includ- 

 ing among other choice lots, two early MSS. of the 

 Divina Comedia, and an extensive, rare, ami interest- 

 ing series of early editions of Uante. 



