Oct. 11. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



271 



five miles S.W. of Tadcaster, and close to, and in, 

 the remains of the old Roman road called " Watling 

 Street : " — 



" Upon the middle of this moor a man may see 

 ten miles around him ; within those ten miles there 

 is as much free stone as would build ten cities as large 

 as York ; within those ten miles there is as much good 

 oak timber as would build those ten cities ; there is as 

 m.uch limestone, and coals to burn it into lime, as the 

 building of those ten cities would require ; there is 

 also as much clay and sand, and coals to burn them 

 into bricks and tiles, as would build those ten cities ; 

 within those ten miles there are two iron forges suf- 

 ficient to furnish iron for the building of those ten 

 cities, and 10,000 tons to spare ; within those ten miles 

 there is lead sufficient for the ten cities, and 10,000 

 fodders to spare ; within those ten miles there is a good 

 coal seam sufficient to furnish those ten cities with 

 firing for 10,000 years ; within those ten miles there 

 are three navigable rivers, from any part cf which a 

 man may take shipping and sail to any part of the 

 world ; within those ten miles there are seventy gentle- 

 men's houses, all keephip coaches, and the least of them 

 an esquire, and ten parks and forests well stocked with 

 deer ; within those ten miles are ten market towns, one 

 of which may be supposed to return 1 0,000/. per week." 



Chas. W. MabK-HAM. 



Becca Hall, Tadcaster. 



Portraits of Burke. — Through the kindness of a 

 friend I have just examined what I take to be an 

 interesting and curious work of art, viz., a minia- 

 ture of the great Edmund Burke, jiainted by Sir 

 Joshua Reynolds, and said to be the only miniature 

 lie ever painted. It is a small oval of ivory exe- 

 cuted in water colours, and represents him past 

 the meridian of life ; his hair combed back from his 

 ample forehead, and powdered ; the coat (ac- 

 cording to the fashion of the day) without a collar, 

 and, as well as the waistcoat, of a chocolate colour; 

 a white stock, and the shirt frill of lace ; the features, 

 although retaining great animation and intelligence, 

 are round and plump. The painting is carefully 

 and delicately finished. The same friend also 

 possesses another miniature of the same right ho- 

 nourable gentleman (artist unknown), deserving 

 notice : it is in a much larger oval, and drawn in 

 coloured crayons. This likeness represents the 

 statesman at a much earlier period of life, and is 

 most exquisitely executed : his fine auburn hair in 

 natural waves, if I may use the expression, is also 

 thrown off the face, the features rather sharp, the 

 nose prominent, the eyes brilliant, the lips beau- 

 tifully expressed, and, on the whole, one of the 

 most highly finished specimens of this style I ever 

 saw : the costume the same as that already de- 

 scribed, the colour being a snufi-brown. In this 

 portrait, a black ribbon crosses the lace frill, indi- 

 cating the presence of an eye-glass, an appendage 

 not observable in portraits taken later in life. 

 The lady who owns those paintings is the widow 

 of a gciillenian lately deceased, who being related 



to, was brought up under the guardianship of this 

 great man, and was by him introduced into public 

 life ; circumstances which prove the authenticity 

 of the works thus briefly described. M. W. B. 



Bruges, Sept. 26. 1851. 



(SMtxiti. 



GENEKAJL JAMES WOI-rE, WHO FELL AT QUEBEC. 



A short time ago I accidentally became pos- 

 sessed of a small packet of autograph letters, by 

 this distinguished man, to a very intimate friend 

 and brother officer. These letters were found in 

 an old military chest, which had belonged to the 

 latter. They are twelve in number ; the first is 

 dated Glasgow, 2d April, 1749, and the last, Sa- 

 lisbury, 1st December, 1758, on the eye of his em- 

 barkation with the memorable expedition against 

 Quebec. The letters are written in a small and 

 remarkably neat hand, and Wolfe's seal is still ad- 

 hering to some of them. They contain much 

 honourable sentiment, and proofs of a warm 

 generous heart. 



The perusal of these curious letters, and their 

 allusions to passing incidents, have excited a desire 

 to become better acquainted with the details of 

 Wolfe's personal history ; but in this I expei-ience 

 considerable difficulty, from the meagreness with 

 which his biographers appear to have treated the 

 subject. I shall accordingly feel much obliged by 

 any of your military, or other correspondents, 

 favouring me with references to the fullest and 

 best account of this distinguished officer. I am 

 anxious to obtain information, in particular, on 

 the following points. 



1. Wolfe's family connexions? I am aware 

 who his father was, but should like to know if the 

 former had any brothers or sisters, and who is the 

 present representative ? What was his mother's 

 name and family ? 



2. Where was Wolfe educated ? In one of the 

 letters he mentions that he was taken from his 

 studies at fifteen, and entered the army at that 

 early age. 



3. The different regiments in which he held a 

 commission, with his rank in each, the steps and 

 date of promotion ? 



4. W\s first and subsequent military services? 



5. How long was he stationed in Scotland, on 

 what duty, and in what places ? 



6. In particular, was he engaged in the 

 formation of any of the military roads in that 

 country, when and ichere ? 



7. Did he serve in Scotland during the rebellion 

 of 174.5-46, and was he present at the battle of 

 Culloden ? If so, in what regiment, and with what 

 rank ? 



H. Are there any good portraits of AVolfe 

 extant, and where are they to be seen ? 



