322 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 104. 



How fatal has it been to France ; first for abet- 

 ting clandestinely the Americans against England, 

 and at last throwing away the mask, openly assisting 

 her with her arms. Since then, what calamities 

 have befallen her, and may even yet befall her. 

 Had we then, as Macaulay says, had a Clive at the 

 head of our armies, and a Hastings in council, 

 thar separation might either have been deferred, 

 or we might have parted friendly, instead of in 

 enmity. Had I time to glean it, I have no doubt 

 I coidd furnish much important matter connected 

 with New Albion, derived from sources within 

 my reach. Albion. 



P. S. There are two seals attached to Sir Ed- 

 mund Plowdeu's Will ; his private seal of the 

 Plowdens, and his Earl's with supporters, signed 

 "Albion:" the same as is given in Beauchamp 

 Plantagenet's New Albion, 1648 (King's Lib. 

 B. Mus.). 



GENERAL JAMES WOLFE. 



(Yol. iv., p.271.) 



He was born in a house now inhabited by the 

 vicar, at Westerham, Kent, on the 2d of January, 

 1727, and not, as the various notices of his life 

 state, the loth of January, 1726 (see Penny Cy- 

 clopadia and other works). His mother's Christian 

 name was Henrietta, and she, I believe, came from 

 or near Deptford, to which place in the latter years 

 of her life, she again went to reside. Wolfe w.as 

 an only child ; the name is still to be found in the 

 neighbourhood of Westerham. Shortly after liis 

 birth, his parents removed to a house at the e.\- 

 treme end of the town, — a picturesrpie mansion it 

 is, and is named after him Quebec House. Under 

 this roof Wolfe's happiest hours were spent. 



Sir Jeffrey Amherst (a native of the same 

 valley, Holmsdale) patronised him, but where first 

 engaged I never could discover. His body was 

 brought to England, and interred at Greenwich ; 

 monuments were erected to him in Westminster 

 Abbev, Squerries Park, AVesterham, and Wester- 

 ham Church. The inscription on tlie marble 

 tablet, erected in the latter, I subjoin: — 



James, 

 Son of Colonel EJwarcl Wolfe, and Henrietta his Wife, 

 Was born in this parish, January 2d, 

 MDCCXXVII. 

 And died in America, Sept. IDtli, 

 MDCCLIX. 

 Conqueror of Quebec ! 

 " Whilst George in sorrow bows his laurelled head, 

 And bids the artist grace the soldier dead ; 

 We raise no sculptured trophy to thy name, 

 Brave youth ! the fairest in the list of fame. 

 Proud of thy birtli, we boast th' auspicious year, 

 Struck with thy fall, we shed a general tear. 

 With humble grief, inscribe one artless stone, 

 .\nd from thy matchless honours date our own." 



His sword is preserved in the United Service 

 Museum, and was engraved about two years since 

 in the Illustrated London News. An old professed 

 portrait of him dangles as the sign of a beer- shop 

 in Westerham. Wolfe was ardently attached to 

 Colonel Barre, whose ])ortrait is introduced in 

 W^est's celebrated picture of the Death of Wolfe ; 

 another head in the picture is, I have been told, a 

 likeness of a person who had been captured by the 

 Indians, and was about to be scalped, when his 

 life was saved by the intercession of a chief Wolfe 

 had formerly pardoned. 



Wolfe was the youngest general ever entrusted 

 with such a responsible command ; but his bravery, 

 his great humanity, his love to his troops, and 

 above all, his glorious death, will render his name 

 immortal in the page of British history. 



H. G. D. 



The inclosed lines were given to me some years 

 since by an old lady, who stated that they came 

 into her possession through some relatives of the 

 lady to whom they were addressed. I now much 

 regret that I did not hear (or if I heard it have 

 forgotten) the lady's name. Perhaps in the last 

 letter of the series now in the hands of 5, some al- 

 lusion may be found to one in whom the parting 

 hero felt so deep an interest ; at all events tlie lines 

 may be accejjtable to 5 or others of your readers 

 desirous for some further knowledge of the private 

 life of this "faithful soldier." "Might nut the 

 parish register of Westerham in Kent, the birth- 

 place of Wolfe, possibly supply his mother's maiden 

 name, or some other particular as to his family 

 connexions ? His father, also General Wolfe, may 

 perhaps have distinguished himself in " the 45," 

 but James Wolfe was then barely nineteen years 

 of age, and I have never met with any allusion to 

 his taking part in that campaign. His appoint- 

 ment to the American service is said to have been 

 the result of his display of military talent in Ger- 

 many. 



LINES WRITTEN AT PORTSMOTITH BY GENERAL 

 WOLFE, AND PRF.SENTED TO HIS LADY THE 

 EVENING BEFORE HIS EMBARK.AT10N FOR THE 

 SIEGE OF QUEBEC. 



" At length too soon, dear creature, 



Receive my fond adieu, 

 Thy pangs, oh Love, how bitter ! 



Thy joys how short, how few ! 

 No more those eyes so killing, 



The melting glance repeat, 

 Nor bosom gently swelling, 



With love's soft tumults beat. 



" I go where glory leads me. 

 And dangers point the way. 

 Though coward love upbraids mc. 

 Stern honour bids obe}'. 



