1821 * J Stephemianci' —No. HI . * 495 
to which latter, as I said before, the 
poet attached himself. Mr. D. of Ches¬ 
terton and the poet both died before 
Sir Robert. Sir Robert and his bro¬ 
ther both died unmarried. Sir Robert 
having the estate in his own power left 
it away from the title, to his second 
cousin, Mr. Edward Dryden, (my grand¬ 
father) son of Mr. Erasmus Dryden, 
the poet’s younger brother, and passed 
by all the elder branches. The title 
went of course to the son of old Sir 
Erasmus’s second son, a person in trade 
in the city; he held it only three months, 
and died in this neighbourhood leaving 
no children. The title then went to 
the poet's third son, Erasmus Henry, 
(the two elder being dead, Charles 
drowned near Wiudsor, aud John, a 
cup-bearer to the Pope, dying at Rome.) 
Sir Erasmus Henry, the poet’s third 
son, held the title only two months, 
and died and was interred here, as ap¬ 
pears by the register. The elder 
branches of the family being all ex¬ 
tinct, the title came to the poet’s 
younger brother, the last Sir Erasmus, 
my great grandfather; his eldest and 
only son Edward holding the estate 
under Sir Robert’s will, the estate and 
title were again united in my late uncle, 
who was Mr. Edward Dryden, my 
grandfather’s eldest son. It was the 
custom in those days when specie was 
scarce, to portion off the youngest 
branches of a family with small parcels 
of land,which wasthereason of the poet’s 
having the farm we now possess of his, 
old Sir Erasmus’s leaving farms to each 
of his younger sons, which are all now 
added to the family estate. The poet 
was supposed to be a catholic; his se¬ 
cond son was cup-bearer to the pope; 
it is a rule that those who have that ho¬ 
nour, must have had their families 
gentlemen for a certain number of years: 
the poet therefore drew up his genealo¬ 
gy with his own hands, and it is now 
at Rome, and the only authentic one to 
be met with of the Dryden family.” 
44 Elizabeth Dryden.” 
The late Mr. H. s. woodfall. 
I was pleased to find him a man of 
abilities and merit, occasionally relat¬ 
ing with pleasantry, the persecutions 
with which he had been assailed, for 
the part he had taken in publishing the 
letters of Junius. Too much cannot 
be said in praise of those well written 
letters, as containing the politics of the 
times, and affording valuable materials 
not only for the historian, but the man 
of taste, and the philosopher. 
Monthly Mag. No. 361. 
Mr. W. told me, March 10th, 1801, 
that he knew Dr. Wolcott well, having 
often met him behind the scenes. 44 I 
was brought up in some measure be¬ 
hind the scenes,” said he to me, 44 as my 
father was printer to Covent Garden 
house, and I used to be always there, 
and indeed at both of the theatres.” 
Mr. Wood was then the treasurer. The 
actors were not so well paid then as 
now, and they used to say to one ano¬ 
ther, on a Saturday night, when the 
piece was concluded, 44 Have you seen 
the treasury?” 44 Yes, but there is no 
coal there,” “ I will burn wood then.” 
The following Card was left at the 
queen’s house, during the king’s 
illness , in March , 1801. 
44 Captain Blake, of the Grenadiers, 
(George 1st.) was in the regiment of 
Colonel Murray, at the battle of Pres¬ 
ton Pans, in the year 1745. He was 
left among the dead in the field of ac¬ 
tion, with no less than eleven wounds, 
one so capital as to carry away three 
inches of his skull. Has been preserved 
56 years to relate the event, and ena¬ 
bled by gracious protection, to make 
his personal enquiry after his Majesty.” 
lobsters. 
These unfortunate and ill-used crea¬ 
tures, are caught in baskets on the 
coast of Scotland and even of Norway, 
and being carried into the Thames, are 
placed in large boxes, called lobster 
chests,with different widths between the 
joints, to allow the water to flow freely 
through and through, &c. These are 
sunk at a place on tlie Essex coast, about 
ten miles below Gravesend, where the 
water is salt. Thence they are draught¬ 
ed as occasion requires, and brought to 
Billingsgate, to supply the London 
market. 
Lord GRENVILLE'S letter, relative 
to the TREATY of PILNITZ. 
April 25, 1802. 
Lord Grenville has received Mr. Ste¬ 
phens’s letter. Not having the honour 
of his acquaintance, Lord G. does not 
think himself at liberty to enter into 
any correspondence with him respecting 
the political transactions of Europe, 
during the time in which Lord G. filled 
an official situation. It would indeed 
in the present instance be not only im¬ 
proper, but perfectly superfluous, be¬ 
cause the slightest attention to facts and 
documents long since made public, 
must shew that the story of a compact 
of partition at Pavia, Pilnitz, orMantua, 
is a gross and very clumsy fabrication. 
3 H fifteen 
