AMERICAN FREE LIBRARIES.-The Boston papers give particulars of a most princely donation recently made towards establishing a public library in that city. Mr. Joshua Bates, of the London house of Baring and Co. has written a letter to the Board of Aldermen, in which he munificently offers to contribute a sum of 50,000 dollars, £10,000 sterling. The immense call for books which now exists in the various popular institutions of New England argues well for the literary culture of the American people. It appears, from a report now before us, that the number of volumes taken out by the members of the Boston Mercantile Library was about six times greater than the whole number of books belonging to the Society. Thus, with a library of 12,000 books, upwards of 70,000 volumes were charged to the members on the librarian's ledger. This is putting a library to its legitimate and practical uses. We hope to see the noble example of the New England States extensively followed in the South.

SALE OF ROBERT BURNS'S MSS. AND OTHER VALUABLE LITERARY PROPERTY, AT EDINBURGH. THE very interesting series of letters which Burns addressed to the late George Thomson, were sold by Mr. Nisbet, at the close of the sale just completed of the library of the late Mr. C. B. Tait. The volume was put up at 200 guineas, and, after a keen competition, was knocked down for 260 guineas. The purchaser is an English nobleman, whose name has not yet transpired; but we are able to communicate what our readers, we are assured, will rejoice to learn, that there is every probability that the volume will remain in Scotland. A set of the Bannatyne Club Books, sold on the same day, was bought for the Earl of Northesk, at the price of £141. 15s. The books were generally well chosen, and in fine bindings. The following is a note of some of the more interesting lots:-Musée Français, 4 vols. £64. 1s; the Dresden Gallery, £38. 178; the Florence Gallery, £35. 14s; the original edition of Lodge's Portraits of Illustrious Personages, 4 vols. £35. 14s; the smaller edition of the same work, in 12 vols. £29. 88; Pickering's Fac-simile Reprints of the Six Books of Common Prayer, £16. 10s; Rymer's Foedera, 20 vols. £22. 10s; Tillotson's Works, 14 vols. £13. 13s; Pope's Works, 20 vols. £15. 15s; Le Brun, Galerie des Peintres Flamands, £12. 12s; Montfaucon, L'Antiquité Expliquée, 15 vols. £17. 6s 6d; Visconti, Il Museo Clementino, 9 vols. a gift from the Pope to Cardinal Wiseman, £26. 5s 6d; Etruria Pittrice, 2 vols. £12. 1s 6d; Bacon's Works, 4 vols. £9.; Claude, Liber Veritatis, 3 vols. £21.; a curious collection of Kay's Portraits, 5 vols. £21.; Galerie du Musée Napoléon, 11 vols. £16. 16s; the Bible, printed by Barker in 1616, £12. 12s.

SPUNGING-HOUSE. -Unde derivatur? for certainly a spunging-house is the very last place to spunge in? SEEDY WHITECROSS.

WHITEHALL RELIQUES.-It is well known for a long time after the Restoration objects from Whitehall were preserved among the old cavalier families with the most religious veneration. The clock which, I believe, stood in the ante-chamber, and regulated the time of the Royal Martyr's execution, was in the possession of Mrs. Forrester, of Great Brickhill, Bucks, about the year 1798.

Can any of your readers inform me where this interesting curiosity is now? W. B.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

G. WILLIS begs to express his acknowledgments for the numerous interesting communications which have been forwarded to him, and will feel obliged by the receipt of any original articles on subjects, either of a literary or an antiquarian nature. Woodcuts, illustrative of subjects requiring them, will be executed at his expense.

All communications intended for insertion in the "Current Notes," must be accompanied by the Writer's real name and address, which are merely required as a guarantee of his good faith, and not for publication, except at his desire.

Literary and Scientific Obituary.

ANGELO, Henry. Author of Pic Nic Papers; Remini-
scences of his Father, &c.; Superintendent of Sword
Exercise to the Army. Brighton, October 14th.
Aged 72.

BAYARD, Dr. Medical Writer. Paris. Lately.
BERRY, Miss

Editor of Horace Walpole's Works, &c.
Curzon St. Nov. 20. Aged 89.
CLARK, W. Tierney.

Engineer of the Hammersmith Suspension Bridge, Shoreham Suspension Bridge, Suspension Bridge of Buda-Pesth, &c. Hammersmith, September 22. COLERIDGE, Sara, widow of Henry Nelson Coleridge, and only daughter of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Miscellaneous Writer. Chester Place, Regent's Park, May 3. Aged 49.

GIBSON, John. Artist. Accidentally. Edinburgh. Oct. 8. GIOBERTI, Signor. Religious and Political Writer. Rome. Lately.

MANTELL, Gideon Algernon. Geological Writer. Author of Wonders of Geology; Medals of Creation; and numerous other valuable works. His Collection of Fossils was purchased for the British Museum for MORTON, Saville. Paris Correspondent of the "Daily £5,000. Chester Square, November 10. Aged 63. News." By the hand of his friend, Mr. Bower. Paris, October 1. REYNOLDS, John Hamilton.

Brother-in-Law to Thomas

they import lie upon their hands for seven years, and at last become waste paper."

"Reasons humbly offered, &c. for Freedom of Trade in lawful Books."

At the present moment, when "the Association" is defunct, and Free Trade has shed its golden light over the dim regions of the Row," the pamphlet I have quoted will afford some interesting particulars of the book monopolies of the seventeenth century. "The trade of printing," says the author, who was quite a Cobdenite in his ideas, "hath been an ancient manufacture of this kingdom, and as such fit to be encouraged for the public good;" yet it seems that by the monopoly of the Stationers' Company, the price of books was enhanced, and booksellers impoverished. It is well known that King James granted the Stationers' Company a license to print and sell all Primers, Psalters, Psalms, Almanacs, &c. to the exclusion of all others. By these means they pocketed about twelve per cent, besides "other frequent and more private dividends." Our own printers being thus restrained, the greater part of the printing trade was carried hence into Holland, where English Bibles, Prayer Books, and a host of others, flooded the market of all our foreign plantations, Ireland, Scotland, &c. for the gain of above cent per cent to the traders therein. We may form some idea of the extent to which this was carried, when we find that one merchant imported nearly twenty thousand Bibles yearly, and that a Jew named Athias, since 1662, printed more books of this kind than any four ofthe trade in England. Vast quantities of these books were seized by the patentees, and the persons in whose hands they were found rigorously prosecuted. The penalty being 6s 8d per copy, exorbitant sums of money were easily extorted. They do not appear to have been over-scrupulous in the transaction, for we are told, that when they had amassed a sufficient number of these Holland-printed books, they stopped their own presses, and threw them again into the market. Having accomplished this worthy proceeding, they pounced on the books they had themselves distributed, fined the owners a second time, and so managed to reap a somewhat more profitable than honest harvest.

"They joined together," says our freetrader, "and bought three horses, and sent their own clerk and beadle, and a secretarye messenger, to ride all England over to seize on the books in their patents."

Writs were then issued against the offending parties, who were forced to pay exorbitant compositions. Mr. John Jekil stood trial for about twenty-five bibles before Judge Hales, and paid 6s 8d per book for the Bible to one patentee, and 6s 8d per book for the Psalms to the other patentees," though, but one book, yet, thus divided, two penalties were enforced. It cost Mr. Jekil about £50.; and the noise of this trial so frightened the poor country booksellers, that they came up to town, or sent to their London agents to compound with their prosecutors at any

rate.

Authors also had to pay a premium for commenting on any portion of their text, or were forced to sell their copyrights to them for one-fourth of the price others

66

would have given, if they had license to print them. Dr. Hammond, Poole, and many other "reverend and learned authors" were thus fleeced for using the text of the Bible to comment upon. Others who quoted Virgil, Ovid and Terence, were compelled to share the same fate. If," exclaims the author of the pamphlet, "the manufacture of printing were left free as other trades, it would employ above double the number of printers that are in England. Freedom of printing here would soon produce a manufacture to export, as well to our plantations as to those very countries who now furnish us and them; whereby the King's customs would be advanced, the merchant enriched, and the printer and bookbinder employed-which by these monopolies have been hitherto frustrated."

The author next exposes the abuses of the licensing system, and flatly accuses Sir Roger L'Estrange, licenser of the press, of having caused multitudes of books to be seized as seditious, and afterwards "underhand sold again by cartloads." Things went so far that even bills for stage coaches and play-bills were forbidden to be printed without a license. One house paid £8. or £10. a year for this.

There is no authorized licenser," sarcastically explains our freetrader, "for talking, preaching, writing, but men may speak, preach and write at their peril; and why should they not print and publish at their peril too?"

It would appear, that although the Stationers' Company numbered nearly a thousand members, yet about twenty only enjoyed the monopoly-the rest were excluded from any share in the spoil.

"A few years before A.D. 1211, Pope Innocent III.* had crowned Peter II. King of Arragon at Rome, not with a golden crown, but with a crown made of unleavened bread. The reason of it was, that the Pope had a design to put the crown upon his head with his feet, which Peter would not suffer, whereupon to compromise the matter, this expedient was found out, that the Pope should appear to perform the ceremony with his hands, out of regard to the bread only." (Rimius' Memoirs of the House of Brunswick, p. 99.)

To the Editor of Current Notes. Imperial coronation next Spring, may be interesting. Sir.-The above anecdote, apropos of the probable

Y. S. N.

The same who afterwards excommunicated, and deprived King John.

THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. YOUR Correspondent L. M. would be glad to know how it was that a rumour of the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo was heard in London on the day before that on which it was officially announced to the ministers. I am happily able to satisfy him on this point.-In February, 1822, His Royal Highness the late Duke of York, the Duke of Wellington, and several other persons of rank and distinction, among whom were some military officers who had served under the Duke, had a day's pheasant shooting at Maresfield Park, the seat of the late amiable Sir John Shelley, I had the honour of being of the party at dinner the same evening. The conversation happening to turn upon the difficulty often experienced of getting intelligence conveyed to and from a country which is the seat of war, it was remarked that Jews were often found to be quick dexterous messengers. The Duke of York observed that he understood that one of that race had brought to England the earliest intelligence of the victory at Waterloo, and asked the Duke of Wellington if he knew whether it were so, and how it came to pass. The Duke of Wellington replied, that at the conclusion of the battle, he felt that courtesy required him to send intelligence of the event immediately to the King of France, who was then at Ghent. All his aides-de-camp being either wounded or terribly fatigued after their exertions in the field, he thought of M. Pozzo di Borgo, who was at hand, and commissioned him to carry the welcome tidings, who setting out immediately arrived at Ghent in the morning when King Louis was at breakfast, a crowd of people being in the street, as usual before the windows of his hotel. A Jew among the multitude having his curiosity excited by seeing the royal party embracing each other, and exhibiting unusual signs of joy, made his way into the house, and heard from the domestics the news of the great victory. Upon this he speedily posted away to Ostend, and getting on board a vessel ready to sail for England, arrived in London, where he went first to 'Change Alley, and made his bargains there; after which he carried the news to Lord Liverpool some hours before Captain Percy ar rived from Brussels with the official dispatches. Your obedient servant,

Holbeach, Dec. 9, 1852.

J. MN.

HAUNTED HOUSE AT WILLINGTON. THE attention of the writer having been called to the enquiries of a Correspondent in "Willis's Current Notes" for the past month, respecting the haunted house at Willington, with the Editor's permission he will briefly answer them. The house remains, and is occupied by the foreman of the mill and by a clerk, with their families. The noises, &c. have ceased for some years, (J. P. himself lived there six years before the annoyances commenced, and was afterwards a witness of them for seven years, with occasional intermission). As to illusion or imposture, there is testimony enough to establish facts wholly inconsistent with either supposition. J. Procter never saw William Howitt who derived his report from other parties cognizant of the

circumstances, but trusted to his memory in transcribing them, which has occasioned several errors; and the story of the old book is one, which the writer believes to be altogether a mistake of W. H.'s. Notwithstanding this his account is substantially true. Within a few years several cases similar to that at Willington have occured in various parts of England which have been some of them published in local newspapers, no reasonable solution of them has been afforded, except by allowing the intervention of "Spirits." In the British Banner" of the 3rd and 10th ultimo, a case of noises in a small and recently built house at Hull is circumstantially narrated, which attracted crowds of people, and which baffled the vigilance of the police all around the house and in every room assisted by a Committee of "eight scientific gentlemen" to discover.

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The writer desires to express his conviction that the day is not distant when such subjects will receive a more candid and philosophic examination than is now generally bestowed on them. J. PROCTER.

12th November, 1852. Camp Ville, North Shields.

THE KING OF PAMUNKIE.-I enclose you an accurate drawing twothirds of the actual size of a silver plate or badge, which came into my possession some time since with a number of medals. It is but a trifling affair, but should you think it worthy a place in your interesting "Current Notes," perhaps some of your numerous readers may be able to throw some light as to the whereabouts of the dominions of so august a personage as "Ye King of Pamunkie." From the engraving being apparently of the time of Queen Anne, I have though it probable that it may have been worn by the President or Chairman of one of the numerous coffee C. R. TAYLOR.

house clubs of that period.

2, Tavistock Street.

RARE OLD BALLADS.

"A PROGNOSTICATION upon W. Laud, late Archbishop of Canterbury, written A.D. 1641, which accordingly is come to pass.- Sold at the Black Bull in Cornhill, near the Royal Exchange.”

(With a curious sketch of Laud's body stretched on the scaffold, and his bleeding head held up by the executioner.)

My little Lord, methinks 'tis strange
That you should suffer such a change
In such a little space:

You that so proudly t'other day
Did rule the King, and country sway,

Must trudge to 'nother place.
Remember now from whence you came,
And that your grandsires of your name
Were dressers of old cloth;
Go bid the dead men bring their shears,
And dress your coat to save your ears,
Or pawn your head for both.
The wind shakes cedars that are tall,
An haughty mind must have a fall,
You are but low, I see;
And good it had been for you still,
If both your body, mind, and will,
In equal state should be.

The King, by hearkening to your charms,
Hugged our destruction in his arms,

And gates to foes did ope;

Your staff would strike his sceptre down,
Your mitre would o'ertop the crown,
If you should be a pope.
But you that did so firmly stand,
To bring in popery to this land,

Have missed your hellish aim;
Your saints fall down, your angels fly.
Your crosses on yourself do lie,

Your crafts will be your shame.
We scorn that Popes with crozier staves,
Mitres or keys, should make us slaves,
And to their feet to bend :
The Pope and his malicious crew,
We hope to handle all like you,
And bring them to an end.
The silence clergy void of fear
In your damnation will have share,

And speak their mind at large:
Your cheesecake cap and magpic gown,
That made such strife in every town,
Must now defray your charge.
Within this six years six ears have
Been cropt off worthy men and grave,

For speaking what was true;
But if your subtle head and ears
Can satisfy those six of their's,
Expect but what's your due.
Poor people that have felt your rod
Yield Laud to the devil, praise to God,
For freeing them from thrall:
Your little "Grace," for want of grace,
Must lose your patriarchal place,
And have no grace at all.

Your white lawn sleeves that were the wings
Whereon you soared to lofty things,

Must be your fins to swim ;

Th' archbishop's sea by Thames must go
With him unto the Tower below,

There to be rack't like him.
Your oath cuts deep, your lies hurt sore,
Your canons made Scots cannons roar,

But now I hope you'll find
That there are cannons in the Tower,
Will quickly batter down your power,
And sink your haughty mind.
The Commonalty have made a vow,
No oath, no canons to allow,

No bishops' common prayer;
No lazy prelates that shall spend
Such great revenues to no end

But virtue to impaire.

Dumb dogs that wallow in such store,
That would suffice above a score

Pastors of upright will.

Now they'll make all the bishops teach,
And you must in the pulpit preach,
That stands on Tower Hill.
When the young lads to you did come,
You knew their meaning by the drum,
You had better yielded then;
Your head and body then might have
One death, one burial, and one grave
By boys, but two by men.
But you that by your judgments clear,
Will make five quarters in a year,

And hang them on the gates;
That head shall stand upon the bridge,
When your's shall under traitors trudge,
And smile on your missed fates.
The little wren that soared so high,
Thought on his wings away to fly,

Like finch, I know not whither;
But now the subtle whirly wind,
Debauck, hath left the bird behind,

You two must flock together.

A bishop's head, a deputy's breast,
A Finch's tongue, a wren from's nest,
Will set the devil on foot;
He's like to have a dainty dish,
At once both flesh, and fowl, and fish,
And Duck and Lamb to boot.
But this I say though your lewd life
Did fill both Church and State with strife,
And trample on the crown;
Like a blessed martyr you will die
For Church's good; she riseth high
When such as you fall down.

G. WILLIS begs to thank his Correspondent for the trouble he has taken in transcribing the above rare Ballad, which the latter believes has not been reprinted since its first publication. G. W. takes the present opportunity of remarking that he will at all times feel grateful for the transmission of any curious MS. articles of a similar character.