Willis's Current Notes, No. 14, February 1852

TO THE "PRICE CURRENT OF LITERATURE."

G. WILLIS gratefully acknowledges the various interesting documents and letters he has received. He is anxious that it should be perfectly understood that he is not the author of any statement, representation, or opinion, that may appear in his "Current Notes," which are merely selections from communications made to him in the course of his business, and which appear to him to merit attention. Every statement therefore is open to correction or discussion, and the writers of the several paragraphs should be considered as alone responsible for their assertions. Although many notes have hitherto appeared anonymously, or with initial letters, yet wherever a serious contradiction is involved, G. Willis trusts that his Correspondents will feel the necessity of allowing him to make use of their names when properly required.

ETHNOLOGY.--The marvellous pamphlet published in New York, with reference to the Aztec Children exhibiting there, has reached G. W., with the copy to be presented to a distinguished traveller, which has been delivered to him; and he seems not inclined to disbelieve in the accuracy of any of its statements, whatever may be the opinion of G. W.'s New York Special Reporter. (See "Current Notes" for January, p. 4.)

The pamphlet purposes to give an account of the discovery of an idolatrous city called Iximaya, in Central America, with 85,000 inhabitants, situate somewhere about 16° 42' N. and 91° 35' W., whose priests seem to consider the flesh of Scotchmen to be a peculiar culinary luxury--when they can catch them. The information given to the discoverers of the ideal or real city of Iximaya, was "that a man of the same race as Senor Hammond, who was of a bright-florid complexion, with light hair and red whiskers, had been sacrificed and eaten by the Macbenachs or priests of Iximaya, the great city among the hills, about thirty moons ago, (previous to May, 1849)."

It has been asserted that Mr. Wheelwright, an American gentleman of the highest respectability, well known and much respected both in London and Liverpool as the originator of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, is (or was) well acquainted with the author of this very extraordinary pamphlet. And although it must be confessed, that if considered as a piece of mere invention, for in marvellous incident it is a formidable rival to the voyage and travels of one Lemuel Gulliver, or the life and adventures of the well known Mr. Robinson Crusoe,--yet the fact should not be forgotten, that "Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction."

G. W. anxiously looks for the opinions of the well-informed press upon this matter, which, with the exception of the Sunday Times of the 15th of February, have been silent about the "Pigmies" exhibiting in New York;--and about which, as G. W.'s "Special" observed last month--"there is NO MISTAKE."

THE BAWDRICK OR BALDROCK, (Illustrated Correction.)--Few people feel inclined to acknowledge an error, or to make a correction. See Willis's "Current Notes" for February last (p. 16), where Sir Walter Scott's remark is quoted, that "it is ill making holes in one's own stockings for the purpose of darning them again, darn we never so neatly." However, G. W. is always happy--not to feel himself in the wrong--but to correct any mistake which inadvertently he or his agents may have made. He has therefore no hesitation about printing the following communication.

"H. T. E. informs G. W. that the engraver of the sketch of the Bawdrick, which appeared in the last number of the "Current Notes" (p. 5)," has omitted one important reference, and a letter of reference, (which H. T. E. believes he sent).

"In fig. 2, letter B, all is right.

"But in fig. 1, letter B is wrong; it should have been by the side, and where that B is should have been an E, which was thus described:

"E. A piece of hard wood, placed between the staple and the end of the clapper, which is made steady to the clapper by D, the busk board, &c.

"As engraved, H. T. E. fears it will be a terrible puzzler to the uninitiated in Campanology, and even Campanologists will wonder at the confusion. The upper joint should have been thus, and the lower joint square (but G. W.'s artist has reversed the thing), for it is at B that the clapper swings.

"Still it is well to have got the thing shewn to the public, and H. T. E. thanks G. W., and supposes all blunders must be set down to his correspondent's fault of indistinct writing."

Strood, Rochester, 13th Feb. 1852.

SIR,--In reference to the letter of H. T. E. page 5 of your work, I beg to send you the following extracts from the Account Book of the Churchwardens of this Parish, now in my possession:--

H. WICKHAM. "Ao. 1555. It^m. payd For a horse hyde xx^d. For maykyng of y^e bawdreck ij^d." "1556. For whytt lether for y^e bawdreck xij^d. For maykyng of iiij bawdrecks . viij^d."

THE HISTORIC SOCIETY OF LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE.

Liverpool, 30th Jan. 1852.

SIR,--I have to complain that your Correspondent T. M. rushes into print so incautiously on the subject of his tobacco-pipe. From the accuracy of his quotation, he appears to have had the Society's volume before him, yet he has taken no trouble to arrive at the truth. Mr. Lamb's paper was read three months before the woodcut of the pipe in question appeared; but as the latter was of peculiar form, it was engraved, as well as one or two others that had not been exhibited. All of these were minutely referred to. Thus, in the NOTE RESPECTING THE PLATES, p. iii. there is the following:--"No. 14 [on Plate IV.] is from 'Willis's Current Notes,' for April, 1851; the stem is of bamboo, and the top of the bowl of brass. It was found in taking down an old inn at Fulham in 1836." From a mutilated copy I send you the actual leaf for the use of T. M.;[1] and have to express my sorrow that he does not possess either more patience or more civility,

A. HUME, D.C.L. Corresponding Secretary.

[1] G. W. has forwarded it to his Correspondent, and begs to thank the Rev. Dr. Hume for this correction of T. M.'s oversight, and the manner in which an acknowledgment has been made to "Willis's Current Notes," which it gratifies him to find considered worthy of the attention of THE HISTORIC SOCIETY OF LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE.

THE LATE J. M. W. TURNER, R.A.

G. W. has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of five communications respecting the Sketch of the late Mr. Turner, which appeared with J. T. A.'s letter in the January number of "Current Notes," (p. 1.) Four of his correspondents are pleased with the Sketch, and one who signs himself, D. R. states that he knew Mr. Turner well, and considers it to be, "no caricature, but on the contrary, an excellent likeness."

However, the following epistle, expresses a different opinion.

Yarm^o. Feb, 2, 1852.

SIR,--How very vexing it is that the "rude sketch" favoured by your obliging correspondent, (J. T. A.) was not placed in the hands of some R. A. (before engraved), who was acquainted and well knew that celebrated painter, and from that ("rude sketch") and the knowledge he (R. A.) had of the late Turner, would have favoured us with a more characteristic portrait. Was he not more than four feet in stature? This represented ("Current Notes," January, 1852, p. 1), reminds us of a wooden punchinello more than any thing that ever breathed, and not at all credible to the "Current Notes." All such Notes are highly interesting if properly done.

In haste. Yours faithfully, W.

THE MARQUIS OF WORCESTER, (Author of the "Century of Inventions").--R. C. particularly thanked for his communication.

ANCIENT SIGNET EXPLAINED.

Southwick, near Oundle, Jan. 30th, 1852.

SIR,--Your excellent little work, "Current Notes," is worthy of all praise and support; as affording to the Numismatist, the Paleologist, and the Archeologist, &c. the means not only of giving a written account of their various studies, but also of exhibiting facsimiles of the objects of their research. At the same time that I thank you for the insertion of my last (p. 3, Jan. 1852), allow me to present you with one of, I think, much greater interest to the Chronologist and Historian, taken from "Gesenii Monumenta Phoenicia, Pars 3, Tab. 11, fig. XL. bis,"

The letters at the top of the signet are Ch sr b l; and the reading is, "_The great king_." At the bottom of the signet they are, A ch m n; and the reading is, "_Achemen_," and with the Greek termination Achæmenes. On the right side they are a n b, Hebrew [Hebrew letters: Aleph, nun, and Bet], taken as numerical characters, i.e. 1000, 700, 2; making the date 1702. On the left, the figure like the Greek [Greek: ou], is the sign of Taurus, to denote the month when the sun entered into Taurus. The dove and leaf seem to refer to "_the dove and olive leaf_," Gen. viii. 11.

Let me now refer your readers to Drummond's Origines, v. 1, p. 310:

"The Greeks fancied Achæmenes to have been the name of the progenitor of Cyrus; but Achæmenes is nothing else than a corruption of one of those pompous and impious titles, which were assumed by the kings of Iran, and of which the inscriptions explained by M. de Sacy afford many examples. Achæmenes, as I have shown elsewhere, signifies Rex coeli in ancient Persian."

So much for guess-work, which cannot be too much reprobated. I do not pretend to any skill in chronology, but the calculation appears to be so simple, that I will attempt it, taking the dates of our authorized version of the Bible.

Deluge 2349 A.C. Signet engraved 1702 from the Deluge Or 647 A.C. Cyrus begins to reign 537 A.C.

Therefore, from the beginning of the reign of Achæmenes to the same of Cyrus is 110 years.

From this remarkable signet we obtain the historical truth, that Achæmenes began his reign in the month Taurus, 1702, after THE Deluge. I have found the Deluge taken as an epoch in various Cuneiform and Egyptian, &c. documents, that have not been explained to the public.

Yours truly, T. R. BROWN.

T. R. B.'s translation received, but must stand over for the present.