[In our Prospectus we spoke of NOTES AND QUERIES becoming
everybody's common-place book. The following very friendly
letter from an unknown correspondent, G.J.K., urges us to carry
out such an arrangement.
"Sir,--I beg leave to forward you a contribution for your 'NOTES
AND QUERIES,' a periodical which is, I conceive, likely to do a
vast deal of good by bringing literary men of all shades of
opinion into closer juxtaposition than they have hitherto been.
"I would, however, suggest that in future numbers a space might
be allotted for the reception of those articles (short of
course), which students and literary men in general, transfer to
their common-place books; such as notices of scarce or curious
books, biographical or historical curiosities, remarks on
ancient or obsolete customs, &c. &c. &c. Literary men are
constantly meeting with such in the course of their reading, and
how much better would it be if, instead of transferring them to
a MS. book to be seen only by themselves, or perhaps a friend or
two, they would forward them to a periodical, in which they
might be enshrined in imperishable pica; to say nothing of the
benefits such a course of proceeding would confer on those who
might not have had the same facilities of gaining the
information thus made public.
"In pursuance of this suggestion, I have forwarded the inclosed
paper, and should be happy, from time to time, to contribute
such gleanings from old authors, &c. as I might think worth
preserving.
"G.J.K."
We readily comply with G.J.K.'s suggestion, and print, as the first of
the series, his interesting communication, entitled:]