(Vol. v., p. 290.)
I have, as most of the readers of "N. & Q." are aware, for a
considerable time past turned my attention to the subject of _English
Surnames_, and the sale of three editions of my work under that title
shows that such a book was a desideratum. Chapters on the origin of
surnames exist in Camden's _Remaines_, Verstegan's _Restitution_, and
elsewhere, and there are detached notices in the _Gentleman's Magazine_
and other periodicals; but my work is the first, and as yet the _only_
independent treatise on the subject. Any one who will be at the trouble
to compare my first and third editions will at once see how this inquiry
has grown under my hands; but although I have collected and classified
6000 names, much still remains to be accomplished. Under this
conviction, I am now engaged in the compilation of a _Dictionary of
English Family Names_, which I hope to complete within the present year.
My plan will include: