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.
[Illustration]
"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.