The following notes are so trivial, that I should have scrupled to send
them on any other ground than that so well-conceived and
labouriously-executed a work should have its most minute and unimportant
details as correct as possible. This, in such a work, can only be
effected by each reader pointing out the circumstances that he has
reason to believe are not quite correctly or completely given in it.
Page 24. _Astronomical Society._--The library has been recently
augmented by the incorporation with it of the books and documents (as
well as the members) of the _Mathematical Society of London_
(Spitalfields). It contains the most complete collection of the English
mathematical works of the last century known to exist. A friend, who has
examined them with some care, specifies particularly some of the tracts
published in the controversy raised by Bishop Berkeley respecting "the
ghosts of departed quantities," of which he did before know the
existence.
The instruments to which Mr. Cunningham refers as bequeathed to the
Society, are not used there, nor yet allowed to lie unused. They are
placed in the care of active practical observers, according as the
special character of the instruments and the special subjects to which
each observer more immediately devotes his attention, shall render the
assignment of the instrument expedient. The instruments, however, still
remain the property of the Society.
P. 37. _Bath House._--Date omitted.
P. 143.--Evan's Hotel, Covent Garden, is described as having been once
the residence of "James West, the great collector of books, &c., and
_President of the Royal Society_." There has certainly never been a
President, or even a Secretary, of that name. However, it is just
possible that there might have been a Vice-president so named (as these
are chosen by the President from the members of the council, and the
council has not always been composed of men of science): but even this
is somewhat doubtful.
P. 143. _Covent Garden Theatre._--No future account of this theatre will
be complete without the facts connected with the ill-starred Delafield;
just as, into the Olympic, the history of the defaulter Watts, of the
Globe Assurance Office, must also enter.
P. 143. near top of col. 2. "Heigho! says Kemble."--Before this period,
a variation of the _rigmarole_ upon which this is founded had become
poplular, from the humour of Liston's singing at Sadler's Wells. I have
a copy of the music and the words; altogether identical with those in
the music. Of these, with other matters connected with the {290} amorous
frog, I shall have something more to say hereafter. This notice is to be
considered incidental, rather than as referring expressly to Mr.
Cunningham's valuable book.
P. 153. _Deans Yard, Westminster._--Several of the annual budgets of
abuse, obscenity, and impudent imposture, bearing on their title-pages
various names, but written by "John Gadbury, Student in Physic and
Astrology," were dated from "my house, Brick Court, Dean's Yard,
Westminster;" or this slightly varied, occasionally being, "Brick Court,
_near_ the Dean's Yard," &c. I have not seen a complete series of
Gadbury's _Almanacks_, but those I refer to range from 1688 to 1694
(incomplete). His burial in St. Margaret's, Westminster, in 1704, is
noticed by Mr. Cunningham, at p. 313. As brick was then only used in the
more costly class of domestic buildings, this would seem to indicate
that _prophecy_ was then a lucrative trade; and that the successor and
pupil of the "arch-rogue, William Lilly" was quite as fortunate in his
speculations as his master had been. It is a truth as old as society
itself, that "knaves grow rich while honest men starve." Whilst Gadbury
was "wallowing in plenty," the author of _Hudibras_ was perishing for
want of a crust!
P. 153. _Denzil Street._--Here, about the middle of the street, on the
south side, lived Theophilus Holdred, a jobbing watchmaker, whose name
will always hold a place in one department of mathematical history. He
discovered a method of approximating to the roots of numerical
equations, of considerable ingenuity. He, however, lost in his day and
generation the reputation that was really due to him for it, by his
laying claim to more than he had effected, and seeking to deprive other
and more gifted men of the reputation due to a more perfect solution of
the same problem. He was, indeed, brought before the public as the tool
of a faction; and, as the tools of faction generally are, he was
sacrificed by his own supporters when he was no longer of any use to
them.
I once called upon him, in company with Professor Leyburn, of the Royal
Military College, but I forget whether in 1829 or 1830. We found him at
his bench--a plain, elderly, and heavy-looking personage. He seemed to
have become "shy" of our class, and some time and some address were
requisite to get him to speak with any freedom: but ultimately we placed
him at his ease, and he spoke freely. We left him with the conviction
that he was the _bonâ fide_ discoverer of his own method; and that he
had no distinct conception, even then, of the principle of the methods
which he had been led by his friends to claim, of having _also_
discovered _Horner's_ process before Horner himself had published it. He
did not (ten years after the publication of Horner's method) even then
understand it. He understood his own perfectly, and I have not the
slightest doubt of the correctness of his own statement, of its having
been discovered by him fifty years before.
P. 166. _Dulwich Gallery._--This is amongst the unfortunate consequences
of taking lists upon trust. Poor Tom Hurst[1] has not been in the
churchyard these last eight years--except the three last in his grave.
The last five years of his life were spent in a comfortable asylum, as
"a poor brother of the Charterhouse." He was one of the victims of the
"panic of 1825;" and though the spirit of speculation never left him, he
always failed to recover his position. He is referred to here, however,
to call Mr. Cunningham's attention to the necessity, in a _Hand-book_
especially, of referring his readers correctly to the places at which
_tickets_ are to be obtained for any purpose whatever. It discourages
the visitor to London when he is thus "sent upon a fool's errand;" and
the Cockney himself is not in quite so good a humour with the author for
being sent a few steps out of his way.
P. 190. _Rogers_--a Cockney by inference. I {291} should like to see
this more decidedly established. I am aware that it is distinctly so
stated by Chambers and by Wilkinson; but a remark once made to me by
Mrs. Glendinning (the wife of Glendinning, the printer, of Hatton
Garden) still leads me to press the inquiry.
P. 191.--_The Free Trade Club_ was dissolved before the publication of
this edition of the _Handbook_.
P. 192.--And to Sir John Herschel, on his return from the Cape of Good
Hope.
P. 210. _Royal Society._--From a letter of Dr. Charles Hutton, in the
_Newcastle Magazine_ (vol. i. 2nd series), it appears that at the time
of Dr. Dodd's execution the Fellows were in the habit of adjourning,
after the meetings, to Slaughter's Coffee House, "to eat oysters," &c.
The celebrated John Hunter, who had attempted to resuscitate the
ill-fated Doctor, was one of them. "The Royal Society Club" was
instituted by Sir Joseph Banks.
P. 221. _Hanover Square._--Blank date.
P. 337. _Millbank Prison._--It was designed, not by "Jeremy Bentham,"
but by his brother, the great mechanist, Sir Samuel Bentham. In passing,
it may be remarked that the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, is
constructed on the same principle, and, as was stated in the _Mechanics'
Magazine_, on authority, a year or two ago, by the same engineer.
General rumour has, however, attributed the design to his gracious
Majesty George III; and its being so closely in keeping with the known
spirit of _espionage_ of that monarch certainly gave countenance to the
rumour. It may be as well to state, however, that, so designed and so
built, it has never yet been so used.
P. 428.--_Benbow_, not a native of Wapping, but of Shrewsbury. A life of
him was published nearly forty years ago, by that veteran of local and
county history, Mr. Charles Hulbert, in the _Salopian Magazine_.
P. 499. _Whitfield._--Certainly not the founder of the Methodists, in
the ordinary or recognised acceptation of the term. John Wesley was at
the head of that movement from the very first, and George Whitfield and
Charles Wesley were altogether subordinate to him. Wesley and Whitfield
parted company on the ground of Arminianism _versus_ Calvinism. For a
while the two sects kept the titles of "Arminian Methodists" and
"Calvinistic Methodists." The latter made but little ground afterwards,
and the distinctive adjective was dropped by the Wesleyans when the
Whitfieldites had ceased to be a prominent body.
P. 515. _Doctor Dodd._--The great interest excited in favour of a
commutation of his sentence, led to the belief at the time, that his
life had not been really sacrificed. Many plausible stories respecting
the Doctor having been subsequently seen alive, were current; and as
they may possibly in some future age be revived, and again pass into
general currency, it may be as well to state that the most positive
evidence to the contrary exists, in a letter of Dr. Hutton's before
referred to. The _attempt to resuscitate him was actually made_, by a no
less distinguished surgeon than John Hunter. He seemed then to attribute
the failure to his having _received the body too late_. Wonderful
effects were at that time expected to result from the discovery of
galvanism; but it would have been wonderful indeed if any restoration
had taken place after more than two hours of suspended animation. John
Hunter, according to the account, does not seem to have been very
communicative on the subject, even to his philosophical friends at
Slaughter's Oyster Rooms.