Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 7.djvu/288

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236


NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. VIL MAKCH 23, 1907.


Khitai, Khata, Cathay, &c., thus came to be used for nearly a thousand years as the name of China among the people of Central Asia and those European nations which became acquainted with China through that channel. ALFRED SYDNEY LEWIS.

Library, Constitutional Club.

NAPOLEON'S CARRIAGE (10 S. vii. 170). When the carriage came into the posses- sion of William Bullock, and was exhibited at the London Museum (afterwards the Egyptian Hall), a 20-page illustrated ' De- scription and History ' was on sale. The several statements that it contains relative to the capture of the carriage agree with Blucher's letter and the affidavit of Jean Hornn, the coachman, that Major von Keller had a mixed force of two battalions of Fusiliers from the 4th Corps of the Prussian army, some Tyrolese, and a few other Prussian light infantry.

ALECK ABRAHAMS.

39, Hillmarton Road, N.

Siborne says :

" The most valuable and most interesting object consisted of Napoleon's travelling carriage, which with all its contents fell into the hands of the Fusilier-battalion of the loth Regiment (Prussian)."

W. P. M.

Napoleon's travelling carriage was cap- tured by the Fusilier battalion of the 15th Regiment of Prussian Infantry at Genappe, three or four miles away from the battle- field of Waterloo, about an hour after the battle was over. Some English painters have represented Napoleon escaping from the carriage. This is a mistake. Napoleon had not been in the carriage during any part of that day. When not seated on a chair at a table, or walking about with his hand? behind him, he was on horseback, although suffering from a complaint which made it painful for him to ride.

WATERLOOENSIS.

CHESTERFIELD AND WOTTON PORTRAITS (10 S. vii. 168). Lely's portrait of Lady Elizabeth Butler, Countess of Chesterfield was exhibited at South Kensington in 186( (No. 966) by Earl Stanhope, so that there should be no difficulty in tracing this portrait of which Miss WOTTON could probably obtain (or see) a photograph at the photo- grapher's stall at the Victoria and Albert Museum. W. ROBERTS.

47, Lansdowne Gardens, Clapham, S.W.

' NEW YORK TIMES ' : ' CHRISTIAN UNION (10 S. vi. 9). When I was in New York lately I was told at the office of the Neu


York Times that their papers were to be- seen on file at the office of the London Times,. 100, Queen Victoria Street, E.C.

N. W. HILL. Philadelphia.

MUSICAL GENIUS : is IT HEREDITARY f ,10 S. vii. 170.) Genius, usually has neither 'ather nor mother, and has less succession than the phoenix ; but tastes run in families,, and, as far as my observation goes, I should say that music is not exceptionally individual! in its attack. It is quite possible to cite- she instance which ENIGMA desiderates. John Sebastian Bach came of musical stock ; le married more than once ; he had " into- the teens " of children, and at least three- of his sons distinguished themselves in the- art which owes so much to their blood, Alessandro Scarlatti and his son Domenico are both known to fame ; and so on another grade are the two Johann Strausses. Beet- hoven, Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, and Brahms, were, I believe, all indebted to tuneful parentage. ST. SWITHIN.

[MR. HOWARD COLLINS also refers to Bach.]

MUSICAL COMPOSERS AS PIANISTS (10 S. vi. 490 ; vii. 34). Of the " great musical composers " only Mozart, Beethoven, Men- delssohn, and Brahms can take rank as Ereat pianists. Some may add Weber, Chopin., iszt, and Saint-Saens.

The list is longer of great composers who- have no fame as pianists : Haydn, Handel,. Bach, Gluck, Schumann, Schubert, W T agner, and Berlioz. Some will add Spohr, Meyer- beer, Dvorak, Tschaikowsky, and Gounod. H. K. ST. J. S.

HOEK VAN HOLLAND (10 S. vii. 188). If .Hoefc="a bend, an angle or corner," and be pronounced by Dutchmen very much as we pronounce " hook," which also con- notes a bend, an angle or corner, it is hard to see what we could do better than write and speak of the promontory as the Hook of Holland : this INQUIRER would do well to inspect on a map of largish scale. We have Hook Head in Ireland, near the ap- proach to Waterford Harbour ; but I do not know of any other example within the bounds of the United Kingdom. There is Sandy Hook, just across the Atlantic ; and an inland Batavian Waal Hoek in Cape Colony. ST. SWITHIN.

The grossly ignorant substitution of Hook for Hoek words with contrary meanings was queried at 9 S. i. 387. What induced such a useless and meaningless corruption