204
NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. XL MAR. is, 1915.
The Beggar's Hats Advice The Progress of
Greatness The King and the Shepherd The
Arab and his Three Sons Innovation.
The fourth, fifth, and seventh of these had iDeen printed in The Wit's Magazine in 1783 (q.v.).
My information concerning this item is based on my personal copy; the British Museum Catalogue ; The Edinburgh Review (9: 101), where it was very favourably Teviewed ; The Monthly Magazine for 1 Sept., 1806 (22: 162), where it was listed among the August publications; and The British Critic for July, 1806 (28: 101), in the ' Monthly List of Publications.'
There was a copy of this work in the Yale University Library, but during my visit there it had been mislaid, and the authorities were unable to locate it.
1807. " Review of the Theatres During the Last
Season, by Mr. Holcrofl."
This appeared, as a contributed letter to the editor, in the first volume, No. XVIII. , for Saturday, 11 July, 1807, pp. 12-20, of Prince Hoare's short-lived but brilliant periodical The Artist.
"" The Artist ; a Collection of Essays, relative to Painting, Poetry, Sculpture, Architecture, the Drama, Discoveries of Science, and various other subjects. Edited by Prince Hoare. In Two Vols. Vol. I. London : Printed by Mercier and Chervet, No. 32, Little Bartholo- mew-Close, For John Murray, 32, Fleet-Street ; Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh ; and M. N. Mahon, Dublin. 1810." Quarto, issued weekly on Saturdays, about twenty to thirty pages a number.
1807. As we read in the ' Memoirs ' (p. 228) that Holcroft himself made out the list of works for Philips the auctioneer to sell, before the departure for Hamburg, it is not unlikely that he also made out the follow- ing :
- ' Books, &c. A Catalogue of the Library of
Books, of Mr. Thomas Holcroft ; Comprising, a well chosen Assemblage of the best Authors, in the French, English, and German Languages ; and particularly relative to the Fine Arts and the Drama. Together with his Collection of Prints and Books of Prints. Which will be sold by auction, By Messrs. King and Lochee, At their Great Room, 38, King-Street, Covent Garden, On Tuesday, January the 13th, 1807, and four following days, at twelve o'clock. May be viewed on Monday, and Catalogues had at the Room. Printed by Barker and Son, Great Russell- streot, Cov. Garden."
"Theie are listed herein 1,071 items, most of them in several volumes ; about 2,300
prints, and 20 books of prints. This is in
the British Museum S.C. 817. (4.).
A copy was recently sold by Sotheran through their catalogue, but, much as I desired and needed the item, my order arrived too late.
1808. " Something to Do."
In Oulton, ' History of the Theatres of London ' (ed. 1818, 1: 152), the above is listed for Drury Lane under date of 22 Jan., 1808:
" A comedy, in five acts, ascribed to Prince Hoare, but from his alterations to the comedy of ' Sighs ' we suppose this bantling was falsely sworn to him. Perhaps another H. (Ilolcroft) was the unknown parent. . . .Condemned and not published."
Genest and the ' Biographia Dramatica ' give no information on this point. I have looked through all the material at hand, and can find nothing in sirpport or contradiction of the ascription, which is hereby offered ten- tatively to give antiquaries and bibliophiles something to do.
1808. [Some Novel unpublished.] I find in the British Museum (Egerton MS . 2429) the following letter to Messrs. Cadell & Davies, publishers, dated at Clipstone Street, 30, Fitzroy Square, 8 Nov., 1808 :
GENTLEMEN,
I imagine my name and productions are scarcely unknown to you. I am revising an original [probably underscored because he had done so much translation] novel in 3 vols., two of which are ready for the press and the third will be ready before Christmas. 1 arn persuaded it will be well worth the attention of the best publisher or I would not offer it to you. I request to know if you would wisli to peruse the first two volumes which will enable you to judge for yourselves. Yr immediate answer will oblige Yr obt hble st,
T. HOLCROFT.
The letter is marked on the margin " De- clined." The British Museum authorities have or some one has tried to assume that this refers to 'Bryan Perdue' (q.v.) ; but that to my mind is out of the question. ' Bryan Perdue ' was issued three years before, and could in no sense have been spoken of as "an original novel.... two volumes of which are ready for the press."
I assume, therefore, that the novel was never printed ; it possibly still exists in manuscript, more probably has been de- stroyed. ELBBIDGE COLBY.
Columbia University, New York City.
(To be continued.)
