8vo.

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{3}

_LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY_ 7, 1854.

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OUR NINTH VOLUME.

The commencement of a New Year, and of our Ninth Volume, imposes upon Us
the pleasant duty of wishing many happy returns of the season to all our
Friends, Correspondents, and Readers.

Those of the latter class, who have so earnestly impressed upon Us the
propriety and advisableness of placing our Advertisements on the outside
leaves of each Number, will see that their wishes have at length been
complied with. We trust they will be pleased with this change, and receive
it as a proof of our readiness to attend to every reasonable suggestion for
the improve of "NOTES AND QUERIES." We can assure them that it is no less
our desire to do so than our interest.

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Notes.

A STRAWBERRY-HILL GEM.

"_Pour qui se donne la peine de chercher, il y a toujours quelque
trouvaille a faire, meme dans ce qui a ete le plus visite_.--Henry
PATIN.

I take up a work of European celebrity, and reflect awhile on its
bibliographic peculiarities--which may almost pass for romance.

It is a _Scottish_ work with regard to the family connexion of its author:
it is an _Irish_ work with regard to the place of his nativity. It is an
_English_ work as to the scenes which it represents; a _French_ work as to
the language in which it was written; a _Dutch_ work as to the country in
which it came to light. It was formerly printed anonymously: it has since
borne the name of its author. It was formerly printed for public sale: it
has been twice printed for private circulation. It was formerly classed as
fiction: it is now believed to be history.

But we have too many enigmas in the annals of literature, and I must not
add to the number. The work to which I allude is the _Memoires du comte de
Grammont par le comte Antoine Hamilton_.

The various indications of a projected re-impression of the work remind me
of my _portefeuille Hamiltonien_, and impose on me the task of a partial
transcription of its contents.

Of the numerous editions of the _Memoires de Grammont_ as recorded by
Brunet, Renouard, or Querard, or left unrecorded by those celebrated
bibliographers, I shall describe only four; which I commend to the critical
examination of future editors:

1. "_Memoires de la vie du comte de Grammont; contenant
particulierement