THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES JUST THE VERY THING NEWSPAPER READERS. COMPILED BY C. E. CLARK London : DIPROSE AND BATEMAN, Sheffield Street Lincoln's Inn Fields. LONDON : DIPEOSE, BATEMAN AND CO., PRINTERS, SHEFFIELD STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, W.C. CONTENTS. Min. Preface. CHAPTER I. Birth and Growth of Newspapers. CHAPTER II. Newspaper Advertisements. CHAPTER III. Familiar Newspaper Phrases Explained. CHAPTER IV. Newspaper Jottings. CHAPTER V. Foreign Words : their Pronunciation and Meaning. CHAPTER VI. Newspaper Mottoes. CHAPTER VII. Newspaper Names having a Tale to Tell. A C\/i^^AQ. A PICTURE OF THE PRESS. ** There she is — the great engine — she never sleeps. She has her ambassadors in every quarter of the world — her couriers upon every road. Her ofhcers march along with armies, and her envoys walk into statesmen's caLinets. They are ubiquitous. Yonder journal has an agent at this minute giving bribes at Madrid, and another inspect- ing the price of potatoes at Covent Garden. Look ! here comes the Foreign Express galloping in. They will be able to give news at Downing Street to-morrow : funds will rise or fall, fortunes be made or lost. Lord B. will get up, and holding the paper in his hands, and seeing the noble marquis in his place, will make a speech ; and Mr, Doolan will be called away from his supper at the back kitchen, for he is foreign sub-editor, and sees the mail in the newspaper sheet before he goes to his own (sheet)." — Thackeray. PREFATORY. ** Content if here th' unlearned their wants may view. The learn'd reflect on what before they knew." — Pope. The idea of compiling this little book originated from the writer's unfailing habit of jotting down in a pocket book the many names and phrases, both English and "Foreign, so often repeated in the newspapers and journals of the day, and which excited a desire, and then the determination, to obtain access to their definite meaning — a deter- mination beset with not a few obstacles owing to the very scattered and varied, and in most cases, expensive sources of information. The utility of such a collection seems to be con- firmed by the difficulty experienced in obtaining a clear explanation from immediate acquaintances, because few persons attach any definite notion to such phrases, by the information so continually being sought for in the " Notices to Correspondents " columns of the weekly press, by the questions so often put to the writer while conducting large evening classes for young men, and last, but not least to those interested by the fact that the same 5 6 Prefatory. questions are actually set in many scholarship examinations. It is not easy to put a distinguishing mark upon the familiar and the «»familiar foreign expressions, but to make familiarity a leading feature, those chosen in this book, have been culled from a com- parison of italicised words observed in a three years' collection of newspapers from all parts of Great Britain. By this means of direct search, a great many words of present-day prominence have been swept into the net which have not come within the reach of other foreign word nets. For the admission of such words, for the many instances of interesting explanations attached to the literal meanings, and for the new feature of pronunciation, it is hoped that the reader will find this matter the more acceptable. The need of a correct pronunciation admits of no doubt when it so frequently occurs that one, reading aloud in the family circle, distressingly substitutes " hard word " in order to bridge his perplexity — a feat which at once blemishes any sentence, however needful its position may be in relation to the remainder of the text. The French pronunciation has been given, in every instance for French expressions, although a comparatively few words have an Anglicised pronunciation, but as these words are printed in italics in situ it Prefatory. 7 is evident that they are still foreign^ and, in the author's opinion, should receive a foreign pronunciation. Many "newspaper mottoes," although not adopted as the motto of any particular newspaper, are thought to have justified their designation from the fact of the prominent position they occupy at the head of the title-page. As a collection they appeal to the notice of those who, like the com- piler "think naught a trifle, though it small appear," and whose curiosity has received, through the want of a handy reference, a no more definite form than an irresponsive " I wonder what it means." In the endeavour to help such as those where help could not be obtained from the already existing books of quotations, nearly two hundred explanatory letters and translations have been received from librarians and editors to whose courteous assistance is now tendered a grateful acknowledgment. Why the source of a motto is omitted in one or two instances is because an exhaustive enquiry has failed to obtain it. Will the reader assist to fill in this omission. The whole of the old advertisements have been copied from the actual papers in which they first appeared, and, as far as an extensive search has ascertained, have not appeared in book form before. 8 Prefatory. To those seeking instruction may the concise- ness, which has been aimed at in the treatment of each subject, tend to a readier assimilation ; to the idler seeking entertainment is offered a rechauffe of gleanings selected for his specLil service ; and for all, pleasure has been sought in the method of compilation for " No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en." — Shakespeare. C E. CLARK, Hammersmith, W JUST THE VERY THING. CHAPTER I. BIRTH AND GROWTH OF NEWSPAPERS. The advent of the first newspaper cannot be dated with certainty, although the Chinese claim to have been its first promoters. The earliest resemblance to our newspaper that we know any- thing of is a Roman publication in writing called the " Acta Diurna " which gives a daily account of public events, and, during the dictatorship of Julius Cassar, of the proceedings in the Senate ; but this latter privilege was afterwards withdrawn by order of Augustus. The subjoined is an extract from this paper, dated the 4th of the Kalends of April, in the year 585 after the building of Rome : " It thundered and an oak was struck in that part of Mount Palantine called Summa Velia, early in the afternoon. A fray happened in a tavern at the lower end of Banker Street in lo Just the Very Thing. which the keeper of the Hog-in-armour tavern was dangerously wounded. Tertinius the ^Edile, fined the butchers for selling meat which had not been inspected by the overseers of the markets. The fine is to be employed in building a temple to the goddess Tellus." This example with a few other similarly dis- connected passages typifies the form of the whole paper. The oldest newspaper in the world still in ex- istence is published in Pekin once a week ; it is printed on silk and is said to have been started upwards of a thousand years ago. Another Chinese paper professes to have made a daily appearance since a.d. 1350 to the present time; it is the official government journal and is composed of three parts. — i. The Court Journal or, Copy of the Door of the Palace, which announces day by day the list of functionaries on duty, the actions of the emperor, the presentation visits, departures, &c. 2. The Imperial Decrees, 3. The reports of crown officers. Its twenty to forty pages of coarse paper, enclosed in a paper cover, are printed on one side only from wooden types. It has been asserted, with less doubt than in the Chinese claim, that Venice was the birthplace of the earliest newspaper on record, namely, the Notizk ScritU published in writing during the Just the Very Thing. 1 1 sixteenth century. This paper was to be seen in various parts of the city, a small coin, called a gazetta, being charged for its perusal. About this time the Londoner's favourite news medium was the tavern and, afterwards, the more fashionable coffee house, where was concentrated the whole gossip and news of the capital, and where, no doubt, was originated the proposal for the country News Letter* This was an epistle dispatched to country subscribers generally once a week by a London resident, and contained scraps of court and market news, the talk of the town, and the chat of the coffee houses. In 1622 one of these letter writers started the first regular and printed English newspaper called The Certaine News of the present Week, which was soon afterwards followed by a whole army of one page weeklies. The language of these and other papers for many years afterwards was very coarse, brimful of stinging personalities and spicy remarks. One journal was started for the avowed purpose of doing battle with and reviling another. The Weekly Discoverer, for example, being quickly cried *It is an interesting fact that the phrase " News Letter " is still retained in several well-known papers : — The San Francisco News Letter is a popular paper in California, in Belfast one of the leading journals is called a News Letter and in the South of Ireland wa have the Waterford and Wicklow News Letters. 12 Just the Very Thing. down by the Discoverer Stripped Naked, the Parlia- mentary Kite, or the Tell Tale Bird, was opposed by the Parliamentary Scout ; the Secret Owl aroused the indignation of the Man in the Moon ; and Mercuries, Ramblers, Idlers and A dventurers suffered mutual extinction by the score. The first daily English newspaper was the Post Boy, issued for only three days in 1695, but the first to establish itself was the Daily Courant, started on March nth, 1702, by Elizabeth Mellet, during the reign of Queen Anne, through the interest excited by Marlborough's campaign, and the conse- quent demand for more frequent intelligence. A fac simile of this interesting sheet of two columns has recently been published. The imposition of the penny stamp tax in 1713, which gradually rose to fourpence, was a great hindrance to the growth of the press in the eighteenth century. Among the most famous papers of this period may be mentioned Edmund Burke's Englishman, the London Morning Post, the Public Advertiser \n which, appeared the letters of the mysterious Junius, Sheridan's Whig organ in 1782, and twenty years previously the notorious North Briton, which ran through two hundred and seventeen numbers in opposition to the Briton. Number forty-five of this paper (the North Briton") was burnt by the common hangman in front of the Just the Very Thing, 13 Royal Exchange for accusing the King of uttering a lie from the Throne.* Even at the beginning of the present century the number and circulation of newspapers was com- paratively insignificant. The principal London papers were Morning Post, Morning Chronicle, and Times, known during the first three years of its existence as the Daily Universal Register. The price of the Times, although consisting of only two sheets was sixpence half-pennyf the Morning Post was fivepence, and the Chronicle fivepence. In 1836 the fourpenny tax on each paper was altered to a minimum duty of a penny, and a maxi- mum duty of twopence, according to size. Having undergone another modification the tax was finally '* The following is one of the objectionable passages. In it the King's speech is alluded to as the Ministers', because it was composed by them. '* This week has given the public the most abandoned instance of ministerial effrontery ever attempted to be imposed on mankind. The Ministers' speech of last Tuesday is not to be paralleled in the annals of this country. lam in doubt whether the imposition is greater on the Sovereig;n or on the nation. Every friend of his country must lament that a prince of so many great and amiable qualities whom England truly reveres can be brought to give the sanction of his sacred name to the most odious measures, and to the most unjustifiable public declarations from a throne ever re- nowned for truth, honour, and unsullied virtue." — North Briton^ Saturday, April 23rd, 1763 14 Just the Very Thing. abolished in 1855. After the repealing of the Stamp Act the general price of a paper was four- pence, until a number of penny dailies were started, the most successful of which have been the Daily Telegraph and Standard. Owing to the repealing of the paper duty the dearer papers reduced their price to threepence, and a number at a penny were enlarged from four to eight pages. To Mr. Finlay is given the credit of having been the father of the penny daily papers. In 1854, when the fall of Sebastopol was falsely reported to have taken place, he started in Edinburgh a paper containing only war intelligence, which obtained a clear profit of one hundred guineas during the first week. The thirst for news from the Crimea was at a fever pitch, from morn till night, clamorous crowds obstructed the approaches to the publishing office, until at last the interference of the police became necessary. The local demand quickly ex- tended beyond the confines of Edinburgh, and Mr. Finlay's pennies seemed to be accumulating into a fortune. It was now that the authorities threatened him with penalties if he persisted in selling an un- stamped paper. In vain he urged that his paper was not a newspaper in the general acceptance of the term and, as he could not fight out the question in the law courts, he affixed the penny stamp and changed the title to The Northern Telegraph, at Just the Very Thing, 15 a charge of twopence, an increase which soon killed it. Since the birth of the penny daily paper, the progress of the press has been marked by a succes- sion of surprising bounds. From the unpretending Notizie Scritte of Venice, it has developed into an omniverous monster whose capacious jaws are open in every part of the civilised world for any- thing offered. To see the heterogeneous confusion of subjects which form its food, is not only a source of delight, but a necessity to millions of the human race, whether they be the occupants of a royal palace or of the squatter's station in the far off Australian wilds. The appetite for this necessity, of London alone, is so great that it requires to be satisfied with more than 1,500,000 sheets of news every day, or suffi- cient informing matter to cover a park measuring eighteen miles round ; and for this daily meal they cheerfully pay in pennies and halfpennies ;^67,ooo per week. As the twenty-eight dailies are insuffi- cient to cater for London's insatiable craving for news, no less than 404 weeklies, or more than all the papers in Ireland and Scotland together, are called into requisition besides, some of which have even a larger circulation in one issue than the daiHes; Lloyd's for instance finds more than 600,000 recipients among the working classes on Sunday morning. 1 6 Just the Very Thing, A century ago there were only 50 newspapers published in England, 8 in Scotland, and 3 in Ireland ; total of the United Kingdom 61. There are now 2,153, of which 432 belong to London, 1,224 to provinces, 220 to Scotland, 8i to Wales, 175 to Ireland and 21 to the isles, in addition to 1,291 magazines. These numbers, amazing as they are, and ever increasing week by week, almost lose their significance in comparison with the 11,840 contemporaries published in America, where the daily press may be said to be the rule and the semi- weekly and weekly the exception, and where the white population is only about double that of the United Kingdom, although, from the foregoing, the number of its journals is five and a-half times greater than the number in the United Kingdom. The annual aggregate circulation of the 30,900 newspapers of the world is calculated to be ten and a-half thousand million copies. The enormous expanse of information contained by this yearly total of individual papers is perhaps beyond the possibility of accurate conception, but we may grasp a truer appreciation of its magnitude by sub- jecting it to an analysis, when we shall find it to be sufficient to cover a surface measuring ten thousand four hundred and fifty square miles, that it is printed on seven hundred and eighty-one thousand two hundred and fifty tons o^ paper, and further. Just the Very Thing. 1 7 that if the number ten and a-half thousand millions, represented instead of papers, seconds of time, it would take over three hundred and thirty-three years for them to elapse, remembering in all these years we have three hundred and sixty-five days and in every day eighty thousand four hundred seconds. In lieu of this arrangement we might press and pile them vertically upwards to gradually reach our highest monuments, and passing these and the highest Alps our pile would still grow far above the highest mountains in the world, shooting on mile after mile beyond the highest clouds and beyond the range of our atmosphere — a distance of forty-five miles — after piling on thousands upon thousands of leaves for another forty-five miles we shall not have reared our mighty column one quarter of its distance, for it will still require an additional altitude of three hundred and ninety- eight miles to complete the four hundred and ninety-eight miles required. Notwithstanding this stupendous column of in- telligence the supply continues to have, unlike anything else in the world, an inexhaustible and appetising freshness, not merely illimitable, but overwhelming. "It is a common fallacy among the general public, that it must be a difficult matter to find news to fill up each daily paper. So far from this Q iS Jtcst the Very Thing. being the case the ingenuity of editors is continu- ally on the stretch to find space for even a selection of the most important news at their disposal. In the office of a leading paper there is often more matter thrown into the waste paper basket, or struck out of manuscripts than would suffice to fill the paper ; while interesting telegrams for \vhich not only the Post Office but the correspondents who have sent them will have to be paid, are con- signed to the same receptacle almost every night, simply because it is impossible to find a corner for them." — Chambers's Journal. What a strange contrast this later condition of journalism presents to the time when, through dearth of intelligence, proprietors of newspapers have been known to transfer one or more chapters from the Bible to fill up a vacant space. Onlj fancy even the humblest of the world's papers stooping to such a practice now ! At first, news was printed upon coarse and faded- looking sheets about the size of the leaves from an ordinary book, but this only harmonised with the rude lettering, and still ruder woodcuts which were frequently placed before the initial letter of the first page. The gradual change in the quality and size of the paper is no less surprising than the vast collection of news which it contains ; but the im- provement is not perfect for there is reason to Just the Very Thing, 19 suppose that future generations will look upon the nineteeth century news leaf with as curious a gaze as we look upon that of the past ; yet, the improve- ment, so far as it has advanced, has sufficiently cul- tivated our tastes as to make good paper an indis- pensable feature for the thorough enjoyment of its contents. For the due appreciation of the advan- tages accruing from good paper it is suggested that the Pall Mall Gazette, should be compared with the Parliamentary Scouts, Owls, and Mercuries to be seen in the London Guildhall and other libraries. Our great papers are sent from the mills in huge rolls from three to four miles long, and are cut, folded and printed on both sides by one machine at the rate of twelve to fifteen thousand eight-page copies per hour, and experiments have shewn that good work can be done at the rate of seventeen thousand copies per hour. It is estimated that the paper consumed by the Times weekly, is seventy tons, and by the Telegraph and Standard one hun- dred and eight tons each. The manipulation of this great quantity of paper into finished and single newspapers at the astonishing rate mentioned, is accomplished by machinery of the most perfect description, merely requiring the attention of one man and two boys to each machine. In conclusion, there can be no more convincing proof of the marvellous development of the world's B2 20 yusi the Very Thing. press than that proclaimed by the voice of the following figures taken from a recent American publication, Mr. H. P. Hubbard's "Newspaper and Bank Directory of the World," which states that the world's newspapers and periodicals amount to 34,274. Europe leads with 1 9, 5 5 7, and North America follows with 12,400; Asia has 775, South America 699, Australasia 661, and Africa 132. Of these journals 16,500 are printed in the English language, 7,800 in German, 3,850 in French, and over 1,600 in Spanish. There are 4,020 daily newspapers, 18,274 triweeklies and weeklies, and 8,508 issued less frequently. CHAPTER II. NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENTS. The appearance of the earliest advertisements dates back from the remotest times. The Egyptian pyramids alone are perhaps able to boast an equal age. Apart from this conjecture, however, we have had in modern times direct evidence bearing upon their great antiquity as a result of the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii, two towns buried beneath the lava twenty centuries ago. On the walls of these cities scribblings or graffiti, mostly made by some pointed instrument in red chalk or charcoal, have been discovered in a good state ot preservation, evidently intended, in some cases, to turn the attention of the public to articles for sale, or, it may be, to recommend a particular tavern as the following notice affixed to a street corner in Pompeii testifies : — " Adeas tabernam Liani ; ad dexteram ; *' that is, " Visit the inn of Lianus ; turn to the right." Here also somewhat after the present manner 21 22 ^ust the Very Thmg. of offering rewards is the advertisement of one^ Varius : — " Urna vinaria periit de taberaa ; Sei earn quis retulerit, dabuntur h. s. Ixv ; sei furem qui abduxerit, dabitur Duplum a Vario." The rendering of which is : "A wine jar is lost from the inn ; if anyone bring it back there shall be given to him sixty-five sesterces ; if anyone bring the thief who took it, double that sum will be given." Both these inscriptions were made twenty cen- turies ago, and, although, a few years afterwards, the Romans had their newspaper, they made no use of it for advertising purposes, but instead, called into requisition the services of the bellman. This official then, as in recent times, frequented the market, and other places of popular resort, to make known that an article was lost or found ; or to make known that certain individuals were anxious to find buyers for their wares recently imported ; and it is interesting to note that in the early stages of newspaper advertising many of the public two leaf papers contained announcements in similar language to that used by the crier. The art of newspaper advertising has dealt a death- blow to this once serviceable person, but, like one recalled from the dead, his pictorial substitute conveys to a thousand minds the notice {vide. Just the Very Thing. 23 Australian News, &c.) he used to convey to only one, by being dispatched through the post to proclaim his "O yes, O yes," in all parts of the world. As a parallel to Varius's scribbled advertisement on the wall, the fcHowing, one of the earliest known printed advertisements, is given. It is taken from the Several Proceedings of Parliament, September 2ist — October 5th, 1654. " A nag of a Browne Chesstnut cullor, with a white streak on his face; a lock, with a hole worn in the barell, on his near leg before, his mane plaited with red tape about 14 hands high betweene 5 and 6 years old. Lost from Leighton Bussard in Bedfordshire on Munday September 4. if anyone can bring word of him to Mr. Newberry at the three Lyons in Cornhill book- seller or to Mr. Brian of Leighton Bozard he shall be well satisfied for his paines.' When we consider the classical origin of the old proverb, " Good wine needs no bush," * there can be little doubt that the Romans used signs as well as literary advertisements, and most likely at an earlier date. The bush alluded to was suspended over the doorway of a tavern to signify that wine might * " As You Like \x."—Epilo^tie, 24 JiLst the Very Tiling. be had within, and may have been either a branch of the vine or boughs of trees, but more correctly should have been the ivy, which was originally and exclusively used because sacred to Bacchus. The acceptance in later times of this old custom is easily traced in the prodigious bunch of golden grapes often still seen suspended from the sign post erected in front of a country tavern. Whoever designed this less perishable sign cannot be ascer- tained, but, whoever he was, he was followed by a gradually increasing host of imitators, who adopted signs more or less appropriate to their varied professions. The glover displayed the golden glove, the royal goldsmith the two golden salmon, the apothecary, the pestle and mortar, and the tobacco- nist his Negro or Scotchman snuffing by the door — a list as inexhaustible as the conjuror's magic bottle. The taverns were closely matched in the exhibition of swinging signs from their overhanging fronts, by the shop fronts of the publishing houses, a list of which reads like a row of taverns. It was at the "White Greyhound," the "Crown," and the " Green Dragon," the " Fox," and the " Angel," the "Sun," and the "Red Bull," where Shakespeare's plays first appeared in print. This universal method of advertising by signs, was a necessity when houses were unnumbered, and when messengers, porters, coachmen and others were unable to read Just the Very Tiling. 25 the shopman's name and the nature of his occupa- tion. During the great fire of London, and while in the height of their glory, many of these signs suffered total extinction. Most of those that sur- vived were considerably modified in attractiveness, owing to the widening of the thoroughfares, and the general absence of projecting shop fronts, and were, eventually, with the exception of tavern signs and those still pertinaciously clinging to a few old-fashioned shops, removed by Act of Par- liament in 1764. Printing has the honour of gradually supplying substitutes for this formidable army of signs, for it gave a better opportunity of learning to read, and, in the course of time, of advertising in the news- paper, and on that " stuck up thing," a poster, instead. Here is the first intimation through a newspaper advertisement, of tea being sold in a grocer's shop, and is culled from the Meratrius Politiciis of September 30, 1658. " That excellent and by all physicians approved Chinese drink called by the Chinese Tsha, by other nations Tay, alias Te, is sold at the Sultane's Head Coffee House in Sweeting's Rents, by the Royal Exchange, London." The following, from the same source, is of a still earlier date : — £0 Just the Very Thin^, "The art of Logick or the entire body of Logick in English, unfolding to the meanest capacity the way to dispute well and to refute all fallacies whatsoever, printed by George Calvert, and are to be sold at the sign of the Half Moon in Pauls Churchyard, near the Little North door." In both these examples the sign is the address, and was only retained until houses were numbered and newspapers began to circulate, not only among the rich, but among the people generally. Had the newspaper advertising art been suffi- ciently developed, no doubt the ambition of these advertisers would have aimed at a picture of a tea- pot or half-moon, surmounting their respective notices. This kind of advertisement was left for later times, when suddenly after the old signs were nearly extinct, the ghosts of the departed announcd themselves in new shapes. Woodcuts grew apace, hats, umbrellas, boots, the oilman's jar, the " Bell," the "Little Dust Pan," each in the special interest of its owner, arranged themselves before the reader's eye, not as previously over his shop front, but through the medium of the newspaper. The places of many of these, although still retained in some provincial papers, have since been filled by a multi- plicity of novel and varied designs depicting the ^tist the Very Thing. 27 ^zx^% " on sale." Although this style of advertising first saw the light in England, we are beaten in our own game by our cousins across the water, for, in general, each advertisement page of their papers is illuminated with barrels, houses, agricultural implements, cattle of all descriptions, every item of an outfitter's stock, machinery, "fast sailing schooners," and indeed nearly every object which enters into the multifarious business of mankind. In this way, the first Roman " bush" has in this age matured into a prodigious tree, whose branches fill the whole earth. This goes far to prove that the old epigram quoted is, in one sense, altogether erroneous, and that good wine does need " bush," for if the possessor of good wine does not hang out one of the foregoing signs, he cannot compete with the keeper of inferior wine, who is sure to display a tolerably large one. The first great impetus to newspaper advertising is said to have been given during the early part of the eighteenth century, when the South Sea gambling mania, through the public broadsheets or weekly journals, gave birth to the most extra- ordinary and unparalleled notices that have evei appeared. This impetus, like its cause, was built upon the sand, and so as quickly vanished. The permanent enlargement of the field of adver tising dates from a little later period, owing to the 28 JtLSt the Very Thing. increase of importations from our foreign posses- sions ; but the number of newspapers from this time, even up to the beginning of the present century, were comparatively few and only indulged in by the rich ; and it was not until the railway and steamboat had revolutionised our trade and commerce, and finally the newspaper stamp and advertisment tax had been abolished, that we became aware of the gigantic strides being made in press advertising and eventually of its present astounding proportions. Writing more than a century ago Dr. Johnson says, that the advertisements of his day were so "very numerous" that they arrested very little attention, and then adds, the trade of advertising was so near perfection that it was not easy to propose an improvement. Time has proved that this supposed perfection, now perhaps nearing its prime of life, was then merely in its infancy, just learning to speak, not to the whole world like its present greatness, but only to the few, for its highest achievements are surpassed by the most common-place productions of modern times. The "very numerous" announcements were doubtlessly contained in the Public Advertiser and averaged from ten to fifteen in each number. If the doctor were called upon to count the number of adver- tisements in one of our leading journals, could he Just the Very Thing. 29 even with his dictionary find words to sufficiently exclaim his astonishment ? We would give him the Daily Chronicle to make his calculations from, and should he not languish in the task through surprise, he would have a grand total of 2,330 announcements for a single day, or 729,000 for a year ! The Times would give him 1,630 counts ; the Daily Telegraph with its supplement would show him that on an average 3,485 distinct adver- tisers avail themselves of publicity through its columns each morning, and a slight additional calculation would further show him that the notices in a year's circulation amount to no less than 840,585,485. But at this stage let him pause to hear, if the surprise is still not too great, that the number of advertisements published by the Times with its extra sheet, on the 21st of June, 1861, wasno less than 4,229, and that on another occasion it contained a single advertisement which occupied two whole pages and for which ;^2 5o were paid. From these examples of the march of advertising since the days of the Idler let us take warning concerning the future, lest time prove that we, like the doctor, speculate in error. CHAPTER III. FAMILIAR NEWSPAPER PHRASES. REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.— Baron Paul Julius Reuter was born at Cassel, in Germany, in 1818. He was connected with the telegraph system from the beginning, and shortly after the opening of the line between Aix-la-Chapelle and Berlin in 1849, he established the first centre for the collection and distribution of telegraphic news in the latter city He subsequently became a naturalised British sub- ject, and on the laying of the cable between Calais and Dover, transferred his chief office to London. He then resolved to make the telegraph news the foundation of the press. The principal morning papers were in the habit of running expresses at an enormous cost. Reuter offered to supply the required information. After declining this offer twice some papers made a contract with him, others were forced to follow and now he has established a telegraphic network and a staff of agents in every part of the world. He guarantees that his political telegrams shall be given only to the press, 30 Just the Very Thing. 31 cabinet ministers and ambassadors, and never allows them on any account to be communicated before- hand to merchants and bankers for the purpose of speculation. In 1865, Reuters Agency was changed to a limited liability company, of which Renter is still the manager. Ai. LLOYD'S. — The name Lloyd's arose from the circumstance that the head- quarters of the London underwriters was originally Lloyd's Coffee House. It is now a set of rooms on the first floor of the Royal Exchange, London, frequented by merchants, shipowners and underwriters, for the purpose of obtaining shipping news, and transacting marine insurances. One large room, with small rooms attached, is set apart for the use of underwriters, and there two enormous ledgers lie continually open, the one containing a list of vessels arrived, the other recording disasters at sea. About ;^40,ooo,ooo is annually insured here. There is scarcely a port where one of Lloyd's agents is not stationed. The intelligence contained in the ledgers is diffused every afternoon through the coun- try by the publication of " Lloyd's List." Ai .— A designates the character of the hull of the ship ; the figure is the efficient state of the anchors, sails, cables, stores, &c. Surveyors appointed by the society examine all vessels in course of construction 32 Just the Very Thing. for the purpose of inscribing their description in "Lloyd's Register" where the mark Ai. is ap- pointed to each British and Foreign vessel whose build, when new, and age, if already built, entitle it to the first class rank. Other characters are used for ships below first class. "REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER."— Under the Post Office Act, 1870, any newspaper can, upon paying an annual fee of five shillings, be registered at the General Post Office to pass within the United Kingdom as a newspaper for a postage of one half-penny ; without this fee book rate is charged. HANDICAP. — A name probably given to the drawing with the hand of lots from a cap. Pepys in his "Diary" of September i8th, 1660, says : — " To the Mitre Tavern in Wood Street, a house of great note in London. Here some of us fell to handicap, a sport I never knew before, which was very good." The sport referred to was no doubt a game of cards in which the winner had to "hand i' the cap," or a pool, for the next deal. Handicap in racing is the adjudging of various weights to horses differing in age, power or speed in order to place them all, as far as possible, on an equality. fust the Very Thing. 33 ASSIZES.— From the Latin assideo, to sit to- gether, and then the old French, assise, an assembly of judges ; hence the word means a sitting of judges, and is commonly applied to the sessions or sitting of the judges of the superior courts, who are appointed to make circuits or journeys through the country to try cases. Assizes in England are held two and, in some cases three times a year, except in Middlesex. There are eight circuits annually; the Home, the Midland, the Norfolk, the Oxford, the Northern, the Western, the North Wales and the South Wales. QUARTER SESSIONS.— These are meetings of the Justices of the Peace who assemble every quarter of a year in every division of a county to try oflfenders against the peace. Judges of Quarter Sessions are unpaid, and in some cases are success- ful tradesmen, but in no case trained for the law ; hence it is found expedient in some places to have a paid barrister, called the recorder, appointed by the Home Secretary to assist them in their work. PRISONER AT THE BAR.-The bar is tha dock or enclosed space where accused persons sit or stand during trial, or the enclosed space from which lawyers address the judge or jury. In ancient times a bar separated the barristers from c 54 Just thp Very Thing. the common pleaders, and at this barrier the prisoner always stood. SUBPCENA. — From Latin poena, punishment, and suh, under. A writ ordering a person to appear in court, as a witness, under a penalty of ;^ioo. JURY. — From the Latin, jiirare, to swear. A body of men sworn to give a verdict according to the evidence. The Gra.vd Jury consists of twenty- four persons summoned by the Sheriff to attend the court to determine whether the cases of criminal accusation shall go before the petty jury. If, after examining the witnesses upon oath, they are satisfied that there are grounds for a trial, they find a " true bill " as it is called, and the trial takes place. A Petty or Common Jury consists of twelve men drawn by lot from a larger number summoned. This jury is the sole judge of the facts of the case, and its decision must be unanimous (verdict of " guilty or not guilty.") In Scotland the jury con- sists of fifteen men who decide by a majority of votes. Spf.cial Juries are chosen from a higher or more educated class, and used when the cases are of too great a nicety for the discrimination of ordinary juries. COURT OF ARCHES.— This is a Court under the authority of the Church, belonging to the yii3 a safeguard against the prolonged discussion of certain Irish members. On particular occasions the French Assembly li .s C 2 36 Jnstlhr Verv Thing. the power to prevent an individual member speak- ing beyond a stated time. SERGEANT- AT-ARMS.— This official is usually a military officer, and holds his appointment worth ;^i,20o a year, with a residence in the House of Commons, by the Queen's permission. He occu- pies a chair below the House during its sittings. He is responsible for the preserving of order in the approaches of, and rooms connected with, the House. From him the police guarding the ap- ];roaches to the lobby are provided with a list of representatives of press agencies and newspapers, as well as public officials and others who are per- mitted by the Speaker to enter the House. But his more important duties, such as, for instance, the removing of an offender against the Rules of the House, are strictly performed under the com- mands of the Speaker, on behalf of the House itself. In his duties he has the assistance of a deputy, and several officers of lesser rank, and, if necessary, a sword, which always forms a part of li's official costume. The Upper House has also a Sergeant-at-Arms in attendance. THE CHILTERN HUNDREDS.— A tract of land in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, the steward of which is nominally appointed by the Crown, with a salary of twenty shillings, and the Just the Very Thing, 37 fees of the office. In olden times it was the duty of this steward to protect the people of this district from the robbers of the Chiltern Hills. Although the need of a steward has happily disappeared, the stewardship is retained as a convenience for any Member of Parliament wishing to resign his seat. This he may not do, but by accepting a post under the Crown, he is at once disqualified to sit in the House. To apply for, and accept, the stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds, is, therefore, merely a formal way of getting rid of parliamentary fetters. The appointment is usually accepted one day and given up the next. If the stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds happens not to be vacant at a time when someone wants it, that of the Manor of East Hundred, Northstead, or Helpholme will answer the same purpose. The term " hundred " is a name given to a part of a county in England supposed to have originally contained a hundred families or freemen, or a hundred manors. THE ROYAL ASSENT.— The Royal Assent is formally given in Norman French, the clerk of the Parliament declaring it by the formula, " Le Rot le vent " — " The King so wills it." If the Royal Assent is refused, the term used is " Le Roi s'avisera " — " The King will consider the matter." The assent is usually given by letters patent. 38 Just the Very Thing. CORTES.— Pronounced, kor'teez. The Spanish for Courts, and the name given in Spain and Portugal to the legislative assembly. It consists of two parts, one chosen by the king, an J the other by the Chamber of Deputies elected by the people. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARLIAMENTARY BILLS. — The former affect the general interest of the community, and the latter relate to local matters. Public Bills are introduced directly by members, Private Bills by petition from the parties interested, but presented by members. BANKRUPT.— This word is from banco (Italian), a bank or money-changer's bench, and ruptus, broken (Latin). When a banker failed, his bench at the public bourse was broken PROBATE DIVISION.— A court of law where wills are proved, and all disputes relating to them are decided. It requires, that all wills that bequeath personal estate or property, such as furniture, money, jewels, &c., not land and houses (real estate), shall receive a legal stamp to prove their genuineness, and the right of those who carry out the requirements of the will. This act is called, " proving the will." After the Inland Revenue Duty has been paid, a copy of the will in parchment, IS given to the executors, but the original will re- Just the Very Thing, 39 mains in the safe keeping of the Court of Probate. Before the year 1867, all matters relating to bequests were under the control of the church, whose arch- bishops and bishops held Consistory Courts for will purposes. In the earliest times, the monks were the only men who could write, and, as a necessity, they were therefore resorted to when a man wanted his last wishes committed to writing ; whence, step by step, the Ecclesiastical Court obtained the authority now transferred 10 Her Majesty's Court of Probate. MORTGAGE. — The literal meaning of which is death gage or pledge, was formerly a document by which a man engaged to have his land and houses taken from him for ever, and so dead to him if the money borrowed upon this property was not repaid upon a certain day. In later times, mort- gaged property does not become dead to the owner if he is unable to pay upon the day fixed, as he has still a right to redeem it so long as he regularly pays the interest agreed upon. Should the borrower be unable to redeem his pledge or pay the interest, the lender has full power to sell the mortgaged property ; but after the settlement of the debt and the expenses incurred by the sale, the surplus, if any, must be handed over to the mortgagor. A KNOT.— A sea mile (60867 feet) nearly one- 40 Just the Very Thing. sixth longer than a land mile. In seaman's language it is the division of a log line, which is cast over the side of a ship to tell how many miles it is steaming or sailing per hour. The log line is divided into lengths (50 feet) called knots. Each length or knot is the i-i20th of a mile, as half a minute is the i-i20th of an hour. Note is taken of the number of knots run over in half a minute, and this number shows the rate per hour. For example : if the i-i20th of a mile (one length) is run out in the I-I20th of an hour (half a minute), I20-I20ths of a mile (a whole mile), will be run out in i20-i2oths of an hour (a whole hour) ; hence, if two lengths be run out in half a minute, this shows the speed of t!.e vessel to be two miles an hour, if three lengths in half a minute, three miles an hour, and so on. WHIG AND TORY.— The name whig, meaning whey or sour milk, was originally applied in scorn to the Scottish Covenanters by English Cavaliers. Another explanation derives the name from "whig, whig," — "get on, get on," the call used to their horses by the peasants in the west of Scotland. In 1648, during the civil war between the supporters of Charles I. and Cromwell, a body of these people marched to Edinburgh against the King and Duke of Hamilton ; they were called whigs and whig- gamor thieves by the King's party, a whiggamor Just the Very Thing. 4I being the peasant's word for one who drives horses. From this time the word seems to have been adopted to denote any party opposed to the Court. Tory, from "tora, tora," — "give, give," was origin- ally the name given to Irish freebooters, from the salutation with which they accosted travellers, and was first employed in the reign of Charles I., in reference to certain proceedings taken against them. It was afterwards used reproachfully against the adherents of James II. The germs of the nicknames, Whig and Tory, as used in their present sense, were planted in 1679, when a violent agitation for the assembling of Parliament was led by the Earl of Shaftesbury. On his advice, numerous petitions were sent to the King from the country, praying for the calling of Parliament. The Court party sent in counter addresses, expressing abhorrence at the interference with the royal prerogative. The two piirties were, therefore, known as the Petitioners and Abhorrers, names which were soon supplanted by Whig and Tory, and in later times, after the passing of the Reform Act in 1832, almost by Conservative and Liberal. For the sake of distinction, the Tories at first wore a red and the Whigs a violet ribband. CORONER. — From the Latin word corona, a crown. He is an officer appointed by the Crown to ascertain the cause of death of those who die 42 Just the Very Thing. suddenly. He preserves the records of the finding of the jury, and the details of evidence taken. The Lord Chief Justice is chief coroner. PARLIAMENTARY BILLS.— A proposed law when introduced into Parliament is called a " bill " or "measure." Every "bill" must be read three times. A bill in its first form is in manuscript. After it has been read for the first time, it is ordered to be printed and circulated, and a day is fixed for a second reading, after which it is handed over to a committee of the whole House. The purpose of this committee is to enter into a business-like examination of each clause, and to make amendments ; after passing through this ordeal, it is engrossed on parchment, and, in its amended form, it is " reported " to the House. It is now ready for the third reading, after which the speaker " puts the question " as to whether it sliould '• pass," and upon a " division " being called for, those who are for or against, separate into different rooms, where their votes are counted by the "tellers." They hand the number of votes upon a slip of paper to the speaker, who then declares the result of the " division." If the majority support the new "bill" it is then sent to I he Upper House to undergo a similar treatment. When the "bill" has finally passed both Houses, Just the Very Thing. 43 the " Royal Assent " is needed to make it an Act of Parliament or a law of the land. STEEPLE-CHASE. A horse race across hedges, ditches, fielJs and obstacles of any sort that happen to be in the way. The term arose through a party of unsuccessful hunters upon returning from the chase. They arranged a race to the village church the steeple of which was in sight, a distance of two miles. The winner was he who first touched the church wall with his whip. THE VATICAN is so called because it stands on the Vatican Hill. It is an enormous pile of buildings adjoining St. Peter's, Rome, comprising thousands of apartments, and a hundred and fifty staircases ; as also museums and an almost fabulous amount of art treasures in painting, sculpture and antiquities. Its exterior though not beautiful, is imposing in size, but on the interior is lavished everything that is magnificent and costly in adorn- ment — the rarest and most splendid marbles, oriental alabasters, mosaic pavements — until the spectator is bewildered by the very extent of its richness. There are beautiful private gardens in which the Pope is frequently carried in a sedan chair. JINGOES.— Those who desire to fight with a 44 Just the Very Thing, view to conquest or retributive justice or the acquisi- tion of new territory. The Weekly Dispatch says : — "The Jingoes are those who think a vast and reluctant empire can be held in subjection, by singing "Rule Britannia," and writing leading articles of a ferocious character." The term Jingo has been especially applicable to this species of individual through a boisterous war song, denunciatory of Russia, and the late Em- peror Alexander ; the following bravado occurs in the chorus : — " We don't want to fight, but by Jingo, f we do. We've got the ships, we've got the men, and got the money too." "By Jingo" is an oath ; a corruption of Gingou, i.e., St. Gingoulph. RADICALS. — From a word meaning a root. It is applied to those ultra.- liberals, who try for reform by going to the root of their political grievances, and not by adopting milder half-and-half measures. The term was first used as a party name in 1818, to Major Cartwright, Henry Hunt and others of the same party, who wished to introduce radical reform in the representative system, and not merely dis- enfranchise and enfranchise a borough or two. ORANGEMEN were previously known as the " Peep-of-Day Boys." They were called Orangemen Just the Very Thing, 45 by the Roman Catholics, because of their adhesion to the Protestant King, William III., of the House of Orange. CONSERVATIVES.— Those strongly opposed to radical reforms in the Government. The word was first used, in its present sense, by John Wilson Croker, in 1830, in the January number of the Quarterly Review : — "We have always been conscientiously attached to what is called the Tory, and which might with more propriety be called the Conservative party." LIBERALS. — Those which advocate progressive reforms, especially in the direction of conferring more power on the people. This term was first employed in a political sense upon the appearance of The Liberal, a periodical issued under the guidance of Lord Byron and his friends. FENIANS. — Fenians were so called from Finn or Fioun, the reputed leader of the ancient Irish militia, levied as early as 400 B.C. The modern appellation, Fenian, is from the Latinised form Feniiis, and was coined to designate the followers of Fenius or the Irish-American section of the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood, by the American head centre, John O'Mahony, a man who gave much time to the study of the historical tradi- 46 Just the Very Thing. tions of Ireland. Fenianism, greatly promoted by adventurers from the United States, has for its object, not merely the repeal of the Union, but the establishment of a republic in Ireland. BLACK CAP.— The judge puts on his black cap (now a three-cornered piece of black S'lk), when he condemns to death, as a part of his official dress and to give effect to the solemnity of his sentence. The judges wear their black caps on the 9th of November, when the Lord Mayor is presented in the Court of Exchequer. Covering the head is not now, although it used to be, a sign of mourning. "The Ancient English," says Fosbroke, "drewtheir hoods forward over their heads at funerals." A similar custom prevailed among the Israelites, Greeks and Romans. WOOLSACK. — It is a large square bag of wool, and covered with red cloth. An Act of Parliament was passed, in the reign of Elizabeth, to prohibit the exportation of wool, and woolsacks were after- wards placed in the House of Lords for the judges to sit upon, so that they should keep in mind this source of national wealth. Hence, the Lord Chancellor, who presides in the House of Lords, is said to " take his seat on the woolsack." BOARD OF TRADE.— A Board of Directors. So called from the custom, still in existence at the Just the Very Thing. 47 universities, of writing the members' names on a board. Hence, to be a member is to have one's name on the board. The Board of Trade is at No. 7, Whitehall Gardens. Its duties are performed in five distinct departments : — 1. The Railway Department. 2. The Harbour Department. 3. The Marine Department. 4. The Commercial and Statistical Department . 5. The Finance Department. The control of the Railway Systems, Joint Stock (Companies, Copyright, Art Unions, Tramway Com- panies, and Metropolitan Gas and Water Com- panies, is included in the duties of the so-called Railway Department. BUDGET.— The statement, which the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer lays before the House of Commons every session, showing the condition of tiie national income and expenditure, salaries and taxation. The word is from the old French bnuquette, a bag, and arose from the custom of bringing to the House the papers relating to these matters in a leather bag. Hence, " to open the BuJget," in other words, take the papers from the bag and submit them to the inspection of the House. 48 y^ust the Very Thing, STANDING ORDERS.— The bye-laws made by either House of Parliament, determining the manner in which their proceedings shall be con- ducted. They are sometimes suspended when it is desired to bring through a bill with unusual expedition. WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE— Votes. The word meant at first the hough or pastern of a horse, so called because it bends iinder (suf) and not over like the knee joint. This joint is brought into play when a horse wants to rise on his legs, and, when standing, it supports him. Figuratively, voters are the pastern joints of a candidate for election, because they support him. CAUCUS. — A word first used in America for a number ot men who met to agree upon what members they intended to support in an election. The word arose from the caulkers of Boston, who, just before the revolution, had a dispute with the British soldiers ; a fight ensued and several citizens were killed. Meetings were afterwards held at the caulkers' house or calk-house, to concert measures for the redress of the grievances which had given rise to the dispute. "The caucus meant that the people confided the management of their affairs to certain elected persons in whom they had confidence, but ^ust the Very Thing, 49 the Radicals pushed things to the extreme, and the caucus was now used for ends that were dangerous to political life. The B caucus (a committee of electors) had attempted to dictate tyrannically the policy which should be pursued in political questions by our public men." — Lord R. Churchill, in the Echo. NIHILISTS aim at the destruction of the present mode of Russian government and claim that the people should be heard in the government of the country. The name was invented by the Russian novelist Tourgenief, who died in 1 883. THE WHITE HOUSE.— When the British went to Washington in 18 14, they destroyed the public buildings, including the President's mansion, which, like the Capitol, was built of greyish lime- stone. The burning of the wood smoked and dis- coloured the stone walls, the natural appearance of which could not be replaced. After a uniform application of white paint, the changed appearance gave it the appellation of " The White House," which it has since retained. ORDER !— When a Member of Parliament calls out " order " in a debate, he means that the person speaking is breaking the rules of the House. PROGRESS WAS REPORTED.— This means D 5© J^Lst the Very Thing, in parliamentary language, that the business of a " Bill " was concluded for the night, and the con- sideration of its subsequent items were deferred till the day fixed by the Chief Minister of the Crown. TO MOVE FOR THE ORDER OF THE DAY. — A method of putting aside a disagreeable question. If the motion is carried the "Orders" must be read and proceeded with in regular course ; but this routine may be set aside by a motion to adjourn. TO MOVE THE PREVIOUS QUESTION.— Means to put to the vote a question raised by an opponent of a measure, previous to taking votes for or against the question itself; for example, A moves that sparrows should be exterminated for eating the farmers' seed ; B moves that the farmers be consulted first ; A then more strongly urges the suppression of the sparrow nuisance, and B moves the previous question — that is, to take the farmers' opinion first. By this means a troublesome motion is often easily disposed of for a time. HIGH SEAS. — The sea three miles out belongs to the adjacent coast. The sea beyond this is called the " high seas," because, like the highways, it is for the use of all, and is, therefore, the pro- ^iorty of no particular country. Just the Very Thing. 51 WHIPS (Parliamentary).— Those who hunt up, as it were, the Members of the House of Commons on special votes by forwarding whips or printed circulars requesting their special attendance in the evening. The whip's degree of urgency is signified by the number of times (ranging from one to five) the lines of the circular are underlined. The Liberal and Conservative parties have each two responsible whips and a couple of assistants, besides a staff of messengers who are inconstant readiness for any hurried errand that these gentlemen may require of them. YOUR WORSHIP.— Worship means the state or condition of -worth ; hence the term " your worship," instead of "your worthyship." When an Irishman addresses his superior as "your honour," he uses the modern word derived from the Latin for " your worship." " With my body I thee worship (honour)." — Common Prayey Book. SCOTLAND YARD.— The head quarters of the metropolitan police, so called through a palace having once stood here for the accommodation of the Scotch kings when visiting London. The first Scotch King to occupy this palace is said to have been Kenneth, who came to England to profess -submission to Edgar. D 2 52 Just the Very Thing. %. — One writer says this American dollar mark came from the letters U.S. ; which, after the adop- tion of the Federal Constitution, were prefixed to the Federal currency, and which, afterwards, in the hurry of writing were run into one another, the U being made first and the S over it. The more pro- bable explanation is, that it is a modification of the figures 88, formerly used to denote a piece of 8 reals, or, as a dollar was then called, " a piece of eight." The American dollar is worth 4s. in English money, but varies from day to day accord- ing to the rate of exchange. LOCAL OPTION.— Before the Government can take action in any proposed legislative act, local option is sometimes first required, that is, the con- sent of the community or a part of it to the action of the Government. TRINITY HOUSE.— An institution in London, founded at Deptford, in 15 18, by Sir Thomas Spert, knight, for the promotion of commerce and navi- gation. Its special functions are to erect light- houses and sea marks, appoint pilots for the Thames, settle the rates of pilotage, hear and determine the complaints of officers and men in the mercantile service, and to manage all business connected with the Thames. Trinity House is oflBcially called the "Corporation of the Elder ^st the Very Thing, 53 Brethren of the Holy and Undivided Trinity," and the earliest official document relating to it, now extant, is the charter of incorporation received from Henry VIII. RIGHT HONOURABLE.— This title is always applied to a lord. Members of the Cabinet Council are all called " right honourable," because, whether peers or civilians, the title is " Lords of Her Ma- jesty's Privy Council." LEADING ARTICLE.— An expression peculiar to the English press ; Americans call all such writings " editorials." It has been suggested that it grew out of the printers' term leaded, applied to matter that is made to show a white space between the lines by placing thin strips of metal between the lines of type ; but the truth is, that being con- sidered the most important matter, it is placed before the other reading, and so becomes the '• leader." The first leading article was printed in the Cambridge Journal, during the French Re- volution. COUNT OUT.— In the House of Commons, the act of the speaker when he counts the number of members present, and finding there are less than forty (a quorum), he intimates that the sitting is adjourned 54 Jnst the Very Thing. LEVEE.— This term is chiefly applied to the public occasions on which the Sovereign receives visits from such persons as are entitled to the honour. It differs from a DRAWING ROOM, by having the attendance of gentlemen only (with the exception of the chief ladies of the Court) while both ladies and gentle- men are admitted to the latter. FREEDOM OF THE CITY.— Besides confer- ring the parliamentary franchise, the Freedom of the City entitles it, under a charter from the Crown, to exemption to county jurisdiction, and to the privilege of corporate taxation, and self-govern- ment. " If you deny it let the danger light, Upon your charter and your city's freedom." Merchant of Venice. IV. i. The presentation of the city's freedom is con- sidered a gift of honour. A person not holding this freedom and wishing to hold premises or carry on business within the city or its liberties would have to pay about £2^. i8s. 4d. to do so, and that, ftlus the honour, and the value of the gold box in which the record of the freedom is usually pre- sented, may be said to be its worth to the recipient. SHERIFF. — An officer in each county to whom is entrusted the execution of the laws. Literally Jusf thr Vrrv Thirty, 55 the word means a keeper of the shire, and was anciently spelt "shereve," — Ycve means a keeper or guardian, and shire a share or division. Com- pare, ploughshare. The Sheriffs are nominated, three for each county, by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Chancellor, several judges and others assembled in the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice. The three names are engrossed upon parchment and then submitted to the notice of Her Majesty, who then, with a golden bodkin, pricks a hole in the parchment against one name for each county. Exceptions : in London, Cornwall, and Lancaster, the Sheriffs are chosen by the Aldermen, Duke of Cornwall (Prince of Wales), and the Duchess of Lancaster (the Queen), respectively. VOTING BY BALLOT.— The voter receives from the polling clerk a list of all the candidates, names printed in alphabetical order. He makes a cross (X) opposite the name or names for whom he votes, folds up his paper, and drops it himself, through a slit, into the ballot box. It is impos^iible, therefore, to know for whom any man voted. The first election by ballot took place at Ponte- fract, when Mr. H. E. Childers was re-elected, 15th August, 1872. Shells and different coloured balls were used in a c6 Just the Very Thing, similar way by tlie Greeks and Romans as a means of secret voting ; hence the name " ballot," from a Roman word through the French ballote, meaning a little ball. TONNAGE In regard to ships is the measure of capacity, the ton being not one of weight but of content — i.e., loo cubic feet. Harbour dues and other tolls are calculated upon the vessel's tonnage. HOME RULE. — A separate parliament for Ireland, to be supreme on all purely Irish affairs, but with no power over Imperial affairs. PFNAL SERVITUDE.— Penal is from the Latin v-'ord poena, meaning pain or punishment. Fenal servitude is used to imply that the offender will not be put to picking oakum, or on the treadmill, but to downright painful work, such as the making of breakwaters, docks, digging hard land, &c. BLACK ROD.— The Black Rod attends the House of Lords, and acts as their messenger to the House of Commons, by summoning its mem- bers to attend the House of Lords for the purpose of hearing the Queen's Assent given by commission to any measure approved by both Houses, After bowing three times, he announces at the table his message, and then retires, followed by the Speaker and such members who are inclined to answer the summons. The black rod which he carries has a Just the Very Thing, 57 golden lion on the top, and serves the same purpose as the mace in the House of Commons. CANVASSER. — A canvas was a kind of coarse unbleached linen cloth, used in olden times for sifting ; hence an election canvasser is one who sifts, that is, solicits votes. PASHA (pra pa shaw'). — An honorary title conferred in Turkey, upon military commanders, and the governors of provinces. There are three grades, each distinguished by a number of horse tails on a standard waving from a lance, which, in war time, is planted in front of the tent. Three tails is the badge of the highest grade or the viziers. Pashas of two tails are the Governors of the most important provinces, and the pashas of one tail are the governors of minor provinces. THE GRAND VIZIER is the chief minister of the Turkish empire. SCOTCH CROFTERS.— In the Highlands and islands of Scotland, the labourers and holders of small portions of land called crofts. ALDERMAN. — The true meaning of Alderman is, " of all the men the chief" he being the next in rank below the mayor, and, therefore, first in the council of the mayor. Compare Alderburgh, the chief town ; Aldermary, a church to St. Maiy, 58 Just the Very Thing, the chief of all women ; and Aldersgate, the chief gate. Besides acting as magistrates, the mayor and aldermen represent the citizens. There are twenty-five Aldermen for London, and they form what may be called the Upper House m the Common Council, Guildhall, where acts and ordinances are passed for the government of the city. The districts that they have been elected to take charge of are called Wards. HIGH BAILIFF.— Bailiffs are officers appointed to make arrests, collect fines, summon juries, &c., and by so doing execute the directions of the sheriffs; but, when acting in certain districts where there is no sheriff, they are then chief bailiffs or high bailiffs. The executive officer of a county court is a high bailiff. At first the sheriffs were the king's bailiffs, and as such, the chief magistrate of London was called bailiff, a title afterwards changed by Richard I. to Mayor. FREEHOLD.— A leasehold estate is of a much less value than a freehold estate, for a lease must, some time or other, come to an end, whereas a freehold estate is held by a man and his heirs for ever. Freehold means free from duties or service to all but the King, by whom it was originally granted to those who had assisted him in conquer- mg the country. jttst the Very Thing, 59 COPYHOLD.— Land held by copy of court rolls, that is for a term nominally at the lord of the manor's will, but really, by custom or upon per- forming certain customs connected with the manor. The terms of the tenure were copied into the court rolls or document kept in the manor for this purpose. Copyholders were anciently nothing more than villeins, who by gradual encroachment, at last acquired a customary right to their estates previously held in servility, and absolutely at the will of the lord of the manor. No copyhold can now be created, for it is requisite to the tenure that it have been held from the time of Richard IL POET LAUREATE.— So called from an olden custom, in our universities, of presenting a laurel wreath to graduates in poetry and rhetoric. The last instance of a laureate degree at Oxford, occurred in 15 12. His duty now is to compose poems upon any subject for the Sovereign. The first title of poet laureate bestowed upon the Kind's poet occurs in the reign of Edward IV. Ben Jonson was court poet to James L, but had no special title. Dryden was made poet laureate by Charles II. Nahum, Tate, Rowe, Ensden, Cibber, Whitehead, T. Warton, Pye, Southey, Wordsworth, and Tennyson, have been Dryden's successors. 60 Just ihr Very Thing, LETTERS PATENT.— So called because they are written upon open sheets of parchment with the seal of the Sovereign or party by whom they are issued, pendent at the bottom. PORTE. — The government of the Turkish em- pire, officially denominated the Sublime Porte, from the gate (French ^ort^ of the Sultan's palace, where justice used to be dispensed. Important business is still transacted in the gateway of some Eastern towns and palaces, MAYOR. — The chief magistrate of a town in England or Ireland. In Scotland he is called the Provost. Lord Mayor is the title of the mayors of London, York and Dublin, and Lord Provost, the title of the provosts of Glasgow and Edinburgh . Mayor anciently written " meyer," is derived from the old verb mayty to be able, and signifies the man of power and authority in the City. The title Lord, and hence "right honourable" was first allowed to the mayor of London, by Edward II., in 1354. SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE.— In 1873, the eight then existing courts, were united to form the Supreme Court of Judicature of England, consisting of two divisions — one called "Her Majesty's High Court of Justice," and the Just the Very Thing. 6l ather, "Her Majesty's High Court of Appeal." Her Majesty's High Court of Justice consists of " divisions " corresponding to the old separate courts, thus — " Chancery Division," " Queen's Bench Division," &c. FREE TRADE.— The earliest mention of " Free Trade " known was in a small book, entitled " Free Trade or the Means to make Free Trade Flourish," which was "Printed by John Leggatt for Simon Waterson at the Signe of the Crowne in Paules Church Yard, 1622." Free Trade means the removal of import duties on foreign commerce. Richard Cobden, the apostle of Free Trade, assisted by John Bright, taught that these duties prevented foreign produce from being sold cheaply, and thus enabled the merchants at home to charge a high price for goods. The Free Trade agitation arose out of the Anti-Corn Law League, formed in Manchester in 1838. FOURTH ESTATE.— The Free Press of England having grown so powerful is often spoken of as the "Fourth Estate" of the realm. A passage in Carlyle's fifth lecture on " Heroes, Hero Worship and the Heroic in History, 1841," makes Burke the author of the expression : — " Burke said there were three estates in Parlia- 62 Just the Very Thing. ment, but in the reporters' gallery yonder there sat a fourth estate more important than they all." THE PREMIER.— From Latin pYlmo, first ; ot the first rank. By law there is no such thing as Premiership (or Cabinet). The Privy Council is the legal body, and its natural Premier is the Presi- dent, but by custom the First Lord of the Treasury has become identified as the chief member of the Government. Robert Walpole was the first to be called Prime Minister, but in a reproachful sense. Just before his resignation on the nth of February, 1742, after twenty years tenure of office, he remarked : — " Having mvested me with a kind of mock dignity, and styled me a prime minister, they impute to me an unpardonable abuse of that chimerical authority which they only, created and confirmed." COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY.— Its duties relate to the expenditure of the nation. COMMITTEE OF WAYS AND MEANS.— Its duties relate to the funds by which such expenditure is to be sustained. SELECT COMMITTEE never consists of more than fifteen, and their business is to prosecute enquiries on some special subject. Just the Very Thing, 63 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE HOUSE.— A committee of all the members, with the Chair- man of Ways and Means as president, the business of which is conducted with fewer restrictions than when the House is not in committee. Both the Committee of Ways and Means and of Supply are of the whole House. In order to signify that the House of Commons is in committee the mace is placed under the table ; moreover, the Speaker in Commons and Chancellor in Lords leave the chair which is then occupied by another official. CHANCELLOR OF EXCHEQUER.— In the reign of Henry I. the clerks of the Royal Chapel were formed into a body of secretaries and royal ministers, whose head bore the title of Chancellor. The financial part of its work lay in the assessment and collection of the revenue. In this capacity it took the name of the Court of Exchequer, from the chequered table, much like a chessboard, at which it sat, and on which accounts were rendered. A chequered cloth remains upon the table in the Court of Exchequer Room to the present time. Loca. disputes respecting payments to the Crown were settled by a body of barons from this Court who made the circuit of the shires and whose visitations afterwards gave rise to the "Judges' Circuits." The rinancial business of this aacient Court is b4 _7wj/ the Very Thing, now transacted by the Bank of England, but comes under the cognisance and responsibility of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is the Under Treasurer of the Exchequer, the Head Treasurer- ship being held not by an individual, but by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. DECREE NISI. — Nisi means unless, and "decree nisi" that the marriage will be dissolved unless cause is shewn to the contrary, such cause has to be shewn within six months, failing which, at the expiration of that time the decree is made absolute. ACT 6 AND 7, WILL. IV., CAP. 68, S. 3, means an Act passed in the sixth and seventh year of the reign of King William IV., chapter 68, section 3. Sometimes cap. and sec. are omitted, thus : Act 6, Geo. IV., 26, 17. "Cap." is from the Latin, caput, a head. LIMITED COMPANY.— If an unlimited com- pany contract debts, no matter how large, any one member is liable if the other shareholders can prove their inability to pay their proportions. Now, on the other hand, if the company is " limited," though it contracts debts, no matter how large, no member can be made to repay more than he invested. & CO. — The first character is made by combining the two letters of the Latin word et, and. The Just the Very Tiling. 6^ pre^^ent form is a corruption of & (ET), the oldei^ style in which the combination is more plainly seen. A company (Co.) meant, at first, a number of persons who met together to eat bread— /jan/s (L. bread). RE. — A Latin word meanmg " in the matter of." SENATE. — Latin, Senatiis, an assembly of elders. The Senate of the United States consists of two delegates, nominated by the House of Representa- tives for each State. The French Senate is com- posed of 300 members ; 225 elected bv the depart- ments and colonies, and 75 by the National Assembly. CONGRESS.— In the United States, is a collective name for the Senate and the House of Represen- tatives. BOURSE.— The Exchange. The term Bourse takes its origin from Mr. Vander Burse, whose house at Bruges was near the place where the merchants assembled for the transaction of business. The Petite Bourse is so called, in contradistinction to the chief Bourse, and means the smaller Bourse. The transactions of the Petite Bourse take place in the open air, between groups of men who meet on the Boulevard des Italians. RENTE.— A public fund orstock bearing interest. 66 . Just the Very Thing. The word rente is the French equivalent for rent, revenue, funds. UKASE. — A Russian edict or order emanating from the Government. Ukases have the force of laws, until they are annulled by subsequent deci- sions. A collection of the ukases issued at different periods, made by order of the Emperor Nicholas in 1827, and supplemented since year by year, constitutes the legal code of the Russian Empire. THE OPPOSITION.— The party in either House 'f Parliament opposed to the administration (party .n power) for the time being, and who would probably come into power on its displacement. The name "Opposition," is not generally applied to a party merely because opposed to the existing administration, if there is no likelihood of their succeeding to power on a change of Government. MINISTERIALISTS.— Those who support the Ministry, a body of gentleman selected by the Prime Minister to govern the affairs of the country' during his term of office. THE LEFT.— On the continent, that section of a legislative assembly that sits on the left side of the President. It is usually the advanced democratic or liberal party. Just the Very Thing. 67 OFFICIAL RECEIVER.— A person appointed in suits concerning the estates of infants, against executors, and between partners in some business for the purpose of winding up the concern. PAPAL NUNCIO.— The Pope's ambassador to an Emperor or King. An Internuncio supplies the place of a Nuncio to small states and republics during the Nuncio's absence from Court, or when the oflSce of Nuncio is vacant. RED-TAPISM. — A sarcastic word, meaning the practices of those who try to govern or conduct official affairs by excessive regard to mere forms, without regard to circumstances. Charles Dickens was the first to popularise this meaning in the following sentence from " Little Dorrit " : — " — of tape, it (the circumlocution office) has used enough to stretch in graceful festoons from Hyde Park Cornei to the General Post Office." CHAUVINISM.— This word originally meant, a blind idolatry of Napoleon the Great, and became popularised from the name of Chauvin, who was the principal character in a French Comedy, which was played with great success at the time of the Restor- ation. Since then the term Chauvinism has been applied to a man who has extravagant and narrow- minded opinions of patriotism, and a corresponding enmity towards foreign nations. E 2 68 Ju^f flif Very Thing. CROSS BENCHES. — In Parliamentary language a phrase denoting the seats placed across the House of Lords between the table and the bar, the other benches being arranged down the side. The Cross Benches are occupied by those peers considered politically neutral. Practically, the bishops sit together on the right of the throne, the Members of the Administration on the front bench on the right hand of the Woolsack, adjoining the bishops, and the Peers who usually vote with them, occupy the other benches on that side The Peers in opposition are arranged on the other side. TREASURY BENCH.— The front Bench or row of seats on right hand of the Speaker in the House of Commons, so called because occupied by the First Lord of the Treasury (when a commoner), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and other members of the Ministry. RULE WAS GRANTED.— This, from "Law Intelligence," means that the persons interested are not satisfied with the decision of the Court, and consequently are given leave to refer it to a higher court. ROUND ROBIN.— A petition, memorial, or lemonstrance signed with names in a circular form, so that no name may head the list. The invention ^ust the Very Thing. 69 is French, and the name is a corruption of rondi (round) and ruban (a ribbon). WRIT OF ATTACHMEXT.— A writ directing a person, or estate of a person, to be taken to secure his appearance before a court. WRIT OF CERTIORARI.— (pro. ser teora re) A writ issuing out of Chancery, or other superior court, to call up the records of an inferior court, or remove a cause there pending. FOURTH PARTY.— The Fourth Party was a little knot of Conservative members who took up an independent attitude on many questions. The name was given to distinguish the fraction from the other three parties in the House — the Conser- vatives, the Liberal.s, and the Parnclbtes. Lord R. Churchill, Sir Henry WoUT, Mr. Balfour and Mr. Gorst were the most prominent members of the Fourth Party, Other politicians of mark, how- ever, sometimes joined it. PRIVY COUNCIL.— A Council which may consist of an unlimited number of members — now, 185 — chosen by the sovereign for the admin- istration of public affairs. The meetings of the Council are usually held at intervals of three or four weeks at Her Majesty's residence, and the atieiida,uce of six members to:rethrr w!tli one of 70 Just the Very Thing, the ckrk.s of the Council is necessary to form a Council. Much of the business of the Privy Council is performed by sub-divisions or Boards* as the Committee of Council on Education, Board of Trade, Board of Quarantine, &c. THE CABINET.— A private committee of the Ministry. About the year 1698, it was proposed to entrust the government to a committee chosen by the King out of the Privy Council, as this body was too numerous and scattered for the systematic transaction of business. This committee was the origin of party government being of that party which had the majority in the House of Commons, and was called the Cabinet because it conferred apart from the Privy Council, with the King in a Cabinet or private room. It is now no longer selected from the Privy Council, but from Parlia- ment, and the members become Privy Councillors afterwards. The offices with which a seat in the Cabinet is now by usage associated are those of First Lord of the Treasury, as Prime Minister; the Lord Chancellor, the Lord President of the Council, the Lord Privy Seal, the five Secretaries of State — for Home, Foreign, Colonial, War, and Indian Department; the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the First Lord of the Ad- miralfv. Offices which usually or occasionally. Just the Very Thing, 71 but not invariably, are filled by Cabinet Ministers, are those of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lan- caster, the Postmaster-General, the President of the Board of Trade, the First Commissioner of Works, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, the Presi- dent of the Local Government Board, and the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education. In the case of Lord Spencer, as m that of Lord Sunderland, in the time of Queen Anne, the Lord-Lieutenancy of Ireland is associated with a seat in the Cabinet. In recent times the Cabinet has seldom consisted of fewer than thirteen mem- bers, though in the earlier part of Lord Beacons- field's second administration it had only twelve. Under Mr. Gladstone, lately, it had the large and inconvenient number of sixteen. CIVIL LIST. — An annual sum of money grantee for life to meet the expenses of the Royal house- hold and to support the dignity of the Crown, and for which the Sovereign exchanges the claim to the hereditary revenue of the Crown. SLAVOPHILE OR PANSLAVIST.-One who upholds the scheme for the amalgamation of all the Slavic races into one confederacy, having a common language, literature, and government. The Slavie settlements occupy nearly the whole o^ Eastern 7a Just the Very Thin^ . Europe, but especially Russia, Poland, Servia, Bulgaria and Bohemia. The prefix '' pan " means, "to unite. BOURBONS.— The Bourbons were a French family who came to possess sev^eral European thrones. Henry IV. of France was the first Bourbon King in that country — 1589. Charles X. (deposed 1830) was the last Bourbon who reigne.i m France. The name is derived from the castle and seigniory of Bourbon, in the old province of Bourbonnais. RECORDER. — The principal judicial officer ot great corporations. JefTry de Norton, alderman , was the first Recorder of London, 1298 ; his salary was ;^io, but the present holder of this office re- ceives ^3,000. CZAR. — A title of the Emperor ot Russia, pro- bably derived from Cassar, and said to have been assumed by Ivan Basilowitz after defeating the Tartars about 1482. The empress is the CZARINA, and the eldest son the CZAREWITCH. CUMULATIVE VOTE.— The system by which each voter his is many votes as there are candi- dates to be '-Ircted, and by which he can give them all to one, or distribute them as he pleases. Yustthe Very Thing. 73 PROTECTIONISTS.— Those who urge the im- position of import duties to protect home manu- factures and produce. The name is said to have been adopted from a " Society for the Protection of Agriculture," which had been established to counter- act the efforts of the Anti-Corn-Law League in 1844. ANNUAL MINISTERIAL DINNER.— The whitebait dinner, that announces the near close of the Parliamentary Session. The first whitebait dinner was given by Sir Robert Preston, M.P. for Dover, at his fishing seat on the banks of the Dagenham Lake, to his friend George Rose (secre- tary of the Treasury), and an elder brother of the Trinity House. On a subsequent occasion Rose suggested that Pitt should join them ; he accepted the invitation, and became, with several others, a regular visitor. As the number of members in- creased each year, Greenwich, being nearer town, was chosen as the more convenient place for meeting. The members no longer meet at the invitation of one other member, but each has to pay his share of expenses. The feast is now a permanent custom, and is held, unless circumstances interfere, on Trinity Monday. PAIR OFF. — Two Members of Parliament are 74 Just the Very Tiling. said to pair off, when, being oi opposite parties, they agree to absent themselves when a vote is taken, so that one shall neutralise the vote of the other. This practice is said to have commenced in the time of Cromwell. BLUE, YELLOW, AND WHITE BOOKS.— The terms given to the official statements of the English, French, and German Governments respect- ively, and are so called from the colour of their paper covers. The same class of book in S[v..n is red, in Italy, green. ULTRAMONTANE PARTY. — Ultramontane (beyond the Alps) means Italy or the Papal States. The Ultramontane Party, when spoken of on the northern side of the Alps, means those who hold extreme views of the Pope's rights and supremacy. OPPORTUNISTS.— In French politics, those who seize opportunities which may be of advantage to their party, even at the sacrifice of their avowed principles. Among the Opportunists, Gambetta was prominent, 1876-82. LEGITIMISTS.— In France, these were the ad- herents of the elder branch of the Bourbon faniii}', which was driven from the throne in 1830 ; but since the death, in 1883, of the Comte de Chambord Just the Very Thing, 75 (heir to the throne of France), the title has been taken by the partisans of the Orleans branch, the younger direct heirs to the French throne. GRAND OLD MAN.— Mr. Bradlaugh, although claiming no originality for this phrase, was the cause of its popularity, through introducing it, in reference to Mr. Gladstone, in a speech at Northampton. EIGHTY CLUB.— The "Eighty Club" was formed in the year "'80," shortly before the general election, with the object of promoting political education, and stimulating Liberal organisation by supplying Liberal meetings both in London and country with the assistance of sp>3akers and lecturers. BULLION. — A commercial term for pure gold and silver imported in the rude state, either as dust or in the form of bars. The word at first meant the mint, where holla^ little round coins were made. STERLING.— This is a term by which the currrent and standard money of Great Britain is sometimes designated, meaning pure or genuine. In the time ot Henry III., English money was called Moneta Esterlingorum, that is, the money of the Easterlings or people of the East (of Germany), 76 Jiist the Very Thing, some of whom were employed in refining the silver of which it was made. In course of time the " E' of the original word was omitted, and the present form "sterling," left. THE SPEAKER.— lie is elec ed by the Com- mons as their Chairman. It is his duty to preserve order and regulate debates. Besides certain fees, he receives a salary of ;^6,ooo per annum, exclusive of a furnished residence ; and upon his retirement is usually created a peer, with a yearly pension of ^4,000. The Speaker may only vote on an emer- gency, as when the votes are equally divided. When entering the House he is followed by his train bearers, secretary, chaplain, and several leading members of the House, and is escorted to his chair by the Sergeant-at-Arms, who shoulders the emblem of authority — the golden mace — and places it upon the table as soon as the Speaker's chair is occupied. He is called the Speaker because he is their spokes- man when addressing the Sovereign. The Lord Chancellor is Speaker in the House oi Lords, and can speak and vote on any question. LIBERAL HUNDRED (or other number).— A hundred Liberal electors chosen by the Liberals of any constituency to recommend candidates for Parliament. &c. See "Caucus." yttsit the Vrrx Tiling. 7-7 MAIDEN ASSIZE.— An assize in which there are no prisoners to be tried. From ancient times it has been the custom at such an assize for the High Sheriff to present the judge with a pair of white gloves, and for the clerk of the assize and judge's officers to have glove money (5 guineas), given to them. As no judge is allowed to wear gloves in court, the custom signifies that he may leave the bench and wear the gloves outside. A white colour is chosen to denote purity, free from crime. The fee for glove money was abolished by the Statute of 15 and 16 Vic. CHAPTER IV. NEWSPAPER JOTTINGS. BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS' COLUMN. — This narrow space or the Cradle, Altar and Tomb Column of some American papers, is estimated to bring into the Times a yearly income of ^8,070 ; to the Daily Telegraph, ^5,940 ; to the Morning Post, ^5,600 ; to the Daily Neu's, ^4,350 ; to the Daily Chronicle, £3,2Ss ; and to the Pall Mall Gazette, ^940. VALUE OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN DAILY TELEGRAPH. — 7s. 6d. was the exact amount received from advertisements in {he Daily Telegraph the first day the paper became the property o! its present owner, Mr. Levy. The sum received now per day is considerably over ;^50o. NEWS EXTRAORDINARY.— If every news column of each paper in one morn'ng's circulation of Daily Telegraph were cut out and tacked together end to end, they would make a column of printing Just the Very Thing. 79 6,090 miles long, or a column of paper 3,045 miles long, a distance greater than the journey from England to New Vork or more than twelve times the length of the Thames, which is 250 miles long. This calculation does not include the column of printed matter 3,045 miles long, which is occasionally supplied to the public gratis. The quantity of paper in one week's issue of Daily Telegraph is sufTicient to make a carpet large enough to cover the whole of Hyde Park and Battersea Park, to- gether with a roadway around them of 56I acres ; with the addition of the Standard, this paper carpet in one year would afford very com.fortable standing room for all the people of the world, reckoning the population at 1,450,000,000. FIRST PAPER PRINTED BY STEAM.— The Times of the 28th November, 18 14, was the first newspaper printed by steam power. THE TIMES AND PRINCE OF WALES- MARRIAGE. —On the marriage of 'he Prince of Wales with the Princess Alexandra, iJO,ooo copies of the London Times were sold at 4|d. each, or for ^2,062. los. GEORGE III. AND THE NORTH BRITON. — The North Briton mentioned in Chapter I. was published by J. Wilkes. So ungrateful was the 80 J'list the Very Thivs^. sound of " Wilkes and No. 45 " to George III. that, about 1772, George IV., then a mere boy, having een chid for some fauh, and wishing to take his .oyish revenge stole to the King's apartment, and shouting at the door " Wildes and No. 45 for ever," ran off. FIRST IRISH NEWSPAPER.— The first paper published in Ireland was called the Warranted Tidings from Ireland, and appeared during the rebellion of 1641. A GOLDEN NEWSPAPER.— Coronation copies of the Sun newspaper were printed in gold and contained reports of the ceremonies observed on the occasion of Her Majesty's Coronation. CURIOUS ADVERTISEMENT OF A CON- CERT. — From London Gazette, December 30th, 1672 :— "These are to give notice that at Mr. J. Bannister's house (now called the musick school) over against the George Tavern in White Fryers, this present Monday will be musick performed by excellent masters, beginning precisely at 4 of the clock in the afternoon, and every after- noon for the future precisely at the same hour," FIRST SUNDAY NEWSPAPER.— 7c>A;i5c;;j'5 Sunday Monitor, 1778. Just ihe Very Thing, 81 EDITOR'S BOX.— A retired, but eccentric, stockbroker, named Samuel Crisp invented the " Editor's Box." He is also credited with having been the cause of the introduction of milestonos around London. No better proof of his eccentricity can be given than by stating that he rode daily for fourteen years by the stage coach to Greenwich, and returned immediately, for which he paid £•i^ 2l year. ORIGIN OF THE WORD NEWS.—" News " first came into use in this country early in the sixteenth century. The nearest approach to it is found in a line from Chaucer : — " For which I come to tell neue tidings." The transition is neue — newes — news. The word is not derived, as some suppose, from the four letters N E w expressive of the four cardinal points, and denoting that the intelligence came from all quarters, for in all old papers the word is invariably spelt newes. COSTLY MESSAGES.— The Eastern Telegraph Company exacts a fee of is. yd. for every word transmitted from Egypt. A London newspaper recently paid to them ;^88o for one week's tele- grams. At the last half-yearly meeting of the F S2 fust the Very Thing, Company, the chairman, Mr. Pender, made the following statement : — "We have received on more occasions than one, telegrams from the seat of war (Soudan) which have cost the papers ^300 to ;^500." In the days when the electric telegraph was but a dream of science, ^500 was once paid by the Times for a single copy of the New York Herald containing the President's message to Congress, in order to print the message exclusively on the follow- ing morning. But even these figures lose their significance beside the statement in Good Words, of Mr. H. Johnston, who says that a London paper recently paid ,-^i,6co for a single telegram ; and yet we get it for " only a penny." HALF-PENNY NEWSPAPERS.— Halfpenny newspapers are generally supposed to be an inven- tion of the Nineteenth Century, but such it appears is not the case, for in the year 1494, during the ex- pedition of Charles VIIL into the Kingdom of Naples, a halfpenny paper was sold in the streets of Paris under the title of Bulletin de la Grande A rm'ee d' Italic. Specimens of this journal were discovered about thirty years ago in the public library of Nantes, and published by M. de la Pilorgerie. AN ADVERTISEMENT 234 YEARS AGO.— As there was no room elsewhere, the subjoined was printed nlorifj th<» m 'rnr'n in lines running from the Just the Very Thing, 83 bottom to top of the page. The remaining few words are omitted as the original in the " Several Proceedings of Parliament," June 2, 1650, could not be further deciphered. " It is desired that some one will tell the where- abouts of one John Thacker who has been mis- sing from about the city of London ever since Thursday sevennight last and supposed some misfortune may befall him. He is a low man strong set of a brown complexion ; with pale yellowish thin aire, grey eyed his hand a little freckled, in greyish apparrell, having about him several weighty accompts of cattle sold and should have a good quantity of gold and silver about him." ;^5oo FINE FOR SELLING A NEWSPAPER. - — In Pitt's day, during the war with France, it was penal to the extent of ^500 to part with an English 'newspaper to a Frenchman. CHARLES DICKENS' SALARY as editor of the Daily News was ;^2,ooo per annum. TRADE NEWSPAPERS.— The first known trade journal was published in 1648 ; it was a book- binders' paper, and was called the Mcvcuvius Libra- ■'rius. The publisher to show that he really desired •to benefit the trade, announced " that he will exp©^ F 2 84 Just the Very Thing, hut sixpence for inserting any book, nor but twelve- pence for any trade advertisement, unless it be excessively long." THE NEW YORK HERALD.— The proprietor of this newspaper is Mr. James Gordon Bennett. His father, a Scotchman, started it with a capital of ;^ioo, and an office in a cellar, situated in one of the most obscure localities in New York. His editorial chair was formed by placing a rough piece of board on two empty barrels. All the literary work was done by himself, and was contained in four small pages of four columns each. The New York Herald has now the largest circulation of any paper in America, viz., 100,000 copies per day. Its daily income is ;^8oo, and average yearly net profit ;^8o,ooo. EVENING STANDARD.— This paper was started with Dr. Giffard as editor, in opposition to the Roman Catholic claims to emancipation. After a few weeks of its existence, its editor received a parcel at his house containing ;^i,2oo in Bank of England notes from the Duke of Newcastle, to shew his admiration for the Doctor's masterly article, published the evening before, against the Roman Catholics. This article was little more than a column in length. Just the Very Thing, S5 WHY OUR NEWSPAPERS ARE DAMP.— It is necessary to wet the paper that it may not break in going through the machinery. No paper would be readable if printed in a dry state. " WANTED TO BORROW."— At a time when money lenders' announcements face us in nearly every newspaper, the subjoined, which appeared in Lloyd's Evening Post, of 1776, may not be without interest : — " Money wanted — when it can be procured — ;^ioo. No security can be given for the principal and possibly the interest may not be punctually paid. Under the above circumstances should any one be willing to send the desired sum he will much surprise and greatly oblige the author of this advertisement. — A. B. C, George's Coffee House, Haymarket." There were 142,702,300 newspapers posted in the United Kingdom during the Post Office year ending March, 1884 ; of this number, 496,695 were re- ceived in the dead letter office and, having no senders' addresses were, therefore, unreturnable. NEWS 70 YEARS AGO.— When the battle of Waterloo was fought and the dispatches three days afterwards reached London, they were printed in newspapers and loaded in mail coaches which were 86 Just the Very Thiii^, covered with laurels. By day and by night these coaches rolled along at their pace of seven or eight miles an hour. At all cross roads messengers were waiting to get a newspaper. In every little town as the hour approached for the arrival of the mail, groups waited about for the expected news. In due time the coach rolled into the market place, where mail bags were taken out and the news made known. The coach passed on into other districts to spread the thrilling news. Thus was intelligence conveyed during the first thirty or forty years of this century. It was not very long before, that the same journey could only be performed on horse- back at the rate of thirty or forty miles daily. WOMEN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS. — Margaret Draper published the first regular Ameri- can newspaper, the Boston News Letter ; she after- wards received a pension from the Government. Mrs. Penelope Russell succeeded her husband in printing the Censor and could not only set type, but often composed short sketches and notes with- out a written copy. The New York Weekly Journal was published by Mrs. Zenger for three years, and Mrs. Mary Holt carried on the paper for forty-five years later ; she was appointed printer to the State of New York in consideration of her political services. The sister-in-law of Benjamin Franklin Just th^ Verv Tlrvj^. 87 conducted the Rhode Island Gazette; she was as- sisted in her office by her two daughters, and her maid servant usually managed the press. In Italy two newspapers are published by ladies. In Chi- cago there are now over one hundred' female com- positors. Six years ago Messrs. B dl and Son, London, had female compositors, and, according to the last census taken, seven hundred and one female printers represented England. DAILY TELEGRAPH,— this paper was started by Colonel Sleigh, on June 29th, 1855, as a single, sheet, at the price of twopence, and bore the name of Dciily Telegraph and Courier. TAXES ON NEWSPAPERS.— Upon a single issue of the Times for the ist of January, 1824, a small sheet of four pages, its proprietors paid no less a sum than ^181 in taxes to the state. TELEGRAPHIC REPORTING.— On a par- ticular evening in December, 1868, Mr. Gladstone made a speech at Liverpool five columns in length. It was reported in shorthand, then written out in full and then telegraphed word by word to Edin- burgh ; this operation occupied from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., and yet by 6.30 a.m. 30,000 copies of the Scotchman containing the speech in full were printed, folded, and dispatched. V8 Just fhc I'riy TI.7f!g. It is a fact of very frequent occurrence that two minutes after a division has been announced in the House of Commons the result is telegraphed to some newspaper office in London, and five minutes later is in the printer's hands five hundred miles away. There have been occasions when the Queen speech has actually been published in the New York papers before a word of it was spoken in the House of Lords. This was through the energy of the representatives of the Associated Press of America. A MONUMENT TO THE TIMES.— Over the entrance of the Times printing office is a memorial stone with an inscription testifying to the ardent efforts made by the Times newspaper when it laid bare, in 1841 a great mercantile swindle, the story of which is well told in the following, from Chambers's Book of Days : — "In 1841 Mr. O'Reilly, the Times corre- spondent of Paris, received secret information of an enormous fraud that was said to be in course of preparation on the Continent. There were fourteen persons — English, French and Italians — concerned headed by a French Baron, who possessed great talent, great knowledge of the commercial world, and a most polished exterior Just the Very Thing, 89 His plan was one by which European bankers would have been robbed of at least a million sterling ; the conspirators having reaped ^10,000 when they were discovered. The grand coup was to have been this — to prepare a number of forged letters of credit, to present them simul- taneously at all the chief bankers of Europe, and to divide the plunder at once. How Mr. O'Reilly obtained this information is one of the secrets of newspaper management; but as he knew that the chief conspirator was a man who would not scruple to send a pistol shot into any one who frustrated him he wisely determined t?> date his letter to the Times from Brussels insteaa of Paris to give a false scent. This precaution it is believed saved his life. The letter appeared in the Times on May 26. It produced a pro- found sensation. One of the parties implicated applied to the Times for the name of its inform- ant ; but the proprietors resolved to bear all the consequences. Hence the famous action, BoyU V. Lawson against the Times printer for libel, the proprietors being the ones who bore the brunt of the battle. The verdict was virtually an acquittal, but under such circumstances that each party had to pay his own costs. The signal service thus rendered to the commercial world, the undaunted manner in which the Times had 9'=' jitst the Very Thmj. unravelled the conspiracy throughout, and the liberal way in which many thousands of pounds had been spent in so doing, caused a public subscription of ^2,700 to defray the cost of the trial." The subscription was refused and was expended in forr memorial tablets and in founding twc scholarships. NEWSVEXDORS.— The following is from the Daily Chrunicle, July i, 1884 : — "At the present time there are between 30,000 and 40,000 newsvendors engaged in the distribu- tion of the 2,000 newspapers which are published in this country." THE UNITED KINGDOM'S NEWSPAPER BXPENDITURE.— "In 1854 the number of stamps impressed on newspapers in the United Kingdom was 122,178,000. Since then, however, the Stamp Duty and the Advertisement Duty have been abol- ished and the penny paper has been started with marvellous success. Taking the daily issue at 4,000,000 the annual cost to the public would be ^(^5, 000,000 gross and ;^3, 500,000 net." — Leisure Hour. FIVE VENERABLE NEWSPAPERS.— Five newspa ers established before the year 1700 in Jusl the Very Thing. 9 1 Great Britain are still alive : — The London Gazette^ 1697 ; C0UYS& of the Exchange, 1697 ; Berrow's Worcester Journal, 1690; Stajnford Mercury, 1695 ; and the Edinburgh Gazette, 1690. COMIC PAPERS AT BEGINNING OF PRE- SENT CENTURY.— Among the Comic papers at the beginning of the present century may be worthily mentioned for the sake of its title, Dibden's Penny Trumpet, to be blown Weekly (not weakly) throughout the British Empire. This paper was only blown four weeks. FARTHING NEWSPAPERS.— In the British Museum are two leaves of different newspapers which appeared in 1740 at the price of a farthing 'each. One is styled the Evening Post, August 29th. On the heading is a note stating that it was sold for a farthing. The other is styled All Alive and Merry ; or, The London Daily Post, November ist ; and is also inscribed in MS. to the effect that by evading the Stamp Duty it was sold for a farthing. A specimen of the Farthing Post is on view in the Guildhall Museum, London. COST OF LONDON NEWSPAPER ARTICLES.- The Times pays for its first article j^io ; but as it sometimes occurs that three writers are engaged upon the same article, the cost is then 92 Just the Very Thing, raised to £,io. For articles in the Daily Telegraph, Daily News, Standard, and Morning Post, the fee paid is commonly £$, and for those following £^ each. The Pall Mall Gazette and the St. James's Gazette pay sometimes as much as three guineas per column. The Evening News and Echo pay about two guineas for their leaders and one guinea a column for other articles. The reviewers of books (or the A thencBum and Academy receive respectively 15s. and los. per column, and, in addition, they retain all books as perquisites. Truth pays one guinea a column ; the World from 6d. a line up- wards. THE MOST LARGELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD is the little French halfpenny paper, Le Petit Journal. 900,000 copies are issued each day, and in election times it reaches the unparalleled circulation of 1,000,000 copies per day. A NATIONAL STRUGGLE IN THE "AGONY COLUMN."— It is said that the struggle in Portugal, which resulted in the dethronement of Don Miguel and the placing of Isabella on the throne, was conducted by means of cipher adver- tisements in the Times. "THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS."— This Just the Very Thing. 93 quoiation is irum No. i of the North Briton, Satur- day, January 5, 1 782 : — "The liberty of the press is the birthright of a Briton and is justly esteemed the firmest bul- wark of the liberties of this country. It has been the terror of all bad ministers, for their dark and dangerous designs, or their weakness, or inability and duplicity have thus been detected and shewn to the public generally in too strong and just colours for them long to bear up against the odium of mankind." THE SITE OF THE TIMES OFFICE.— A monastery once existed where the Times office now stands, and a pamting of its ruins may be seen in the Guildhall Museum, London. RUSSIAN CENSORSHIP OF THE PRESS.— Whole articles are obliterated by the Russian authorities from English newspapers. The manner in which this is done is very simple and effectual. They take a printer's roller covered with printer's ink and roll it up and down the objectionable column till not a word can be deciphered. GRASS FOR NEWSPAPERS.— The proprie- tor of the Daily Chronicle and Lloyd's Weekly News imports shiploads of grass from his Algerian farm, the vessels are unloaded in dock, near Black- 94 _7^j/ the Very Thing, wall, into barges, which navigate the river Lea, the cargoes being finally deposited on Lloyd's paper mill wharf at Bow. There the esparto is stored in enormous stacks. Esparto grass grows something like English rushes, to a height of two or three feet, and con- sists chiefly of a long flat leaf which twists round into a kind of cylinder. It is the fibre of this leaf which constitutes esparto. The plant grows abundantly in many countries of Southern Europe, especially Spain. The Spaniards have for years- made use of it for ropes, cordage, nets and mats. The loose filaments obtained from the boiled and bruised leaf are in demand more and more every year for making (news) papers, the cheapest of which are in great part made from it. It is esti- mated that 161,971 tons valued at ;^i,055,6i6 were imported in the year 1879. The supply from this- time has been steadily diminishing owing to the excessive demand, and the fact of the grass taking about fourteen years to raise from seed. THE THUNDERER.— A name bestowed upon, the Times in allusion to the vigorous articles con- tributed to it by Captain Edward Stirling. " We thundered forth the other day an irticls« on social and religious reform." yust the Very Thing. 95 SUPERSTITION in the 17th CENTURY.— These two extracts testify most conclusively to the extrcine superstition of the people in the time of Cromwell, and how it was ministered to by the newspaper press. The first is from the Marine Mercury, of 1642, and the second from the Mcrcurius Politicus, December 5th to January 12th, 1654 :— 1. "A true relation of the strange appearance of a man fish about three miles within the river Thames, having a musket in one hand, and a petition in the other, credibly reported by six sailors, who both saw and talked with the monster, whose names here following are inserted ." 2. From Mylor, in Cornwall, January 2nd. — " We have nothing to communicate from hence, save that more and more of Satin's flights and devices do appear by newer discoveries of witches. There are 25 already in the gaol at Launceston, and more like to follow." PENNIES SPENT ON LONDON PAPERS.— The single pennies spent on the Standard, Daily Telegraph, Daily News and Times, per day, amount respectively to £i,oo<), £i,oos, ;^8oo and £62$. The Echo nets ;^62 2 per day in half-pence, and 96 Just the Very Thing. A SHREWD ADVERTISEMENT.— In June, 1882, on the occasion of the royal visit, we read in the Bradford Telegraph of the 8th : — "Visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales. If you are desirous of giving their Royal Highnesses a warm reception, order the Bective coal at los. per ton." OUT-OF-THE-WAY PAPERS.— The point nearest the South Pole at which newspapers are published is Invercargill, in New Zealand. The publication farthest south upon the continent of South America, is San Carlos, in Chili, and in Africa, at Cape Town. In the Punjaub are twenty- seven newspapers, and in the Island of Ceylon, twenty-six. The empire of Morocco cannot boast a single newspaper of any description. One paper only is published in Persia, the Iran of Ispahan a government organ. WAR CORRESPONDENTS.— They share the same dangers and rewards as a soldier. With the exception of a chaplain or two, they are the only men in the camp in civilian clothing ; their sleeping accommodation is provided for in the staff camp ; and as far as camp life admits are treated as officers, and partake of the privileges of an officer. They are provided with a carte hlanche as to expenses ; and if killed, as a rule their wives, or if there be no wife, ^ust the Very Tiling, 97 those depending upon them, are provided for by their employers' liberality. THE WORLD'S NEWSPAPER POST.— A recent calculation gives the number of newspapers posted, in one year, in the whole world as 1,672,000,000. TWO LONG ADVERTISEMENTS.— A debate in the Portuguese Parliament, was translated, and inserted as an advertisement in the Daily News (eight columns), on May 3rd, 1877. The whole libretto of Macfarren's opera " Robin Hood " was inserted as an advertisement (four-and-a-half columns) in the Times, on October i6th, i860. FIRST FRENCH NEWSPAPER.— The Gazette de France was published in 1631, and is still in existence. The first French daily paper was the Journal de Paris, published on January ist, 1777. ANOTHER CURIOUS ADVERTISEMENT.— "There is now a new and exact piece of art called Creatio Mundi or the world made in 6 days lately set up over against the Red Cow in Cross Street in Hatton Garden near the Globe Tavern ; and will there be showed every afternoon, precisely at the hours of 3 and again at 5 of the clock for the most part of the winter following, beginning on Friday, the 21st of this instant October betwe<«ji G 98 Justtlte Very Thing, 2 and 3 of the clock in the afternoon where man- kind, beasts, birds, thunder rain sea sun moon stars and abundance of other things, all seeming real, as if it were the same as it represents, is performed by a new way, never before invented, and composed by John Morris, gent." Taken from a copy of the True Protestant Mercury in the Guildhall Library, London. THE EARLIEST PROVL\XLVL NEWS- PAPER is believe 1 to be the Norwich Postman, which was published in 1706 at the price of a pennv, and which bore the quaint statement that a half- penny would not be refused. This Postman was tollowed in 1714 by the Norwich Courant or Weekly Packet. York and Leeds followed in 1720, Man- chester in 1730 and Oxford in 1740. A NEWSPAPER WITHOUT AN EDITOR.— In Madrid is a popular newspaper, edited in a very peculiar way. In fact, it has no editor, but a dozen wideawake reporters, who scour the town for every kind of information. They come to the office, and drop the manuscripts in a bag, where they stay until the foreman wants copy. Everything is then tlirown into the formes, without regard to order or anything else, and the paper is read from end to end in spite of this fact. A JOURNALISTIC RELIC— One of the most yust thp Very TTiin^. pQ interesting curiosities of the American Civil War is the few copies still in existence of the Daily Citizen, which was issued for the last time at Vicksburg Mass., on the 2nd July, 1863, two days before the fall of the city and the victorious entry of the late Tieneral Grant at the head of the Union forces. The Daily Citizen was printed on grimy wall paper, and only on one side, because the other side was covered with a gaudy yellow and green pattern. A copv of this paper is now worth about £j[. An enter['«rising San Francisco paper recently published, on wall paper, a fac simile of the Vicks- burg Daily Citizen. THE FIRST RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER was published in 1703. Not only did Peter the Great take a personal interest in its editorial composition, but also in correcting its proof, as appears from specimens still in existence, in which are marks and alterations with his own pen. CHAPTER V. FOREIGN WORDS. Note. — Tn the Latin worHs (thn-;e with no given pmniinciTtinn) the final e is always sounded f.g., die is pronounced di e and exte}npore, ex tempo re. All syllables in the given French pro- nunciation ending in ng are nasal sounds. Ahhe, ab-ba. This word properly means father. It is the title of every French clergyman. Ah integro. Afresh. Anew. Ad captandicm. To ensnare the common people. Adapted to captivate the masses. The full ex- pression is ad captandum vul^us. Addendum. A thing added. VXnvdX, addenda. Ad eundimi. To the same. To the same position. On the same level. Ad eventum festinat. Hastens to the issue or winding up. Ad finem. To the end. Ad hoc. For this purpose. Adieu. Good-bye, meaning "God be with you." Ad infinitum. To endless extent. Ad interim. For or in the same time. lOO Just the Very Thing. lOI Ad libitum, or ad lib. At pleasure. WithouL re- striction. Ad nauseam. Enough to make one sick — because ot its too frequent repetition. Ad rem. To tlie purpose. Ad referendum. For future consideration. In dip- lomacy it is more frequently used to express slowness in coming to a decision. Ad valorem. According to value. An ad valorem duty is a certain percentage on the value or price. A fortiori. With stronger reason. A la Frangaise, ah lah frang seyze. After the French fashion or custom. A la mode, ah lah mode. According to fashion. A la rigueur, ah lah regyur. With rigorous for- mality. Strictly observing the rules of etiquette. A I fresco. In the open air. Alias, a le as. Otherwise. At another time. Alibi, ale bi. In another place. Amende honorable, ah mang o no rable. A sufficient apology. Honourable redress for an injury. Originally an infamous punishment inflicted, in France, on traitors, parricides, &c., who were brought into court with a rope round their necks and made to beg pardon of God, the King, and the Court. A merveilk, ah mair vay yuh. To a wonder. Mar- vellously, admirably. I02 Just the Very Tiling, Amicuz curice, a mi kus kii h e. A bystander who ^ives to a judge a friendly opinion or inroruis him of some error he has detected. Amor patricz. The love of country. Amour propre, ah moor propr. (Lit.) proper love. Self-esteem. A multo fortiori. With much stronger reason. On much stronger grounds. Ante omnia. Before everything else. A outrance, ah oo trangss. To the utmost. In the strongest terms. In the most decided manner. A priori. Reasoning a priori infers effects from causes previously known, n opposition to reason- ing a posteriori ; as when we say, plants do not breathe (efTect) because they are not animals (cause). An a posteriori argument is proving the cause from the effect ; as when we say that there is a God (cause) from the works of the creation (effect) or, when upon seeing a watch, we say there was a watchmaker. All mathe- matical proofs are of the a priori kind, but judg- ments in the law courts are of the a posteriori evidence. /I /j^o^os, ah pro po . To the purpose. In reference to. Arcana imperii. Secrets of the state. Attache, a tah shay. One accompanying an am- bassador. He has no particular charge but yiist the Very Thing. 103 merely the title to connect him with the Legation and to gain admittance into the highest society. Au coiirant, o koo rang. Acquainted with matters up to the period. Audi alteram partem. Hear the other side (of the question). Au fait, o fay. Well instructed. Master of a subject. Accomplished. Capableof doing what- ever may be requisite in the case. Au fond, o fong. To the bottom- Thoroughly. Au reste, o rest. Besides this. To sum up all. But, however. Nevertheless. Avant coureur, ah vang koo reer. A runner in ad- vance. A harbinger. Bal costume, bal kos tu may. Fancy ball. Bas bleu, bah bluh. A blue stocking or literary lady. Beau ideal, bo e de al. A perfect model of beauty. A model of ideal perfection. Beau monde, bo mongd. The gay world. The world of fashion and elegance. The fashionables. Belles-lettres, bel let ter. Refined literature, such as rhetoric, poetry, history, or philology. Beneficiaire, bay nay fe se ayr. A person obtaining a benefit. Bite noire, beyt noo ar. An object of particular aversion. An eyesore. (Lit.) a black beast. A 104 J'w^/ tJie Very TJdng^ black sheep has always been considered an eye- sore in a flock, and its wool is really less valu- able. By the superstitious it was looked on as bearing the devil's mark. Billet-doux, be yay doo. A love-letter or note. Ijizarre, be zahr. Whimsical. Odd. BUise, b\az ay . Used up. Worn out. Surfeited. Dona fide. In good faith. Without deception. Bonheur, bo nur. Happiness. Good fortune. Bonhomie, boii om ee. Simplicity. Good nature. Artlessness. Bon mot, bong mo. A jest. A witty repartee. Boulevard, bool var. Originally the rampart of a fortified city, now a public walk or street often occupying the site of demolished fortifications. Bontades, boo tad. (Lit.) fits of ill humour. Whims Invectives, Sallies. BURGOMASTER. Thechief magistrate of a muni- cipal town in Holland, Belgium and Germany, nearly corresponding to mayor in England. Cadit qimstio. The question or case ends or falls to the ground. Canaille, kah ni yuh. The lowest class of people. The rabble. Canard, kah nar. A baseless story floated to deceive the people. (Lit.) a duck. It was once reported in all the papers that one of Cornelissean's Just the Very Thing, 105 ducks had eaten nineteen of the other ducks ; a feat accounted for by one duck being cut up each day to feed those remaining; and as the nine- teenth was gobbled up by ihe sole survivor, it follows that he actually eat nineteen ducks. Cci}uaniderie, kah mah rad ree. Comradeship Friendship. Cap a pie, kap ah pee ay. From head to foot. Caput morUium. The dead head. Rubbish. Use- less details. Carte blanche, kart blahnsh. A blank paper signed at the bottom with a person's name, given to another person with permission to superscribe what conditions he pleases ; hence unconditional terms, unlimited power to decide. Casus belli. A position or cause which renders war necessary. Causeries, koze ree. Chat. Conversations. Causes celebres, koze say lebr. Celebrated trials in the law courts. Caveat emptor. Let the purchaser beware. Chacun a son goilt, shah kung ah song goo. Every man to his own taste or inclinations. Charge d'affaires, sharzh daf fair. A person in- trusted with the public interests. Chef de cuisine, sheff duh kwe zin. The chief couk. Chef d'ceuvre, sha deh vr. A masterpiece in music, writing, &c. io6 Just the Very Thing, Chcval de hataille, shuh val duh bah ti yuh. (Lit.) a war horse or charger. A prime feature. A subject which you are able and wiUing to dispute with anyone. Cicerone, chi cha ro ne. A guide. An attendant. The Italians take this word from Cicero, who, in his time, was the chief speaker in Rome, and apply it, in a party of sightseers, to the guide, who is certainly the chief speaker. Ci-devant, se duh vang. Previously. Of other days. Former. Coiffeur, koo ah fur. A hair dresser. Coiffure, koo ah foor. An ornamental dressing for the head. ♦ Collator ateicrs, kol la bo ra ter. Fellow-labourers, particularly in literature and science. Comme ilfaut, kom eel fo. As it should be. In a proper manner. Comedie Frangaise, ko mai dee frahng seyze. The actors from a theatre in Paris called the Franyais, estabhshed in 1680. Commissaires de police, ko me sair duh po liss. The police commissioners. Commissaire is often used in reference to the police. Commissionaire, ko me syo nair. A porter or messenger. Con amore, kon a mo re. With heart and soul, or lovingly, and therefore in good earnest. yust the Very Tiling. 107 Conciergerie, kong syairhje ree. A French prison. A doorkeeper's lodge. Concordia discors. An ill-assorted union of things. A jarring sympathy. Confrere, kong frair. A co-actor in any matter. Conge, kong hjay. Leave of absence. Discharge. Conge d'elire, kong hjay day leer. The permission to a dean and chapter, giving them leave to elect a bishop. Connaisseur, ko nay sirr. Anyone having a special knowledge on any particular subject. Contra bonos mores. Against good manners. Indelicate. Contretemps, kontr long. An unexpected accident which tnrows everything into confusion. Cordon militaire, kor dong me le tair. A line on which troops act and support each other. Cordon sanitaire, kor dong sah ne tair. A boundary drawn to prevent the spreading of a contagious disorder. Corps d'armee, kor dar maie. A military force. A troop or regiment. Corps diplomatique, kor de plo mah tick. Used to describe those who m.inage the political relations between countries. Co-rpus delicti, the body of the crime. The whole nature of the offence, Cortege, kor tazh. A train of attendants Coyjphee, ko re faie. A ballet dancer. io8 Just the Very Thing, Coterie, ko te re. A circle of familiar friends. A set of people. Coup, koo. A stroke. A blow. A scheme. Coup de. grace, kood grauss. A finishing stroke. Its literal meaning is a stroke of mercy (grace) given by an executioner to end the life and suffering of one on the rack. Coup de main, kood maing. A sudden stroke. An unexpected attack. Coup d'ceil, koo duh yuh. A slight view of any- thing. A quick glance of the eye. Coup d'etat, koo dai tah. A sudden decisive blow in politics. A state blow. Coupon, koo pong. A certificate of shares in a Company. An interest certificate printed at the bottom of transferable bonds (state, railways, ^c.) given for a term of years. There are as u.any of these certificates as there are pav meats of interest to be made. At each time of pay- ment one is cut off (hence its name coupon, a cut ofT) and presented for payment. Crime de la crime, kraym d'lah kraym. The very best. The most distinguished. Cul de sac, ku d' sack. A street blocked up at one end like a sack ; hence an argument that leads to nothing. Cum grano salis. With a grain of salt. With some J-tist the Verv Tiling, 109 reservation. With some little exercise of com- mon sense in interpretation. dive, kew ray. The parish priest. Currents calamo. With a running or fluent pen. Off-hand. Custos morum. Guardian of morality. A protector of good manners. Debris, day bree. Ruins. Broken remains. Debut, day boo. A first appearance before the public, as of an actor, or public speaker. Debutant, day bu tang. A person who makes a first appearance before the public. Debutante, day bu tangt. A new female per- former, as in a theatre. A female on her intro- duction to society. De die in diem. From day to day. De facto. In fact. In reality, as a King de facto distinguished from a King de jure. De integro. Afresh. Anew. De jure. By right. Demi-monde, duh me mongd. A term for womon who occupy a good position in society, but whose reputation is stained. Denouement, day no6 mong. The end of the plot. The unravelling or development of the plot of a play or novel. The end of any series of events, De novo. Anew Over again. no Just the Very Tiling, Deo volente or D.V. God willing. Dernier ressort, dair nyay raysor. The last resort or shift. Desideratum. A thing to be desired. Any improve- ment which is wanted. Detour, day toor. A circuitous march. De trop, duh tro. Excess. Out of place. Too much. Intruding. Dies non, dieez non, A day on which courts are not held, as the Sabbath ; the Purification, in Hilary Term; the Ascension, in Easter Term ; the Festival of St. John the Baptist, in Trinity Term ; and those of All Souls and All Sainis, in Michaelmas Term. Dilettante. One who takes up a matter for mere amusement. An amateur. An admirer of the fine arts. Plural, dilettanti. Disjecta memhra. Disjointed parts. Divertissement, de vair tiss mong. Diversion. Entertainment. Doctrinaire, doc trin air. A theorist. Depending upon theory or speculation. Dolce far niente, (It.) do! chay far ne an ta. The pleasure of doing nothing but what one likes. Dramatis personcB. Actors representing the cha- racters in a play. Droit, droll. Funny. A comic actor. JiLSt the Very Thing. ill Eclaircissement, ay klair siss mong. The clearing up of a matter. An explanation. Eclat, ay klah. Splendour. Show. Applause. Ecole militaire, ay kol me le tair. A school of military instruction. Elegantes, ay lay ghant. Ladies of fashion. Elite, ay leet. The best part. The most select ELY SEE, ay le zay. Formerly a royal palace. Its interior is adorned with pictures illustrating the history of Napoleon I., who signed his abdica- tion and slept his last night in Paris here. Embonpoint, ong bong poo ang. Plumpness. Fleshiness. Emeute, ay muht. Disturbance. Riot. Employe, ong ploo yay. One who is employed. Empresse, ong pray say. Warm, friendly, ami attentive in manner. E7npressment, ong press mancr. Eagerness. Readiness. En heau, ong bo. In a favourable light. En bloc, ong bloc. In a mass. Resolutions at a meeting are sometimes carried en bloc instead of being discussed one by one. Enceinte^ ong saingt. Pregnant. Encore, ong kor. This is a French word, but unknown to the French in its English meaning. A Frenchman says bis (twice) if he wishes a thing repeated ; but, however, encore une tasse, for another cup. I r 2 Just the Very Thing. En deshabille, ong day zah be yay. Negligently dressed. En echelon, ong aish long. In military tactics the position of an army in the form of steps, or with one division more advanced than another. Echelon literally, is a step of a ladder. Enfamille, ong fah me yuh. Unceremoniously. Enfant terrible, ong fang tair ribl. A child, or in iron}', any person who causes terribly annoying feelings in others. Enfilade, ong fah lad. When a battery is placed so that it can fire along a pass it is said to enfilade that pass. En flute, ong floot. A large vessel carrying ballast and only the upper tier of guns, is said to be en flute. En grande tenue, ong grand tub noo. In full dress. En masse, ong mass. In the mass or whole body. Ennui, ong nwee. Dulness of spirit. Languor. Weariness. En passant, ong pah sang. By the way. By-the-b3'e. En rapport, ong rah por. In communication. In agreement. In a favourable light. En regie, ong regl. In order. As it should be. En revanche, ong ruh vangsh. To make up for it. In return. To make amends. Ensemble, ong songbl. The whole. All the parts taken together. In the fine arts the term de- Just the Very Thing, 1 13 notes the masses and details considered with relation to each other. In music, a composition of several voices in which the chief voices are independent of each other. En suite, ong sweet. In company. Corresponding in colour, shape, or form. Entente, ong tongt. Understanding. Agreement. Entente cordiale, — kor deal. Cordial understand- ing ; generally between countries and statesmen Entourage, ong too razh. Surrounding associates. Entr'acte, ong tract. The interval between the acts of a play ; or any entertainment provided at such a time. Entrh, ong tray. Privilege of entrance. Entre nous, ong truh noo. Between ourselves. Entrepot, ong truh po. A mart. A place where goods are deposited for exportation. Ergo. Therefore. Esprit de corps, es preed kor. A military term, expressing the spirit of soldiers who stand up for their corps or its association. Et hoc genus onme. And everything of this sort. Exempli gratia or e. g. For the sake ot example. For instance. Ex cathedra. From the chair. An opinion ex- pressed on high authority is said to be ex cathedra as if expressed from the chair of a professor. Ex curia. Out of court. Exeunt onmes. All go ; take their departure. H 114 Just the Very Thing, Exigeant, ex ee hjang. Troublesome. Hard to please. Unduly pressing for attention. Exit. Departure. He or she goes out. Exeunt, they go out. Ex officio. By virtue of his office. Officially. Ex parte. One side, as ex-parte evidence, that which is brought forward on one side only. An ex parte council, one which assembles at the request of only one of the parties in dispute. Experienti docet. Experience teaches. Experinientum crucis. A crucial or decisive experi ment. Expose, ex po zay. An exposure. Ex tempore. In an off-hand manner. Without previous study. Facile princeps. The admitted chief. By far the best. Fac simile, — se mi le. To do similarly. An exact copy. ^ait accompli, fay U\h kongple. A thing accomplished. Faubourg, fo bjor. The suburbs of a town. Faux pas, fo pah. A mistake. A wrong step. Felo de se. One who has committed a felony by killing himself when in a sound state of mind. Femme couvcrte, fam koo vairt. A married woman Femme scule, fam sul. An unmarried woman. Fete, fait. A festival. Fete champctre, fait shans: pevtr. A rural feast An ei>»*"-'ainmeiii in the open air. Just the Very Thing, 115 Feuilleton, fuh yuh tong. (Lit.) a fly leaf. A novel or story in a French newspaper, or that part of the paper which is usually devoted to light litera- ture or criticism. i^euilletunistes. — ist. The writers of feuilletons. Fiasco. Failure in a musical performance ; generally a ridiculous breakdown. Fiasco means literally a bottle or flask, and the allusion may be to the bursting of a bottle. Fiat. " Let it be done." A command to do some- thing. Fille de chambre, fee yuh deh shangbr. A chamber- maid. Flagrante delicto. In the commission of the crime. Fruges consumere nati. Born to consume the fruits of the earth. Men who seem to have been born merely to eat and drink. Functus officio. Discharged of duty. One who has official power no longer. Gargon, ghar song. A waiter. Garde mobile, ghard mo beel. Soldiers whose ser- vices are not confined to one spot. Gendarmes, hgang darm. Armed police. Generalissimo. Commander-in-chief. Goiit, goo. Taste. Relish. Peculiar fancy. Habeas corpus. (Lit.) have the body. A writ for delivering a person from false imprisonment, or for removing a person from one court to another. H 2 Ii6 Jus'tthe Very Thing, Habitue, ah b6 too ay. One in the habit of fre- quenting a place. Hauteur, ho tur. Haughtiness. Haut gout, ho goo. High flavour. Relish. Good taste. Haut ton, ho tong. Used in reference to the higher classes of society. Belonging to the world of fashion. Heureux hasard, uh ruh hah zar. A fortunate chance. Hors de combat, hor duh kom bah. Out of condition to fight. Hotel de ville, o tell de vil. A town hall. Hotel dieu, o tell dyuh. The principal hospital in any French town. Ibidem or ib. In the same place. Id est. That is. Ignis fatuus. (Lit.) a foolish fire. A statement made which is calculated to mislead rather than enlighten. A Utopian scheme. Imbroglio, eem bro lyo. An embarrassed or com- plicated state of affairs. Imprimis. In the first place. First of all. Improvisatore, im pro vi sa to re. A man who makes poems off-hand. In 4i'ticuIo mortis. In the act of dying. At th« time of death. Just the Very Thing, 1 17 Incidet in Scyllam qui vult vitare Charybdim. Whilst we are making an effort to escape one danger we fall into another. This is a reference to the straits of Messina, which were considered very- dangerous by the ancients, owing to Scylla, a rocky mass, and Charybdis, a whirlpool. In commendam. In trust. Holding office in trust for another. Recommended to a particular trust or duty. Incognito. Unknown. In disguise. In curia. In the court. In esse. In being. Actually existing. In extenso. To the full extent. Exhaustively In extremis. In extreme difficulties. On its last legs. In flagrante delicto. Taken in the act of commit- ting the offence. In forma pauperis. In the form of a pauper, as a person unable to pay for an advocate. Inforo conscientia. Before the tribunal of conscience In initio. In the beginning. At the outset. In loco parentis. In the place of a parent. In nuhibus. In the clouds. Of an inflated cha- racter. In the region of theories. In ociilis civium. Before the public. In perpetuum. In perpetuity. In posse. In possibility of being. May be. In propria persona. In his own proper person, or in person. Ii8 Just the Very Thing In puris naturalibus. In a natural state. In a state of nudity. In situ. In its original situation or bed. Where made. Insouciance, aing soo syangs. Unconcern Heed- lessness. Inter alia. Amongst other things or matters. Inter se. Among themselves. In toto. Wholly. Entirely. INVALIDES, aing vah lid. The Hotel des Inva- lideS; Paris, founded by Louis XIV. for aged and infirm veterans of thearmy. Itcontainsthe magni- ficent tomb enclosing the remains of Napoleon I. Ipse dixit. A mere saying without proof. Ipsissima verba. The very words. yacta alea est. The die is cast. The step taken is irrevocable. Jeu d'esprit, hjuh dess pre, A play of wit. A witticism. Jour de fete, hjoor dah fait. The day oi a feast. A holiday. Juste milieu, hjoost me lyuh. Used for a political party which advocates moderate measures. The just medium. Laisser allcr, lay say ah lay. Unconstraint. Lapsus Ungues, A slip of the tongue. A mistake made in conversation. ynst the Very Thincr. \ T q La sainte Rtissie, lah saingt Ruhzee. Holy Russia. Laudate. A term applied to one of the P.salins beginning with the words, ''Laudate Dominitiu," that is to say, Praise ye the Lord. Legates a latere. A papal ambassador. Levee en masse, luh vay ong mass. An enrolment of all liable to bear arms for service. In Germ;i ny it is styled the Landsturm. Lex talionis. The law of retaliation. The law of requital in kind. The retaliation expressed in " an eye for an eye" if taken literally would be a lex talionis. Liaison,\ee ay zong. A connection. An objection- able intimacy between parties of opposite sex. Libretto (It.) A book containing the words of an opera. Litem scriptce. Letters that were written. Litera scripta manet. The written letter remains (as evidence). Literati. Literary people. Litterateur, le tay rah tur. A man of letters. An author. Locale, lo khal. Place. Loc. cit. or loco citato. In the passage before quoted. Locum tenens. One acting temporarily for another. A representative on the spot. Locus in quo. The present position. The spot mentioned. The spot in question. 120 Just the Very Thing, Locus standi. Recognised position. Acknowledged right or claim. Lusus fiaturcs. A freak of nature. Magnum opus. A great work. A grand business. Maison de sante, may zong duh sang tay. An estab- lishment for invalids. Maitu d'hotel, meytr do tell. The manager of an hotel. The landlord. Magnificat. A term applied to the song of the Virgin Mary because it commences with this word in the Latin Vulgate. Mala fides. Want of good faith or integrity. Mai a propos, mal lah pro po. At an unseasonable time. Mal de mer, mal duh mair. Sea sickness. Malgre, mal gray. In spite of. Notwithstanding. Mandamus. " We command." A writ issuing from the Queen's Bench, commanding certain things to be done. Matinee, mah te nay. (Lit.) time from sunrise to noon. A morning performance. Mauvaise hontc, mo vayze hongt. Excessive bash- fulness. Sheepishness. False modesty. Mauvais pas, mo vey pah. A dangerous place. A dilemma. Medio tutissimus ibis. A medium course will be the safest Just the Verv Tiling, * 121 Melange, may lanzh. A mixture. A miscellany. An entertainment of a mixed character. MeVu, mey lay. A disorderly fight. An affray. Menage, may nahje. Family. Household. The conduct of a house. Mens Sana in corpore sano. A sound mind in a sound body. Menu, meh noo. A minute detail. The bill ot fare. Mesalliance, may zah leeangs. A mis-alliance. A marriage with a person of inferior station. Mirabile dictu. Wonderful to tell. Mise en scene, meez ang sayn. Stage effect. Care displayed in the production of a play. Mittimus. "We send." A magistrate's order by which an offender is committed to prison. Modus operandi. Manner of operation. Modus Vivendi. Often used to denote the tacit compromise by which differences of opinion, to whatever extent, are disregarded to promote peace and co-operation among men of different schools of thought. Mollia tempora fandi. The favourable time for speaking. Morale, mo ral. Morality. A rebuke. A lesson The qualities of mind or spirit which actuate •Hen of an army or fleet. 122 Just the Very Thing, Morceaux, mor so. Morsels. Passages from a book. Mot d'ordre, mo dordr. Watchword. Miilta gemens. Mourning deeply. Heaving many a sigh. Miiltis ilk bonis fiehilis occidit — Horace. He died lamented by many good friends. Miiltiim inparvo. A great deal is implied in a few words. A great deal in a small compass. Meiim et tmun. Meum is Latin for "what is mine" a.nd tuiun for "what is thine." A polite way of calling a man a thief, signifying that he does not know the difference between meum and tuum. Naive, nah eeve. Unaffected. Ingenuous. Artless. Naivete, nah eev tai. Simplicity. A plain and natural manner. The term is also applied to poetry, sculpture and painting. It is derived from the Latin natus, meaning nature without art. Nee, naye. Born. Sprung from. Generally used to indicate the maiden name of a lady. Neglige, nay gle hjay. Undress. A loose style of dress. Nem. con. For nemine contradicente. No one con- tradicting. Without opposition. Nem. dis. For nemine dissentiente. No one dis- senting. Ne plus ultra. (Lit.) nothing more beyond. The very extreme. The highest perfection. Just the Very Thing. 123 ^^// desperandmn. Never despair. Originally the phrase was, nil desperandum de repuhlica — "let there be no despair respecting the common- wealth." Nisi prius. (Lit.) unless before. The first two words of a writ which requires a trial to be held at Westminster on a certain day, unless previously the judges meet in the country to take assizes. Hence their courts are called nisi prius courts. Nobis judicibus. (Lit.) " we being judges." In our opinion. Noblesse oblige, no bless ob leezh. Noble bi imposes the obligation of noble actions. Nolens volens. Whether willing or not. Nom de guerre, nong duh gair. A fictitious during the war. Nom de plume nong duh ploom. (Lit.) a name the pen. An assumed name. Nottchalance, nong shah launce. Carelessness. In- difference. Coolness. Non est. The full expression is, non est inventus He has not been found. It is sometimes used in pleasantry to mark a sudden disappearance. Non possumus. We cannot. Non sequitur. It does not follow. Non-inference. Novi homines. New men. Nuances, nu aunce. Shades. Colours. Shades of character or opmion. 1 24 fust the Very Thing, Nitdis verbis. In plain words. Occasions manquees, o khah zyong mang ka. Fa- vourable opportunities missed. On dit, ong dee. They say, or, it is said. A rumour. Onus probandi. The task or burden of proving. Opera Bouffe, o pa rah boof. A comic opera. Opprohinm medicorum. The reproach of the phy- sicians. A disease for which medical science has found no cure. Otium cum dignitate. Ease with dignity. Otium sine dignitate. Ease without dignity. Outre. 00 tra. Exaggerated. Unreasonable. Out- rageous. Ouvrier, 00 vre ya. A workman. The working classes generally, in France. Par excellence, par ex el launce. By excellence. Pre-eminently. Par privilege, par pre ve layhje. By way of privilege. Pars magna. The chief support. The mainspring. Parterre, par tair. A flower garden. A pit of a theatre. Particeps criminis. An accomplice or instigator in a crime Parvenu, par vah noo. A person of low origin. One who has suddenly changed poverty for wealth. One newly risen mto notice. Just the Very Thing. 1 25 Pa^^Ci pah say. Out of date. Vas seul. (Lit.) a step alone. Applied to a dance executed by one person. Passim. In many places. Everywhere. Patois, pah too ah. A country dialect. Paiicis verbis. In a few words. PAYS LATIN, pay e lah taing. (Lit.) the Latin district. That part of Paris famous for its edu- cational institutes. Pendente lite. Whilst the suit or contest is pending. Penchant, pong shang. Inclination. Per contra. On the contrary. On the opposite side. Something to counterbalance. PERE LA CH^/SE, pair la chayze. The eastern cemetery of Paris. Its site was once the possession of a Jesuit, named La Chaise ; hence the name. Perfervidum ingenium. Very hot. Hasty. Fiery disposition. Perfide Albion, pmv fid al be yong. Treacherous, faithless England. The words of Napoleon I. Per saltum. By a leap. Per se. By itself, or of itselt. For the sake of. Personnel, pair so nel. A term denoting the persons employed in some public service, as the army, navy, &c., as distinguished from the material. Petit Bourgeois, pte boor hjwah. (Lit.) a humble citizen. A second-rate citizen. A burgess 01 Vtizen occupying an unimportant position. 1 26 JiLst the Very Thing. Petites pikes, ptitt pyes. After-pieces. Piece de resistance, pyes duh rai zis tangs. The substantial joint in a dinner; hence the important piece in a theatrical entertainment, as distin- guished from what is before and after. Pieces de ^/xm^r^^pyesduh tayautr. Theatrical pieces or compositions. Pied a terre, pya tah tair. A footing. A tempo- rary abode. PLACE, plass. A public square. Market. Exchange. Point d ' appui, Yioo dang ddih. pwee. Supporting point. Point to lean on. Posse comitatus. Power of the county or citizens who are summoned by the sheriff to suppress a riot or any opposition in the execution of the law. Paste restante, post ress tangt. To be left at the post office. Pourparler, pour par lay. Conference. Precis, pray see. A summary. An abstract An epitome. Prefet, pray fay. The chief magistrate or governor, invested with the general administration of a department. Premier pas, pruh myay pah. The first step. The chief consideration. Tne main difficulty. Prestige, pres tihj. (Lit.) fascination. Influence. Character. Good name. Prima facie, (^n the f'*-"'' "'<^vv of the case. Jtistthe Very Tiling, 1 27 Principiis obsta. Meet or resist the first beginnings. Proces verbal, pro say vair bal. Official report. Pro con. For pro ef contra — for and against. Procureur general, pro ku rur hjay nay ral. Attor- ney-general. His special duty is to prosecute persons guilty of crimes. Pro forma. For the sake of form. Pro re nata. For a special purpose. As occasion calls for. Propria motu. Of his, her, or its own accord. Pro rata. Proportionally. Protege, prot a zhay. One protected. Pro tern. For pro tempore — for the time, temporarily. Protocol. The original copy of any dispatch 01 treaty. Pro virili. To his or her utmost. Proviso. A condition. Stipulation. Agreement. Quantum. Amount. Due proportion. Quantum sufficit or quant, suff. Amply sufficient. Quantum valeat. For what it is worth. Quasi. As if. Just as. A word used to express resemblance or that which seems to be. Queue, kyuhe. Line. The queue system of some theatres is the enforcing of playgoers to stand at the box office in order of arrival. Quoad hoc. As far as this (point of the argument or business). As it regards this particular matter. 1 28 Just the Very Thing, Quoad sacra. So far as the offices of the church are concerned, or with respect to sacred matters. Quoad sacra churches — churches that were chapels of ease. Quocunque modo. In what manner soever. By some means, no matter how. Quod vide or q.v. Which see. Quondam. Former. Quorum pars magna fui. Of which or whom I was a great or important part. Rabies canina. Canine (dog) madness. Ragout, rah goo. A stew. Food composed of fragments of meat. Raison d' etre, ra zong datr. (Lit.) the reason of being. It refers to the condition in which matters stood ; thus, referring to two kinds of primroses being called "pin eyed" and "thumb eyed," we might say the raison d' etre has only lately been understood. Rappel, rah pell. (Lit.) a recall. The beat of a drum to call the troops together. Rapprochement, rap rosh mang. The drawing nearer to each other. The beginning of a better understanding. Rara avis. A rare bird. Something very un- common. Ratione tcnuroc. By the nature of the tenure. Just the Very Thing. 129 Rechauffe, ray sho fay. A stale dish warmed up again. Recherche, ruh shair shay. Choice. Refined. At- tractive. Redacteur, ra dac tur. The edi'tor of a newspaper. A writer. Redacteur en chef, — ong sheff. The principal writer of a newspaper. Regime, ra zheem. Mode of living, government or administration. Re infectd. The object not being accomplished. Religieuse, ruh le juhz. A nun. A pious woman. Rencontre, rong kongtr. An encounter. A hostile meeting between two persons. Rendezvous rong day voo. A place fixed for a meeting. Repertoire, rep er twar. A collection of stock plays or songs. Res an^iistadoini. {Juven?d.) Narrowed circumstances at home. Severe pressure of poverty. Restaurateur, les to rah tur. An eating-house keeper. The proprietor of a restaurant or dining room. Resume, ray zoo may. A recapitulation. A summary Retrousse, ruh troo say. Turned up (nose). Reveille, ra vay ya. The beat of drums at day- break to inform the sentries that they may forbear from challenging, as the troops are awake. (Fr. reveiller, to awake.) I 130 Just the Very Thing. Rigueur, re gyur. Strictness. Exactness. Role, role. A part performed by an actor in a play; hence any conspicuous action performed by anyone. Rouge et noir, roohj ay nooar. (Lit.) red and black. A favourite game in gambling houses. Roue, roo ay. A profligate. An immoral person. This word was first used in its present sense by the profligate Duke of Orleans, regent of France, between the reigns of Louis XIV. and XV. He used to proudly boast that his companions were wicked enough to be broken on the wheel, which, at that time, was in France the punish- ment awarded to the worst malefactors ; hence, these profligates went by the name of Orleans' roues or wheels. Rue ( de She), roo. (Lit.) street of Seze. Seze Street. Sabot, sah bo. A wooden shoe. Salon, sah long. A drawing room. A fashionable circle. A picture gallery. Sang froid, s:xngfTOO ah. (Lit.) cold blood. Free from agitation of the mind. Coolness. In- difl"erence. Suw^ crrnii'uie, sang say ray mo ne. Without teiLMii'iiiy. Just the Very Thing. 1 31 Sans fat^on, sah fah song. Without fashion. Un- ceremonious. Sanstache,sdingX.diSh.. Without blemish. Unstained. Savant, sah vang. A learned man. Savoir faire, S2i\i voodiX iddVQ. Management. Skill in anything. Savoir vivre, — veevr. Good breeding or manners. Scrutin d& liste, skru tang d* liste. Scrutin is French for ballot. Voting by Departmental lists of members. The voter writes on his paper a list of as many names (or less if he chooses) as there are persons to be elected for the whole department. In scrutin d' arrondissement members are elected separately. Sometimes as many as fifteen different lists, representing different shades of politics, are placed before the notice of voters for one department. •6eance, say angs. A sitting or meeting together of several persons to investigate or witness some special matter. 'Secretaire d'etat, suh kray tair du tah. A secretary of state. Setior, sen yor. A Spanish title or form of address, corresponding to Sir or Mr. Seriatim. In regular order. ■Sic. Thus, or it is so. A word often used in brackets, when quoting, in order to call attention to the fact that the quotation is literally given. I 2 132 Just iJiP Very Thing, It is also used to suggest that there is or seems something wrong in the quotation, to indicate a difference of opinion, or to express contempt. Sic passim. So everywhere. Sic sedebat. In ordinary sitting attitude. Sic volumus. " So we will it." An arbitrary decision. Sihte, syest. A short afternoon's sleep, like the Spanish siesta (se es ta), a short rest taken during the heat of the mid-day sun. Sine die. (Lit.) Without day. Without fixing the time of resuming business. Sine qua non. (Lit.) without which, not. Some- thing absolutely indispensable. Sobriquet, so bre kyay. A nickname. Soi disant, swah de zang. Pretended. Calling himself. Self-styled. Soiree, soo ah ray. {Soir, evening.) An evening party. Solus. Alone. Soupgon, soop song. Surmise. A slight taste of anything. Souvenir, soo vuh neer. A keepsake. A remem- brance. Stabat Mater {dolorosa). " There stood the INIother bathed in tears." The beginning of the prose, or sequence, of the Mass for the Dead in the Roman Church. Status in quo. The state of things as they now are. Jmtthe Very Thing. I?3 Status quo. The state in which. A treaty between belligerents which leaves each party in status quo ante helium, that is, in the same state in which it was before the war. Suave, soo av. Sweet, agreeable, pleasant. Suave mari magno. The commencement of a passage in a poem of a celebrated Latin poet, Lucretius. The entire passage means : — Pleasant it is, when the waves of the ocean are agitated by a storm, to view from the land the distress of others. Subjudice. Undecided. Still before the judge. Sub silentio. In silence. Without any notice being taken. Suggestio falsi. The suggestion of a falsehood. Summum bonum. The chief good. Most desired object. Suppressio veri. Suppression of the truth. Tableau, tah bio. A picture. A striking and vivid representation. Tableaux vivants, tah bio ve vang. — A living picture. An entertainment in which the actors, in proper costume, group themselves on the stage silently, to represent some scene as already illustrated in painting or picture. Tableaux vivants were first composed by Madame Genlis while she had charge of the children of the Due d'Orleans. 134 Just the Very Thing, Table d'hote, tah bl doat. — A common table for guests at an hotel. The phrase really means " the host's table." In the middle ages and even down to the reign of Louis XIV. the landlord's was the only public dining place in France and Germany. Tapis, tah pee- (Lit.) a carpet. When anything is said to be on the tapis, it means that it has been brought into notice, or that it is under con- sideration. Te Deum. A song on occasions of thanksgiving ; so called from the first words Te Deum laudamus. " Thee, God, we praise." Tempus fiigit. Time flies. Terra incognita. An unknown land. Tite a ttte, teyte ah teyte. Face to face. A private interview. A conversation. Ton, tong. (Lit.) tone. Fashion. Taste. Toto ccelo. By the whole heavens. As opposite as the poles. Tout ensemble, too tang sangbl. The general appearance. All parts taken together. Tragedienne, trah hjay dyen. A tragic actress. Tranchant, trang shang. Keen. That which can cut up an opponent. Trouvaille, troo vi yuh. Anything found un- expectedly. A sudden stroke of good luck. Ultima ratio. Last resource or expedient. Jusi the Very Thing. 135 Ultra. Extreme. Ultras are those who go beyond others in their views. XJltva vires. Beyond one's power ; especially be- yond the power of a court or corporation. Una voce. Unanimously. With one voice. Uno ictu. (Lit.) at one stroke. At once. Ut supra. As above mentioned. Vade meciim. (Lit.) go with me. A book or other thing that a person carries as a constant companion. A manual. Valeat quantum. Let the argument go for what it is worth. Verbatim. Word for word. In the same words. Verbiage, vair byahj. Much empty talk. The use of more words than are necessary. Verb. sap. An abbreviation of verbum sat sapienti ; sometimes verbum sat is used instead. A hint is sufficient to any wise man. A threat implying that if the hint is not taken exposure will follow. Vertige, vair tihj. (Lit.) a swimming in the head. Infatuation. Verve. Animation. Spirit such as chiefly inspires artists. Veto. Opposition. Interference. The withholding of, or the power of withholding, assent to a Bill which has passed both Houses of Parliament. Via media. A middle course. 136 Jitst the Very Thing. Viaticum. All things necessary for the journey. Videlicet, or viz. Namely. That is to say. The z is a corruption of 3, a common mark of contrac- tion in the middle ages, as habs — i.t.y habit ; viz., i.t.f videlicet. Vi et armis. By force and arms. By unlawful means. Visa, ve zah. Endorsement. Vis a vis, vee zah vee. (Lit.) opposite. Sitting or standing face to face with one another. Vis inerticB. The power of inertness. Sluggishness. Indolence. Vis inotrix. jMotive. Moving power. Vivats, ve vat. Cheers. Viva voce. (Lit.) with the living voice. By word of mouth. Vive la Republique, viv lah ra poo blic. Success to or long live the Republic. Vivida vis. An abridgment of vivida vis animi. The strong force of the mind. Vivid or glowing imagination. Vox populi vox Dei. The voice of the people is the voice of God. CHAPTER VI. NEWSPAPER MOTTOES. ECHO. — " Be just and fear not," is quoted from Shakespeare's Henry VIII., Act iii., Scene 2. It is one of the last counsels addressed to his servant Cromwell by Cardinal Wolsey, soon after his fall from the King's favour. VOLUNTEER SERVICE GAZETTE.— " 5i vis pacem parabellum," is a Latin proverb mean- ing, "To preserve peace be prepared for war." Compare, " Peace is obtained by war — Cornelius Nepos ; and : — " But civilization does get florrid, Sometimes upon a powder cart." — Biglow Papers. WINE TRADE REVIEW.—" In vino Veritas " means, "Wine brings forth the truth." Compare, " Wine wears no breeches ; " also " Vinum animi speciihm," that is, "Wine is the mirror of the mind." TEMPERANCE RECORD.— " Drink, the only 137 138 Just the Very TIiw^. terrible enemy whom England has to fear " — Duke of Albany. A parallel quotation to this is : — " Hundreds of men were turned into beasts, Like the guests of Cicero's horrible feasts, - By the magic of ale and cyder." — Hood. CITY PRESS. — " Domine Dirige nos," means, " O Lord, direct us ; " the motto of the City of London. HEALTH.— " Reason's whole pleasure — all the joys of sense- Lie in three words, health, peace, and competence." Pope's "Essay on Man," line 79. NATURE.— "To the solid ground of nature trusts the mind that builds for aye." Wordsworth's " Mis. Son.," pt. L, No. 34. PICTORIAL WORLD.— " Kosmos " signifies the beautiful order which pervades the universe, and is ascribed to Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher who taught the transmigration of souls, and that the sun was the centre of the universe. WESTMINSTER AND LAMBETH GA- ZETTE. — " To record faithfully — to speak fear- lessly ;" original. NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIST.— " Post tenebras lux," means, "After darkness there is light," so, "after ignorance, knowledge." Jiist thp Very Thin^. 1 39 PRACTICAL TEACHER.— " Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much, Wisdom is humble that he knows no more." CowPER, " The Task." KNOWLEDGE.— " Let knowledge grow from more to more." With its complement the quotation reads : — " Let knowledge grow from more to more, But more of reverence in us dwell ; That mind and soul, according well. May make one music as before." Tennyson, " In Memoriam. " GOOD WORDS.— "Good words are worth much and cost little." — G. Herbert, in his " Jacula Prudentum " or " Outlandish Proverbs, Sen- tences, &c." MORNING MAIL.— "The play's the thing." From the play scene in " Hamlet," Act ii,. Scene 2. PUIVIP COURT (The Temple Newspaper).— "Beausean," Beauseant or Bauseant, was the famous war cry of the Knights Templars. Beauseant was equivalent in ordinary French to hien scant befitting, well seeming, and m this sense was applied to their banner, which, as befitting their calling, was half black and half white, to shew that they were white and benignant to the friends of Christ, but terrible and black to his enemies. The term is also said to be borrowed from an old 140 Just the Very Thing. French word used to designate a horse marked similarly to the banner, perhaps what we should call a piebald. On the east window of the Temple Church, on left circular pane, is the word " Beau- seant," and on right circular pane (same window) " Beausean." SOCIETY.— " Society is now one polished horde, Formed of two mighty tribes, the Bores and Bored." Byron, " Don Juan," Canto xiii., st. 95. FINANCIAL REFORMER.—" Why is the earth on which we live divided into zones and climates ? Why I ask do different countries yield different productions to people experiencing similar wants ? Why are they intersected with rivers, the highway of nations ? Why are lands the most distant from each other brought almost into contact by that very ocean that seems to divide them ? Why, sir, it is that man may be dependent upon man. It is that the exchange of commodities may be accompanied by the extension and diffusion of knowledge, — by the interchange of mutual benefits, engendering mutual kind feelings — multiplying and confirming friendly relations. It is that commerce may freely go forth, leading civilisation with one hand, and peace with the other, to render mankind happier, wiser, and better. Sir, this is the dispensation of yust the Very Thing- 141 Providence ; this is the decree ot the Power which created and disposes the Universe ; but, in the face of it, with arrogant and presumptuous folly, the dealers in restrictive duties fly, fettering the inborn energies of man, and setting up their miserable legislation instead of the great standing laws of nature" — Lord Palmerston. Speech in House of Commons, 1842. VANITY FAIR.— " That which did not a little amuse the merchandisers was, that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares ;" the continued passage says, "they cared not so much as to look upon them, and if they call upon them to buy, they would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, 'Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity,' and look upwards, signifying that their trade and traffic were in heaven." — Bunyan's " Pilgrim's Progress." ARGOSY. — "Laden with golden grain." JEWISH CHRONICLE.— The Hebrew words at head of this paper mean, " Book of Chronicle " (Jewish Chronicle). The phrase is found in Esther vi. I. — "On that night could not the King sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records ot the chronicles, and they were read before the king." CHURCH BELLS.— "Ring out the false, ring in the true." 142 Just the Very Thing. From Tennyson's "In Memoriam." The com- plete verse is : — "Ring out the old, ring in the new. Ring happy bells across the snow ; The year is going, let him go ; Ring out the false, ring in the true." TELEGRAPHIST.— " Speed the soft intercourse from soul to soul, And waft a sigh from Indus to the pole." Pope's "Eloisa to Abelard," p. 57. EDINBURGH REVIEW.— " >i^;»; damnatur cum nocens ahsolvitiir. — Publius Syrus." The judge is found guilty when a delinquent is acquitted — this is when the sentence is supposed to be dictated by corrupt motives, or to betray incapacity. Sidney Smith, the first editor of the Edinburgh Review, says, the first motto proposed was Tenui musatn meditamur averd — "We cultivate literature on a little oatmeal," but that it was not chosen, because it was too near the truth to be admitted. " Publius Syrus," a native of Syria, was brought when a boy to Rome as a slave, but he met with a master who educated him, and afterwards gave him his freedom. His excellence in writing niimi* obtained for him the patronage of Julius Czcsar, * Farces or dramatic representations depicting real character*. Much in vogue in the time of Juliu> Caesar. yust the Very Thing. 14 who on a public occasion gave him the preference over all other contemporary mimographers. St. Jerome says that the Romans used to read his books in their public schools. His works are lost, but many of his moral apothegms, remarkable for their exact laconism, have been preserved. PROCEEDINGS OF ROYAL GEOGRAPH- ICAL SOCIETY. — "06 Urras recliisas," means, "on account of countries discovered," and refers to the wreath of fame dispensed by Britannia. JOURNAL OF VIGILANCE ASSOCIATION. — "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance." — From a speech by the American statesman and orator, Patrick Henry, who started the Revolution of 1765. FRIEND OF CHINA.— *' Righteousness exalteth a nation : but sin is a reproach to any people." — Prov. xiv. 34. CHRISTIAN SOCIALIST.— "Stand aloof from injustice." — St. Paul. " We measure not our cause by our success, but our success by our cause." — Milton. TABLET. — " Dum vohis gvatulamur animos etiam addimiisal in inccBptis vestris constanter maneatis." — From the brief of his holiness Pius IX to The Tablet, June 4, 1870. The translation is, "While 144 Just the Very Thing, we congratulate you, we also encourage you to persevere with constancy in your undertaking." GARDEN— " This is an art Which does mend nature ; change it rather ; but The art itself is nature." Shakespeare's "Winter's Tale," Act iv. Scene 3. STAGE.— " All the men and women merely players." Shakespeare's "As You Like It," Act ii. Scene 7. CHRISTIAN COMMONWEALTH.— " Prove all things ; hold fast that which is good." — I. Thess. V. 21. CRICKET.— " Together joined in Cricket's manly toil." Byron, " Childish Recollections." TRUTH. — " Ctdtores vcritatis fnnides iniinici," means "Cultivators of truth, enemies of fraud." — Cicero. BELL'S LIFE. — " Nunquamdormio," is Latin for " I never sleep." ROCK. — " For their rock is not as our rock, even our enemies themselves being judges." — Deuteronomy xxxii. 31. Jusf the Vrrv Thincr, 14? LABOUR S TANDARD.— " Labor omnia vincit," means, industry and application overcome all difficulties. A similar quotation to this is, " Per- severance kills the game." HORSE AND HOUND.— " I truly confess that the best of my fun I owe it to horse and hound." This quotation is from a poem by C. J. Whyte- Melville, entitled the '•' Good Grey Mare," and runs as follows : — " I have lived my life ; I am nearly done ; I have played the game all round, But I truly confess, &c." VOLUNTEER RECORD.— - 6-^7 perpetmwi:' means, " Let it be permanent." ST. STEPHEN'S REVIEW.— "Nothing extenuate Nor set down aught in malice." " Othello," Act v. Scene 2. PASTIME.—" Play not for money but for sport, who plays for more than he can lose with pleasure stakes his heart." — G. Herbert. BAPTIST.—" One Lord, one faith, one baptism." This is the fifth verse of the fourth chapter of Ephesians. FREEMAN.— "He is the freeman whom the K r 46 Just the Verv TTiing. truth makes free" — From the ''Task" by CowpCk', near the close of the Winter Morning Walk. "He is the freeman whom the truth makes tree. And all are slaves besides." TIMBER. — " Principia non homines," means " Principles, not men." PROTESTANT TIMES.— "To the law and to the testimony ; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah viii. 20. These words were said by Isaiah, when God's chosen people fled to idolatry, and when, for their infidelity, they were chastened by Assyria. CHRISTAIN WORLD PULPIT.—" How beau- tiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings." — Isaiah ii. 7. CHURCH IXTELLIGEXCER.— " The Arch- bishop : — Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law ? The Queen : — All this I promise to do." — Coro- nation Oath. HERALD OF PEACE AND NATIONAL ARBITRATOR.— " Put up again thy sword into his [its] place : for all they that take the sword fchall per s^ with the sword." — ^Matthew xxvi. 52. ^tsf the Very Thing, 147 Said bv Jesus Christ when Simon Peter cut off the ear of the High Priest's servant. " They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruninghooks : nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they leafn war any more," — One of Isaiah's prophecies, chap, ii., verse 4. FIGARO.— "Now step I forth to whip hypo- crisy." — Shakespeare, in "Love's Labour Lost," act iv. scene 3. ADMIRALTY AND HORSE GUARDS GA- ZETTE. — ^'PcY mare per terrain" means "Through sea and land " : motto of the Irish baron Macdonald. PRESBYTERIAN .— " Communi presbyteronim consilio ecclesicB guhernahantur." — Jerome. "The churches were governed by a common council of elders." SUNDAY GEMS.— "The week were dark but for thy light." G. Herbert, The Temple, Sunday, verse i. " O day most calm, most bright, The fruit of this, the next world's bud, The indorsement of supreme delight. Writ by a friend, and by his blood ; The couch of time ; care's balm and bay ; The week were dark, but for thy light : Thy torch doth show the way." LABOUR NEWS.— " Blessed is the man that K 2 148 Just the Very Thing, hath found work, he hath a life purpose." — Thomas Carlvle. PRIMROSE RECORB.—'' Impermn et libertas" or " Empire and liberty." NOTES AND QUERIES.— "When found make a note of it." — The advice of Captain Cuttle, in Dickens' " Dombey and Son," chap. xv. NAVAL AND MILITARY GAZETTE.— "Nmw- qiiam dimoveas" means, "You can never divide us.'' MOONSHINE.— "Truly the moon shines with a good grace." — "Midsummer Night's Dream," Act V. Scene i. DIETETIC REFORMER.— " Fix upon that course of life which is best: custom will render it most delightful." — Pythagoras. "Manual of Laconics," No. 1040. WEST LONDON OBSERVER.— The design under title of this paper is a Masonic sign or motto, and therefore a secret to all but freemasons. WOOLWICH GAZETTE.— '' I nvicta" (uncon- quered) is the motto or legend of the county of Kent and of Kentish men, and is especially appro- priate to Woolwich, because in it is situated the great arsenal of the Empire. The legend says, that the men of Kent, who formed the vanguard of the Just the Very Thing. 149 Anglo-Saxon army upon the landing of the Normans, were not conquered by William the Conquerer, as he conciliated their favour by granting them the continuance of their ancient privileges, when they went out to meet him with green boughs. WESTERN FIGARO. (Plymouth).— "Be thou familiar but by no means vulgar." — Shakespeare's '' Hamlet" Act i. Scene 3. ST. HELEN'S NEWSPAPER.—" Ex terra liicem." An allusion to the coal, underlying St. Helen's, from which gas is made and means, " Out of the earth, light." LONDONDERRY STANDARD.— " Tenant right — Live and let live." These words arose out of the land agitation which prevailed in Ulster for the last century. The interesting design at head of title page, represents the column on the west side of Londonderry, surmounted by a statue of the Rev. Geo. Walker, who defended the city when besieged by James IL during 1688-89. The word "Meg," refers to an old cannon called, "Roaring Meg," used at the siege and still a relic in the Royal Bastion. HULL PACKET. — "Pro rege, lege, et grege" means, "For King, law, and people." The motto of Lord Ponsonby. 1 50 Just the Very Thing. DERRY JOURNAL.—" Vita, Veritas, victoria;' signifying " life, truth, victory." The skeleton and tower above these words represent the fortifications and sufferings endured during the memorable siege of 1688-89. WILTS AND GLOUCESTERSHIRE STANDARD. — ''Pro rcge, lege, avis et facts," " For the king, the law, our hearth and home." MANCHESTER CITY NEWS.— "Concilio et labored' " By council and labour." SHROPSHIRE GUARDIAN.— "F/of^^/ Salopia," A portion of the borough arms, and means " Flourish Salopia." DAYLIGHT.—" If I may give a short hint to an impartial writer, it would be to tell him his fate. If he resolve to venture on the dangerous precipice of telling an unbiassed truth, let him proclaim war with mankind — neither to give nor to take quarter. If he tells the crimes of great men, they fall upon him with the iron hands of the law ; if he tells them of virtues, when they have any, then the mob attacks him with slander. But if he regards truth, let him expect martyrdom on both sides, and then he may go on fearless." — This quotation will be found in De Foe's " Review of the State of the British Nation," vol. IV., page 593. Just the Very Thing, 151 JERSEY OBSERVER. — '' Fiat justitia mat ccelum," means "Let justice be done, though the heavens should fall." GRAVE SEND JOURNAL.— "D^cws et tutamen." These words were on the rim of the last crown pieces that were issued, and mean " The honour and defence." HUDDERSFIELD WEEKLY NEWS.— '' J uvat impigros Deus" means " God helps the diligent." LEICESTER ADVERTISER. -" Powr y par- venir — Semper eade?n," means, " To attain your object always be of the same mind." BAILIE. — " My conscience." A phrase taken from Scott's novel of " Rob Roy/' where it is often found in the mouth of one of the characters — Bailie Nicol Jarvie. EASTBOURNE GAZETTE.— " The greatest good for the greatest number." This phrase was used by Sir R. Peel in one of his Corn Law speeches in the House of Commons, and becam.e from that time much quoted. EAGLE AND COUNTY CORK ADVER- TISER; or,The Skibbereen Eagle.—" Hie et ubique.'' This motto is on a ring hanging from an eagle's beak, and means that the eye of the eagle (The Skibbereen Eagle) is "here, there and every. 152 Just the Very Thing. where : " a meaning which had a special significance when, some years ago, this paper was rendered some- what notorious by threatening Lord Palmerston, then prime minister, to keep its eye on him. LEEDS MERCURY.— " Mflo-wa C/^ar^a."— The great charter obtained at Runnymede, Windsor, by the EngHsh Barons, from King John in 1215, and confirmed by his successor Henry IIL It is the basis of our laws and liberties. RICHMOND WHIG. (Virginia U. S.)— "Sic semper tyrannis." This motto, that of Virginia, has reference to a cut representing Liberty as having decapitated Tyranny and means. " Thus may it always be with tyrants." GLOUCESTER STANDARD. — " City and County — Unity is strength." A reference to the fact that the Gloucester Standard circulates in both the city and county of Gloucester — united which is the strength. KENDAL MERCURY.— " Panmis mihi panis." This motto has reference to the woollen trade and means, "wool is my bread." On the shield are hooks, &c., used in the trade. BRIDGEND CHRONICLE— "Give me above all other liberties the liberty to know, to utter, and argue freely according to conscience." — Milton's ^tist the Very Thing, 1 53 ** Areopagitica," a speech for the liberty of un- licensed printing. HERTS AND CAMBRIDGE REPORTER.— The significance of device at head of leader column is — The first part (the hart-in-ford) is the county arms of Herefordshire ; the bird perpetuates the old title of the paper, viz., " Royston Crow;" and the bridge is the county arms of Cambridgeshire. (Cam-bridge). CROWLE ADVERTISER,— " Read not only books but men." A paraphrase of the second line of:- " Know then thyself, presume not God to scan, The proper study of mankind is man." Pope, " Essay on Man," epistle xi. line i WESTMINSTER HERALD.— TAfter my death) " I wish no other Herald, No other speaker of my living actions, To keep mine honour from corruption. But such an honest chronicler " (as Griffith). Said by Queen Catherine, of Griffith, her Gentleman Usher, in Shakespeare's " Henry VIIL," Act iv. Scene 2. WEST YORKSHIRE PIONEER.— "True to the kindred points of heaven and hom Wordsworth, " To a Skylark," x ^^ " Type of the wise who soar, but never roam ; True to the kindred points of Heaven and Home." 154 Just the Very Thing, BRIGHTON EXAMINER.— " 7» zigllum de Brightelmcston," means, "The seal of Brighton." NEWCASTLE WEEKLY COURANT.— " H/c et ubique," means, " Here and everywhere." FIFESHIRE JOURNAL.—" VirtuU et opera," means, "By virtue and work," motto of the Irish Earl of Fife. ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY PRESS.— " Fide- liter, ac fortiter means, "Faithfully and boldly." DROGHEDA INDEPENDENT.— " Faith and Fatherland." This motto is surrounded by a wreath of shamrock leaves, which have been chosen as the symbol of Ireland because they were used by St. Patrick to teach the doctrine of the Trinity. FIFE FREE FRESS.—'' Vigilando munio" means, "I am watchful." LIVERPOOL ^lERCURY.—" Libertas," liberty. " Salus populi lex suprema," " The welfare of the people is the first great law ; " said to have been derived from the Laws of the Twelve Tables at Rome. PEEBLESHIRE ADVERTISER. — " Contra nando incrementum," "Increase by swimming against the flood or stream." Salmon come up the Tweed to Peebles and a long way beyond it, from the sea, Just the Very TInng, 155 for the purpose of spawning, so that by swimming against the stream they do so to increase. At the head of this newspaper is a cut representing two fish in one position, while one occupies a reverse position ; this signifies that for one salmon that comes up the stream, two go down. WEST BRITON.—" Frisca Fides " means, " The true, ancient, or right faith." LEEDS EVENING EXPRESS.—" Right and duty are like two palm trees ; which bear no fruit unless they grow by the side of each other." MONMOUTHSHIRE BEACON.—" Non nobis sed patris," " Not for ourselves but for our country." ISLE OF MAN TIMES.— " Quocunquc jeceris stabit " means, " Whichever way you throw me I will stand." WESTERN INDEPENDENT.— 'M Deo et rege" means, " For God and the King; " motto of Earls Harrington and Stanhope. AMERICAN REGISTER.— " E piuribus unum: This is the motto of the United States, and means " one from many." OSWESTRY ADVERTISER.— "Y gwir yn erbyn y byd " is Welsh for " The Truth against the World ; " the Druidic Gorsedd motto. 156 Just the Very Thing, EDINBURGH COURANT. — " Mst domijws frustra." " Unless the Lord be with you all your toil is vain." This is the motto of Edinburgh and is from Psalm cxxvii. i. BELFAST NEWS l.'ETT'ER.—" Pro tanto quid retribuamus." " For so great a good what shall we give." IRISH ECCLESIASTICAL GAZETTE.— "g^ns separabit." " Who shall separate us ?" The Greek motto, YlavTa (,OKi/ii^ pere to KaXdv Kark X^T^- means "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good." DARTMOUTH CHRONICLE,—" I will main- tain," Je maintiendrai — I will maintain — is the motto of the House of Orange. William III. landed at Brixham, Torbay, November 5th, 1688, from the Dutch frigate "Brill." His flag was at once hoisted on a barn near; it displayed the arms of Nassau quartered with those of England and the words (in letters three feet in length) ; " Tlie liberties of England and the Protestant religion I will maintain." — Macaulay, chap. ix. page 248. WESTERN GUARDIAN.—" Virtus in ardiiis means, "Virtue (or valour) in diflficulties " — adapted from Horace as ths motto of the Irish Viscouut Cullen. Just the Very Thing. 157 CAPE ARGUS.— " vS/^s honar The motto of Cape Colony meaning, "Good Hope." TEVIOTDALE RECORD.—" Strenuc d prospere: " Strength and prosperity." CHIEL. — "Nemo me impune lacesset." The motto of the order of the Thistle, meaning, "No one assails or provokes me with impunity." "A chiel's amang ye takin' notes." — Burns, " On Captain Grose." The lines in relation to this quotation are : — ** If there's a hole in a' your coats, I rede ye tent it ; A chiel's amang ye takin' notes, And, faith, he'll prent it." WATERFORD MAIL.— "Vincit Veritas" m >ans, " Truth conquers." Motto of the Irish Eai Is of Ballamont and Montrath. NORTHERN WHIG.—" Pro rege scepe—pro patria semper," means " Often for the king — always for the country." WEXFORD INDEPENDENT.— "Pro rcgina et patria" means "For my queen and country." CHELTENHAM FREE PRESS.— " This is not the cause of Faction, or of Party, or of any individual ; but the common interests of every man in Britain." — Junius. BUXTON HERALD.— " Cavcndo tutus." The motto of the House of Cavendish, meaning, "Safe by taking heed." 158 just the Very Tiling. CANTERBURY FREE PRESS.— "Let Truth and Falsehood grapple. Whoever knew Truth worsted in a free and open encounter?" Milton's " Areopagitica : A speech for the liberty of un- licensed printing." EASTBOURNE CHRONICLE.— "A/^/w^ sqiiimiir." The motto of the town of Eastbourne, meaning, " Better things are followed." DURHAM UNIVERSITY JOURNAL.— " Fund amenta ejus super montibiis sanctio," is the motto of the University^ taken from Psalm Ixxxvii. verse i. The English rendering is, " Her founda- tions are upon the holy hills." Durham is in many respects like Jerusalem ; hence the appropriateness of the quotation. ABERDEEN JOURNAL.— " Bon Accord" means, "Good Agreement." It was with "A cup of Bon accord " that the Lord Provost and Bailies of Aberdeen were wont to welcome their distin- guished visitors. Bon Accord is the motto of the town, nnd is often used as an alternative name of the town itself. There is a tradition associating the motto with a gallant fight on the part of the citizens m favour of Robert Bruce against an English garrison. In the assault the watchword was Bon Accord, and in grateful recollection of this the Scottish king included it as the motto of the town in the armorial bearings conferred upon it. CHAPTER VII. NEWSPAPER NAMES. ECHO.— The Romans say that Echo was a nymph in love with Narcissus, who pined away till her voice alone remained, because her love was not reiprocated. FIGARO. — The name of a hero in two plays by Beaumarchais. — " The Barber of Seville," and " The Marriage of Figaro." In the former he is a barber, in the latter, a valet, but in both he out- wits every one ; hence the word means any shrewd, cunning, or witty person. As applied to a newspaper it means a barber — proverbially famed for news-gossip. VANITY FAIR.— In Bunyan's " Pilgrim's Pro gress " this is the name of a city where a fair was held all the year round. " The way to the Celestial City is just through this town where this lusty fair is kept ; and he that would go to the City, and yet not go through the town, must needs go out of the world." " It beareth the name of Vanity Fair because the town where it was kept is lighter than vanity." (Psalm Ixii. 9.) T -Q loo Just the Very Thing. ATHEN^UM.— A place in Athens where the learned publicly read their compositions. ACADEMY. — The gymnasium, still called Academia, in the suburbs of Athens in which Plato taught and so called from Academus to whom the ground originally belonged. CENTAUR.— A huntsman. The Thessalian (Thessaly in S. Turkey) centaurs were half horses, half men. They were invited to a marriage feast, and being intoxicated, behaved with great rudeness to the women. The Lapithae took the women's part, fell upon the centaurs and drove them out of the country. " Dr. Brewer's Dictionary." JOHN BULL.— A character from Dr. Arbuth- not's " History of J. Bull or Law is a Bottomless Pit," 17 13, intended as a personification of the English nation, and represented as an "honest, plain dealing fellow, choleric, bold and of a very inconstant temper," which " depended very much upon the air ; his spirit rose and fell with the weatherglass. He dreaded not old Lewis,* either at backsword, single falchion or cudgel play ; hut then he was very apt to quarrel with his best friends ; especially if they pretended to govern him; if you flattered him you might lead him like ♦Louis XIV. of France Jtisl the Very Thinr^. t6t a child." "But no man alive was more careless lu looking into his accounts, or more cheated by part- ners, apprentices, and servants. This was occa- sioned by his being a boon companion, loving his bottle and his diversions ; for, to say the truth, no man kept a better house than John, nor spent his money more generously." PALL MALL GAZETTE.— This paper received its name sixteen years before its publication owing to the fact of its being mentioned in one of Thackeray's works. Mr. G. Smith, of the firm of Smith, Elder & Co., was a great admirer of Thackeray's writings, and having resolved to publish a paper, he gave it the above title. The "Pall Mall Gazette," in Thackeray's «Pen- dennis," is a paper started by Bungay, edited by Captain Shandon, sub-edited by Frank Finucane. "'Pall Mall Gazette' ! Why P. M. G. ?" asked Wagg. " Because the editor was born in Dublin, the sub-editor in Cork, because the proprietor lives in Paternoster Row, and the paper is published in Catherine Street. Won't that reason suffice you, Wagg ? " "Pall Mall" was once a walk lined with trees, and derived its name from a game introduced from France, and much played here at the beginning of the 1 62 Just the Very Thing. Seventeenth Century. The object of the game was to drive a ball along a straight alley and through an elevated ring. " To St. James's Park, where I saw the Duke of York playing at Pele-mele, the first time that I ever saw the sport." — " Pepys' Diary," April 2, 1661. WHITEHALL REVIEW.— Whitehall, erected by Wolsey, obtained its name from the newness and freshness of its appearance when compared with the ancient buildings of York Place which previously occupied the site. York Place, because given to the See of York by Walter Gray, Arch- bishop of York. *'-^Gt)i : So she parted And with the same full state paced back again To York Place, where the feast is held. I Gen. : Sir, you Must no more call it York Place, that is past ; 'Tis now the King's, and called Whitehall." King Henry VIII., Act iv. sc. i. IVL^GPIE. — A contraction of magot-pie, a.> used by Shakespeare in " Macbeth," Act iii. sc. 4. " Augurs, and undL-rstood relations have, By magot pies, and coughs, and rooks brou,:?ht forth. The secret'st man of blood." As the magpie or pie belongs to the pica genus of birds, the nanie is probably a corruption of major Just the Very Thing. 163 pica, ns distinguished from a much smaller bird called minor pica. PENUEL. — " The face of God." — Genesis x.xxii. 30. BROAD ARROW.— The broad arrow used as a Government mark, is the broad A of the Druids, and was typical of rank and authority. It also represents the arms of the Sidney family, and was first used on government stores when Henry Viscount Sidney was Master -General of the Ordnance from July, 1693, to June, 1702. BLUE RIBBON CHRONICLE.— The organ of the Blue Ribbon Army, whose choice of badge is based on Numbers, xv. 38, "Speak unto the children of Israel and bid them that they make fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generat'ons, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue." TIMES. — The Times was originally called the ' Universal Register." Tlie reason for the change of title is given in the following, taken from the Hrs: number : — "Boy bring me the Register." The waiter answers, " Sir, we have no library, but you L 2 164 Just the Very Thing. may see it in the New Exchange Coffee House." "Then I will see it there," answers the disappointed politician, and he goes to the New Exchange Coffee House and calls for the Register upon which the waiter presents him with the " Court and City Register," the " Old Annual Register" or the "New" ditto, or if the coffee house be within the purlieus of Covent Garden or the hundreds of Drury Lane, slips in the politician's hands Harris's " Register of Ladies." For these and other reasons the printer of the Universal Register has added to its original name that of the " Times," which being a monosyllable bids defiance to the muti- lations and corruption of the language. IRELAND'S EYE (Dublin).— So called from an island in the Irish Sea about two miles off the coast of Dublin, It is a pyramid of quartz rock, commands a very fine view, and has ruins of St. Nessau's Abbey. WIZARD OF THE NORTH (Dundee).— A title bestowed upon Sir Walter Scott in allusion to the magical influence of his works upon their first appearance. ORANGE BLOSSOMS.— European brides are said to have first worn orange blossoms after the Just the Very Thing. 165 return of the Crusaders, who related how the Saracen brides used to wear this flower as an emblem of fecundity ; but the modern practice is due no doubt to the recent taste for flower lan- guage, in which the orange blossom is a symbol of virginity. MORNING ADVERTISER.— The organ of the Licensed Victuallers' Association, who started it nearly a century ago. For a long time this paper devoted one-half of its front page to notices of publicans and tavern keepers ; while the other half was filled up with notices of religious books and lists of preachers at the London churches and chapels. This earned for the paper the singular sobnquet of the " Gin and Gospel Gazette." QUIZ (Oldest Illustrated paper in Scotland). — The nom dt plum& assumed by Charles Dickens (1812-70) in publishing "Young Couples," illus- trated by "Phiz" (H. K. Browne). FREEMASON.— One of a Mutual Assistance Society, whose members make themselves known to each other by means of secret signs. Freemasonry, as an incorporated craft, took its rise in the middle ages. Skilled masons went from place to place to assist in building cathedrals, 1 66 Just the Very Thing. abbeys, &c. ; and it was essential for them to have some sign by which on commg to a strange place they could be recognised as real craftsmen from impostors. Called " free," because exempted by several papal orders from the laws imposed upon common craftsmen. ENTR'ACTE.— See "Familiar Foreign Words and Phrases." WHEELING.— Also the name of a town in Virginia, United States. THE MAGNET.— A name given to the load- stone, because it was first obtained from Magnesia, in Lydia. L. S. D.— Abbreviated forms of the Latin words lihra, solidus, denayitcs,ihe names of certain Roman coins. VULCAN (Lancashire). — Named after Jupiter's son. the god of fire and of those who worked in metals. He was banished for attempting to deliver his mother from punishment ; and being thrown out of Heaven fell on the Isle of Lemnos, and broke his leg in the fall, which occupied nine days and nights. Vulcan is said to have had his black- smith's workshop in Mount Etna, where the Just the Very Thing. 167 Cyclops assisted him in forging thunderbolts for Jove. PUNCH OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.— Punch is an abbreviation of Punchinello from Pullicinella — a puppet show introduced into this country from Italy. D'Israeli in his " Curiosities of Literature " says that " all his dignity may have been received from antiquity ; one of his Roman ancestors having appeared to an antiquary's visionary eye in a bronze statue, discovered in 1727." " London Charivari " was used in contradistinc- tion to the " Paris Charivari," a satirical journal published in 1822. Charivari is French for " clat- tering of pots and pans." — A noise made to annoy obnoxious persons. BAILIE (Glasgow). — A surname taken from Sir Walter's Scott's novel, '' Rob Roy." PORCUPINE (Liverpool).— Named after Peter Porcupine, a nam de plume of William Cobbett. We have the " Peter Porcupine Gazette' a news- paper he established in Philadelphia, and also, in 12 vols., the " Porcupine Papers." ST. JAMES'S GAZETTE.— St. James's parish takes its name from an hospital once on the present site of St. James's Palace built by Plenry VIII. The 1 68 Just the Very Thing. Palace is the official town residence of the English Court. ARGUS (Melbourne). — The name of a fabulous being of Roman mythology, said to have had a hundred eyes, and who was placed by Juno to watch lo ; hence any watchful person or newspaper LEEDS MERCURY.— The figure at the head of this paper represents Mercury, a son of Jupiter, and bearer of news from the gods. In his hand is his winged wand or caduceiis with which he is said to have given sleep to whomsoever he chose. The design of the wand, representing a male and female vserpent kissing each other, was borrowed by the Romans from the Egyptians. ARGOSY. — A large merchant ship ; probably so called from the Argo (G. argo, swift) in which Jason sailed to recover the golden fleece. CHATTERBOX.— In Germany the word chatter- bag is used instead of chatterbox. In "Measure for Measure," Act iii. Scene 2, it says : — " His use was to put a ducat m her clack dish." that is, her beggar's box or tray which clattered when money was put in. In some old writers a child's wicker rattle is som -times culled a clatter- Just the Very Thing, 169 basket ; hence the word no doubt means a olatter or noisy box. ST. STEPHEN'S REVIEW.— St. Stephen's is the name often applied to the two Houses of Parliament together, but more properly means the House of Commons, which is so called from St. Stephen's Chapel, built by King Stephen, and rebuilt by Edward H. and Edward UI., and finally destroyed by fire in 1834. St. Stephen's Chapel was fitted up for the use of the House of Commons in the reign of Edward IV. GLOBE. — This paper absorbed in the course of years several evening papers, the best of which was the Traveller ; hence its additional title. GAZETTE. — A word derived from the Italian gazetia, a Venetian coin about three farthings in value, the sum charged for permission to peruse the first newspaper published in Venice. The name is applied to the official newspaper of England and Scotland, in which Government, legal, bank- ruptcy, and other notices are given to the public. BLACKWOOD'S EDINBURGH MAGAZINE. — It was at one time familiarly known as Maga (from Magazine) and " Old Ebony," in allusion to the publisher's name. 170 Just the Very Thing. FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW.— The reason this magazine is so called is that it was originally published fortnightly. It commenced publication in this form in May, 1865, and ceased to come out every fortnight in November, 1866, when it was first issued as a monthly — its present form. INDEX PAGE PAGE A. 1. Lloyd's •3' Bailie 15 I, 167 A r.olden Newspnper 80 Hailifr, Wish .. . 58 A Journalistic Relic .. 98 Hallot, Voting by • S5 A Knot 39 Bankrupt • 38 A Monument to the Times .. 88 Baptist . 145 A Nationnl Struggle in the P.ar, Prisoner at the .. • 33 Agony Column 92 Belfast News Letter ,. . 156 A Newspaper without an Bell's Life . 144 Editor 98 Bench, Treasury . 68 A Picture of the Press 4 Benches, Cross . 68 A Shrewd Advertisement .. 96 Bills, Parliamentary .. 38. 42 Al)erdeen Journal 158 birth and growth of News- Academy 160 papers Q-20 Act 6 & 7, Will. IV., Cap. 68 Births, Marriages and Deaths S. 3 64 Column • 78 Admiralty and Horse Guards Black Cap • 46 (iazette 147 Black Rod^ .. . 56 Alderm:in 57 Blackwood's Edinburgh Maga- Amerii.an Register 155 zine . 169 An Advertisement 234 years Blue Books • 74 aS'i 82 Blue Ribbon Chronicle . 163 Another Curious Advertise- Board of Tr.ide . 46 ment .. 97 Bourbons • 72 Annual Ministerial Dinner .. 73 Bourse .. 65 Arches, Court of 34 Bridgend Chronicle . . . 152 Arjiosy .. .. .. 141, 168 Brighton Examiner .. • 154 Argus 168 Broad Arrow .. .. 163 Art Unions 47 Budget •• 47 Article, Leading 53 Bullion ■• 75 Assent, The Royal .. 37 Buxton Herald .. 157 Assize, Maiden 77 Assizes .. .. .. .. 33 Athen?enm t6o Cabinet, The .. • 70 Allacliment, Writ of .. 69 Canterbury Free Press . 158 &. Co »« 64 Canvasser » 57 171 172 Index. PAGE Cap, Black ., «, ..46 Cape Argus 157 Caucus .. .. .. ..48 Centaur . . .. .. .. 160 Certiorari, Writ of . . . . 69 Chancellor of Exchequer . . 63 Charles Dickens' Salary . . 83 Chatterbox 168 Chauvinism . . . . . . 67 Cheltenham Free Press .. 157 Chiel 157 Chiltern Hundreds, The .. 36 Christian Commonwealth .. 144 Christian Socialist .. .. 143 Christian World Pulpit .. 146 Church Bells 141 Church Intelligencer .. .. 146 City, Freedom of .. .. 54 City Press .. .. ,. 138 Ci\il List .. ., ••71 Club, Eighty 75 Cloture .. .. .. ••35 Commercial Department, Board of Trade . . • • 47 \omic Papers at beginning of present Century .. ..91 Committee, Select .. ..62 Committee of Supply . . 62 Committee of Ways and Means .. .. ..62 Committee of the whole House . . . . . . 63 Company, Limited . . . . 64 Companies, Gas and Water.. 47 Companies, Joint Stock . . 47 Companies, Tramway .. 47 Congress 65 Conservatives 45 Copyhold 59 Copyright 47 Coroner . . . . . . ..41 Cortes 38 Cost of London Newspaper Articles 91 Costly Messages .. .. 81 Council, Privy.. .. .. 69 Count Out .. *. •• 53 PAGB Court of Arches . . • • 34 Court of Judicature, The Supreme . . . . . . 60 Cricket 144 Crofters 57 Cross Benches 63 Crowle Advertiser .. -.153 Cumulative Vote . . . . 72 Curious advertisement of a Concert 80 Czar 72 Daily Telegraph . . . . 87 Dartmouth Chronicle. . .. 156 Day, Order of, To move for 50 Daylight 150 Decree Nisi 64 Derry Journal . . .. .. 150 Dietetic Reformer .. .. 148 Division, Probate .. .. 38 Dollar Mark 52 Drawing Room . . • • 54 Drogheda Independent .. 154 Diurham University Journal 158 Eagle and County Cork Advertiser . . ISI Eastbourne Chronicle is8 Eastbourne Gazette . ISI Echo 137. JSq Edinbuigh Courant . is6 Edinburgh Review . 142 Editor's Box . . . 81 Eighty Club . . . 75 Entr'acte 166 Estate, Fourth 61 Evening Stand ird 84 Exchequer, Chancello rof .. 63 FamiliT Newspaper Phra««s .. ». 30—77 Farthuiji iMewspapers .. 91 Fenians 45 Fife Free Press .. ••154 Fifeshire Journal .. ., 154 Figaro . . . . « 147, 159 Index. 173 PAGE Finance Department, Board of 'I'rade 47 Financial Reformer ., .. 140 First French Newspaper ., 97 First Irish Newspaper ,. 80 First Paper printed by steam 79 First Sunday Newspaper .. 80 Five hundred pounds fine for selling a Newspaper . . 83 Five Venerable Newspapers 90 Foreign Words and Phrases .. .. 100-136 Fortnightly Review .. .. 170 Fuiirth Estate 61 Fourth Party 69 Free Trade . . .. .. 61 Freedom of the City . . . . 54 Freehold 58 Freeman 145 Freemason 165 French Words and Phrases 100-135 Friend of China .. ..14 Garden . . . . . . . . 144 (ias Companies . . • . 47 Gazette . . . . . . . . 169 George III., and the North Briton.. .. .. • ■ 79 Globe .. .. .. ..169 Gloucester Standard . . .. 152 Good Words 1 39 Grand Old Man .. ..75 Grand Vizier . . . . • • 57 Grass for Newspapers .. 93 Gravesend Journal .. ..151 Halfpenny Newspapers . . 82 Handicap . . . . . . 32 Harbour Department, Board of Trade . . . . • • 47 Health 138 Herald of Peace and National Arbitration 146 Herts and Cambridge Re- porter 153 High Bailiff 58 High Seas 50 PACK Home Rule 56 Honourable, Right .. • • 53 Horse and Hound .. .. 145 House, Committee of whole 63 House, Trinity .. ••52 House, The White .. ■• 49 Huddersfield Weekly News 151 Hull Packet 149 Hundred, Liberal .. ..76 Hundreds, The Chiltem .. 36 Ireland's Eye .. .. ..164 Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette 156 Isle of Man Times .. .. 155 Isle of Wight County Press 154 Jersey Observer .. .. 151 Jewish Chronicle .. ..141 Jingoes 43 John Bull 160 Joint Stock Companies .. 47 Juttings, Newspaper . . 78-99 Journal of Vigilance Associa- tion 143 Judicature, Supreme Court of 60 Jury 34 Kendal Mercury ,. . 152 Knot, a . . .. .. •• 39 Knowledge .. .. ••139 Labour News 147 Labour Standard .. .. 145 Latin Words and Phrases 100-136 Laureate, Poet .. • • 59 Leading Article . . . . 53 Leeds Evening Express .. 155 Leeds Mercury .. 152,168 Left, The 66 Legitimists .. .. ..74 Leicester Advertiser . . .. 151 Letters Patent 60 Levee 54 Liberal Hundred .. .. 76 Liberals.. .. .. ..45 Limited Company ., .. 64 Liverpool M^^rcury ,. .. 15* 174 Index, Lloyd's Local Option . . Londonderry Standard L. S. D PAGE ^ • 31 ■ • 52 I • M9 . 166 Magnet, The . . Magpie .. Maiden Assize . . Manchester City News Marine Department, board of Trade.. Mayor .. MetropoHtan Gas and Water Companies . . Ministerial l>iiiner, Annual .. Ministeri ili>i.s Monmouthshire iieacon Moonshine Morning All verti.-,er .. Morning Mail Mortgage National Phil.mthropisi Nature .. Naval and Military C Newcastle Weekly Com News Lxtraordinary .. Mews seventy years ago ^.ew^paper Advertisenn N e wspaper J ottings . . Newspaper Mottoes .. Newspaper Names Newspaper i'hrases .. Newspaper, registered ;( Ncwsvciidors . . Nihilists Nisi, Decree .. Northern Whig Notes and Queries Miincio, Papal . . Official Receiver Oppuilunisis .. Opposition, The Option, Local .. Orange Hlossoms Orangemen 166 162 77 150 47 73 66 J55 148 165 139 39 .. 138 .. 138 izette 148 »nt .. 154 .. 78 .. 85 nts 21-29 78-99 137-158 159-170 30-77 32 90 49 64 '57 148 ^1 Order (Jrder of the Day, to move for Orders, Standing Origin of the word News .. 0>westry Adventurer Out-of-the-Way Papers PAGE 4; 74 66 52 164 44 Pair off . . Pall Mall Gazette Panslavist Papal Nuncio . . Parliam nUry liilh Party, Fourth .. Pasha . . Pastime . . Patent, Letters Peebleshiie Adven Penal Servitude Pennies spent Papers Penuel Pictorial World Poet Laureate .. Porcupine Porte .. Practical Teacher Premier, The . . Presbyterian . . Previous (Question, to the .. : Primrose Record Prisoner at the I5ar .. Private bms .. Privy Council . . Probate Division Proceedings of Royal graphical Society . . Progress was reported Protectionist Protestant Times Public Bills .. Pump Court Punch, or London Cha Quarter Sessions on I ondon 73 161 71 67 42 69 57 MS 60 154 56 95 163 13S 59 167 60 139 62 .. 50 .. 148 .. 33 .. 38 .. 69 .. 38 Ge... • '43 •- 49 •• •■ 73 .. 14J •• 3^ . •■ 139 rivari 167 .. 33 Index. 175 Question, To move previous Quiz Radicals Railway Department, Board of Trade Re .. Receiver, Official Ixecorder Red-tapism Registered as a Newspipe Kente Renter's Telegrams Riclunond W'liig Riyht Honourable Rock Rol. Black _ .. Room, Drav\iiig Round Robin . . Royal Assent, The Rule, Home Rule was granted Russian censorship of the Press Russian Newspaper, First Scotch Crofters Scotland Yard . . Select Oomniittee Senate .. Sergeant-at-Arms Servitude, I^cii.il Sessions, Quarter Sheriff .. .. _ .. Shropshiie Guardian .. Skiljhereen Eagle SLivophile Society Spe iker, The . . St. Helen's Newspiper St. James's (lazette .. St. Stephen's Review.. Stage .. Standard, Evening .. Standing Orders Steeple Chase .. Sterling . . . . . . PAGE the 50 [65 47 65 67 72 67 32 65 30 152 53 93 99 57 51 62 65 36 ■;6 33 54 150 151 71 140 76 149 107 109 '41 «4 4S 43 75 PAGE Subpoena 34 Suffrage, Women's .. .. 48 Superstition in the Seventeenth Century . . . • ■ 95 Supply, Connniltee of .. 62 Supreme Couit of Judicature 60 Sunday Gems . . .. •• '47 Tablet 14^ Taxes on Newspapers .. 87 Telegrams, Neuter's .. .. 30 Telegraphic Reporting . . 67 Telegraphist .. .. .. 142 Temperance Record .. • • ' 37 Teviotdale Record .. •• '57 The Cabinet . . . . . . 70 The Chi tern Hundreds .. 36 'i'he earliest Provincial Ncw-.- paper . . 98 The tirst Rus'-ian Newspaper 99 The Gr.ind Vizier .. .-57 'Jhe Left 66 'i'he Liberty of the Press . . 92 The Magnet . . . . . . 166 I'he most largely circulated Newspaper in the World . . ga The New York Herald .. 84 The Opposition . . . . 66 The Premier . . . . . . 62 The Royal Assent . . . . 37 The site of the 'limes Office 93 'I'he Speaker . . . . . . 76 1 he I'hunderer . . • • 94 Ihe I'imes and the Prince of Wales' Marriage .. -79 The United Kin^.iom's News- paper E.xpeiuiitiirc .. ..90 'I'lie Vatic.m a,\ ') he White Hou-.e . . ■ • 49 Tlie World's >.'evv->papc^r Po-^t 97 'limber .. .. .. ..1.(6 'I iines, Tl.e . . ! . . 103 'I'o move lor the Order of the Day . . . . . . . . 50 To move tiie Previou^> (ques- tion . . . . . . • • 50 Tonnage .. .. ..56 176 Index. Tory .. Trade, Board of Trade, Fre^- . . Trade Newspapers Tramway Companies . . Treasury Bench Trinity House . . Truth .. Two long advertisements Ukase Ultramontane Party . . Value of Advertisements Daily Telegraph . . Vanity F lir . . . . i Vatican, The . . Vizier, The Grand .. Volunteer Record Volunteer Service Gazette Voting by Ballot Vulcan Wanted to borrow War Correspondents . . Water Companies Waterford Mail Ways and Means, Committee of West Briton West London Observer PAGE . 40 . 46 . 61 . 83 • 47 . 68 • 52 • 144 • 97 PACK West Yorkshire Pioneer .. 153 Western Figaro .. 14Q Western Guardian .. ••'56 Western Independent .. 155 Westminster and Lambeth Gazette 138 Westminster Herald . . . . 153 Wexford Independent . . 157 Wheeling i66 Whig and Tory .. ,. 4J Whips 51 White Books 74 White House, The .. ••49 Whitehall Review .. .. 162 Why our Newspapers are damp . . . . . . . . 85 Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard .. .. .. 150 Wine Trade Review .. .. 137 Wizard of the North.. .. 164 Women Newspaper Pub- lishers 86 Women's Suffrage . . . . 48 Woolsack, The.. .. .. 46 Woolwich Gazette .. ..148 Worship, Your .. ..51 Writ of Attachment .. ..69 Writ of Certiorari .. ..69 Yard, Scotland Yellow Books . , Your Worship -. , • • 51 •• 74 .. 51 > DiPROSE, Bateman & Co., Printers, Sheffield Street. Lincoln's Inn Fields. 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