Sir,—Mr. William Boyne, in your "Current Notes" for February, asks any of your readers to inform him if there were any Tradesmen's Tokens of Scotland issued during the seventeenth century. I find in a small collection of Tokens I possess, an Edinburgh and Glasgow halfpenny, dates 1791 and 1793, proving there were some during the eighteenth century, though I have never met with any of an earlier date.
Yours, &c.
M. A. M.
March 12, 1852.
The Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire.—T. M. considers the Rev. Dr. Hume's "attack" upon him ("Current Notes," for February, p. 10) to be "most unfair and uncalled for." He, however, admits the accuracy of Dr. Hume's statement, and withdraws his charge of the unacknowledged appropriation of his communication, although he questions the Rev. Gentleman's taste or temper in accusing him of want of patience or civility. "My copy," writes T. M. "does not contain the pages which were forwarded to you by Dr. Hume, and you have sent on to me. How, therefore, could I overlook pages which do not exist in my copy? Now, suppose no such pipe ever existed, but in the fumes of my brain (for I sometimes have strange fancies), and that I, in a hoaxing humour, transferred it to paper, and transmitted it to you. I say, again, suppose that no such inn ever existed at Fulham as the Golden Lion—would not I have an everlasting laugh at the learned Doctor Hume, and the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, and "Willis's Current Notes?" And would it not make as good a story as Bishop Heber's, or James Smith's hoaxes upon the venerable 'Gentleman's Magazine,' or Dr. Maginn's Correspondence with the trusty 'Times;' or Hook's political information to the 'Morning Post;' or the recent Roman Bridge affair, and Lord Goring's cobbler's bill, about his corns, in the York papers? Look to this, Mr. Willis; and don't encourage men to try and defend themselves at the expense of your Correspondent."
T. M.
Tobacco.—The charge made against the Historical Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, by your correspondent T. M. in your "Current Notes" for January (p. 5), induced me to refer to the former numbers, of which, as I do not possess a complete set, I will thank you to forward me a copy of the Collected Edition you have announced. But, as by looking over the numbers which I have, I find that T. M. (see "Current Notes" for Feb. 1851, p. 13), is curious upon the subject of smoking and tobacco, I send you the following extract from an old miscellaneous manuscript book which came into my possession a few years since at Gloucester, and has the dates 1699 and 1703, with the names Bubb or Butt and Richard Smith in it—but part of which is written in a much earlier hand.
"I was tempted to smoke no tobac
And to smoke.
"When the (HOLY) Angel (Spirit) torn'd I
Discorst on to the other
I told him that I
Did think not to smoke no more
Tobacko nor drink no more Alle
And I have. I hope the Lord
Will forgive me, as he told the
Spirit blind me, and ever since
I have been tempted to smoke and
Not to smok. The Angel Spirit
Is you when I do smok no tobac
But when I do he comes to me
Again and I am tempted to smok."