F.
Martha Blount (Vol. vii., pp. 38. 117.).—At "Brandon," the seat of the Harrisons on the James River, Virginia, is a likeness of Miss Blount by Sir Godfrey Kneller; and at "Berkeley," also on the James River, and the residence of another branch of the same family, is one of the Duchess of Montagu, also by Kneller. Thus much in answer to the Query. But in this connexion I would mention, that on the James River are many fine pictures, portraits of worthies famous in English history. At "Shirley" there is one of Col. Hill, by Vandyke; at Brandon, one of Col. Byrd, by Vandyke; also Lord Orrery, Duke of Argyle, Lord Albemarle, Lord Egmont, Sir Robert Walpole, and others, by Kneller.
These pictures are mentioned in chap. ix. of Travels in North America during the Years 1834-1836, by the Hon. Charles Augustus Murray; a gentleman who either is, or was, Master of the Queen's Household.
T. Balch.
Philadelphia.
Longevity (Vol. viii., p. 113.).—As W. W. asserts that there is a lady living (or was two months ago) in South Carolina, who is known to be 131 years old, he will no doubt be good enough to let the readers of "N. & Q." know it also. And although W. W. thinks it will not be necessary to search in "annual or parish registers" to prove the age of the singular Singleton, yet he must produce documentary evidence of some sort; unless, indeed, he knows an older person who remembers the birth of the aged Carolinian.
Having paid the well-known Mr. Barnum a fee to see a negress, whom the cute showman exhibited as the nurse of the great Washington, I have fifty cents worth of reasons to subscribe myself
A Doubter.
Its (Vol. vii., p. 578.).—B. H. C. is perfectly correct in saying, that I was mistaken in my quotation from Fairfax's Tasso. It only remains for me to explain how I fell into the error. It was, then, from using Mr. Knight's edition of the work for though the orthography was modernised, which I like, I never dreamed of an editor's taking the liberty of altering the text of his author. I love to be corrected when wrong, and here express my thanks to B. H. C. I inform him that there is another passage in Shakspeare with its in it, but not having marked it, I cannot find it just now: I think it is in Lear.
I have said that I like modernised orthography. We have modernised that of the Bible, and of the dramatists; why then are we so superstitious with respect to the barbarous system of Spenser? I am convinced that the Fairy Queen, if printed in modern orthography, would find many readers who are repelled by the uncouth and absurd spelling of the poet, who wanted to rhyme to the eye as well as to the ear. Let us then have a "Spenser for the People."