"The hero of this beautiful ballad was my ancestor, Sir John Bolle of Thorpe Hall, Lincolnshire, of most ancient and loyal family, and father of that Colonel Bolle who fell in Alton Church, whilst fighting against the rebels in December, 1643. Of the truth of this I am prepared to give the curious in these matters the most abundant evidence, but the space which the subject would occupy would necessarily exclude it from your columns.
"The writer of the paper in the Edinburgh says:—'Had the necklace been still extant, the preference would have been due to Littlecot.' The necklace is still extant, in the possession of a member of my family, and in the house whence I write. In Illingworth's Topographical Account of Scampton, with Anecdotes of the Family of Bolles, it is stated: 'The portrait of Sir John, drawn in 1596, at the age of thirty-six years, having on the gold chain given him by the Spanish Lady, &c., is still in the possession of his descendant, Capt. Birch.'
"That portrait is now in the possession of Capt. Birch's successor, Thomas Bosvile Bosvile, Esq., of Ravensfield Park, Yorkshire, my brother, and may be seen by any one. I will only add another extract from Illingworth's Scampton:—'On Sir John Bolle's departure from Cadiz, the Spanish Lady sent as presents to his wife, a profusion of jewels and other valuables, amongst which was her portrait drawn in green; plate, money, and other treasure. Some articles are still in possession of the family; though her picture was unfortunately, and by accident, disposed of about half a century since. This portrait being drawn in green, gave occasion to her being called, in the neighbourhood of Thorpe Hall, the Green Lady; where, to this day, there is a traditionary superstition among the vulgar, that Thorpe Hall was haunted by the Green Lady, who used nightly to take her seat in a particular tree near the mansion.' In Illingworth there is a long and full account of the Spanish Lady, and the ballad is given at length."
Edward F. Rimbault.
Niagara (Vol. vii., pp. 50. 137.).—Let me add one other authority of comparatively recent date on Goldsmith's side of the vexata quæstio, about the pronunciation of this name:
"And we'd take verses out to Demerara,
To New South Wales, and up to Niagara."
Proëme to The Monks and the Giants, by
William and Robert Whistlecraft, i. e.
John Hookham Frere.
Balliolensis.
Hymn attributed to Handel (Vol. ix., p. 303.).—I do not understand whether Mr. Storer's Query refers to the words or music of this hymn. If to the former, it is most assuredly not Handel's. It is strange that the church does not possess one genuine psalm or hymn tune of this mighty master, although he certainly composed several. The popular melody called Hanover, usually attributed to Handel, was printed in the Supplement to the New Version of Psalms (a collection of tunes) in 1703. Handel did not arrive in England till 1710. It is improbable, from many circumstances, that he composed this grand melody. It was probably the work of Dr. Croft.