The portrait of George Stevens, the celebrated annotator on Shakspeare, who died in 1800, was bequeathed by him to a relative, Mrs. Gomm of Spital Square; and at that lady’s death, some years after, it passed, I have reason to expect, into the possession of her relative, Mr. Fince, of Bishopsgate Street.  I have no farther information of it.

The portrait of Charles Cotton, by Sir Peter Lely, was, at the time (1814) when Linnell took a copy, and (in 1836) when Humphreys took a copy, in the possession of John Berisford, Esq., of Compton House, Ashborne, Derbyshire; and the following extracts of letters will show who at present possesses it:—­

    “Leek, 14th July, 1842.

    “After Mr. Berisford’s decease, I should think the portrait of Cotton
    would fall into the hands of his nephew Francis Wright, Esq., of Linton
    Hall, near Nottingham.

    I am, &c. &c”

    “Linton Hall, Aug. 19. 1842.

    “Sir,—­The Rev. J. Martin, of Trinity College, Cambridge, is the
    possessor of the portrait of Cotton to which your letter alludes.  I am,
    Dear Sir,

    “Yours, in haste,

    “F.  WRIGHT.”

I avail myself of the present opportunity to ask the authority for the portrait of Bunyan appended to his ever-fresh allegory.  The engraved portrait I have has not the name of the painter.

O.W.

Sonnet:  Attempting to prove that Black is White.—­

  “It has been said of many, they were quite
    Prepared to prove (I do not mean in fun)
  That white was really black, and black was white;
    But I believe it has not yet been done. 
  Black (Saxon, Blac) in any way to liken
    With candour may seem almost out of reach;
  Yet whiten is in kindred German bleichen,
    Undoubtedly identical with bleach: 
  This last verb’s cognate adjective is bleak—­
    Reverting to the Saxon, bleak is blaek. [4]
  A semivowel is, at the last squeak,
    All that remains such difference wide to make—­
  The hostile terms of keen antithesis
  Brought to an E plus ultra all but kiss!”

MEZZOTINTO.

[Footnote 4:  Pronounced (as black was anciently written) blake.]

Nicholas Breton’s Fantasticks, 1626.—­MR. HEBER says, “Who has seen another copy?” In Tanner’s Collection in the Bodleian Library is one copy, and in the British Museum is another, the latter from Mr. Bright’s Collection.

W.P.

    [Another copy is in the valuable collection of the Rev. T. Corser.  See
    that gentleman’s communication on Nicholas Breton, in our First Vol.,
    p. 409.]

* * * * *

QUERIES.

THE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM.

An ill-starred town in England seems to have enjoyed so unenviable a reputation for some centuries for the folly and stupidity of its inhabitants, that I am induced to send you the following Query (with the reasons on which it is founded) in the hope that some of your readers may be able to help one to a solution.