The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1894-04-21 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

AND POLITICAL NOVELS.-8111 WALTER SCOTT AND THE HIGHLAND DRESS. CITIZEN ROCHEFORT ON THE KILLING OF VICTOB NOIR BY PIERRE BONAPARTE.—A REMINISCENCE OF THE GREAT TRIAL AT TOURS.—DR. COBHAM BREWER ON THE " CORDON 511 W" AND THE ALLEGED SCARCITY OF MEN-COOKS IN FORMER TIMER—THE PROPHET SAMUEL MAN COOK. MEN 'COOKS AMONG THE GREEKS, ROMANS, AND EGYPTIANS.— CHAUCER'S COOK AND THE FRENCH COOKS COMPANY.  Poor dear Amy Rohurt, or rather the ghost of that inated lady, has been made the subject of litigation in the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justioe. A gentleman living at Oxford bought an old house milled Cumnor Place, near Oxford, on the faith of a statement 11111.1 E, that the house was the edifice mentioned in Sir Walter Scott's novel of " Kenilworth " as the place where Amy Robsart died; and the plaintiff, in purchasing the property thought that what he was acquiring contained a room callcd the " Dudley " or "Douglas '' Chamber, which was said to be haunted by Amy Robsart's ghost. He had reason subsequently to repent of his bargain, and brought an action against the freeholder of Cumnor Place for the recession of the contract. e  _ With the rights or wrongs of tliia litigation it is manifest that 1 have nothing whatever to do; still it 'may be permissible to draw attention to two facts. Amy Robsart was not murdered—if she was murdered at all—at Cunmor Moe, bat at Cumnor o:ted in Mickle's pathetic ballad; and I find from reference to Lewis's ' Topogragihical History of England "—a work publish sixty-three years ago, that at the period named very few vestiges of -the Hall were to be wen. In "Chambers' Book of Days," however, publieted in 1866, it is said that the old Bear Inn—of which we have so graphic a picture in the opening chapter of "Kenilworth "—was then.extaut ; and there is an illustration of the ancient hostelry with the Dudley arms—the bear and rugged staff—over the door, from the pencil of Alfred Crow. quill. Does the Bear at Cumnor yet survive?  By the way Lewis and other historians, topographical and otherwise, fall into the blunder of assuming that poor Amy was Countess of Leicester. She sr's, when she came by foul or fair means to her end, only the wife of Lord Robert Dudley, subsequently created Earl of Leioester. He was perhaps one of the most accomplished villains that ever disgraced the Elizabethan age. He seems to have been a systematic poisoner, and kept at Kenilworth a Jew and an Italian to help hien in making up his murderous potions. In behaviour to women he was consistently treacherous and Lintel; still he was a great Prince in Israel And a Knight of the Garter and all manner of fine things.  Schoolboys will learn with mingled sorrow and indignation that an Act of Parliament is contemplated for the practical abolition of birdneeting—at lead legislation for the protection of wild birds' eggs is loudly called for; but in the interest of the birdnest. ing urchin, some friend of youth has pointed out in the " Times " that the nests which schoolboys loot usually contain the eggs of common birds and not wild ones. I inn not concerned with wild birds' eggs myself; but I should not mind seeing an Act passed for marking fowls' eggs with their place of origin and espeoiallv their age. There was a conscientious dairyman once who used to arrange the eggs in his shop-window tinder three . . .  differenr categories. The first compartment was labelled " new-laid eggs"; the second bore the inscription, "fresh eggs"; the last had only the aignint announcement, " eggs." There was honesty, if you like. Still the mind is almost staggered by the idea of the immense antiquity which was inferred in that word "eggs."