Origin of " God Save the Queen."

Bruce Herald, Volume XI, Issue 1017, 11 June 1878, Page 3

Origin of " God Save the Queen."

A correspondent writes in the 'Times ■ where the subject has been under discussion for some time— like everything that is excellent,- the air and original verses of "God Save the King " are both Scotch. In an account of the" Highland Society of London, drawn up /at the desire of the Society by Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster; and published iii 1813;' his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex being . then president of the Society, I"nnd the follbwing; : LiL« Spins account of the -celebrated air of ' God Save the King \ and copy of the original verses to which it was sung. It cannot now be decisively ascertained who was the composer of this celebrated air, or whether it was of Scotch, English, or German extraction. It seems, indeed, to have been a compilation, for; a part of airs is to be found in a collection of Scotch music published afc Aberdeen in the reign of William and Mary ; < but, to whomsoever the air may be attributed, there is every reason to believe that the original words to which that air was sung were Scotch, and were composed in favour of the House of Stuart. Indeed, the author of this account (Sir John Sinclair) had an opportunity of copying the following verses supposed to be the original ones, from an inscription cut "in glass on an old drinking cup still preserved at Fingask Castle, in the Carse of Gowrie, North Britain, the seat of P. . Murray, Thriepland, Esq., whose family was distinguished bj their attachment to the House of Stuart : — "God save the King. T pray God bless the King. 1 pray God save the King. Send him victorious,* Happy and glorious, Soon to reign over us. God save the king. _ " God bless the Prince of Wales, The true horn Prince of Wales,f Sent us by\Tbee. Grant us one favour more, The King for to restore, As Thou hast done before. The Familie. , „. •■'_ Amen. "♦ 'Send-him victorious' ia retained in the modern' version, and is evidently more applicable to the: Stuart than to the Hanoverian family. ' = - , "tFrom this line it would appear that 1 these verses must have been written either about the time of, or rather before the Rebel- 1 lion in 1715." ! It would be interesting to get hold of a copy of the collection of Scotch music published at Aberdeen in the reign of William and Mary, in which a part of the air ia to|be found. Also, if possible, to learn the date when these lines were inscribed on the old drinking cup, which were copied previous to 1813 by Sir John Sinclair.

Tbe death of the late Samuel Bennett, proprietor of the Sydney " Evening Newe,' was brought about* by a slight wound inflicted on his left hand with a hammer he was using. The wound was at first considered of so local a nature that little heed was paid to it. Inflammation, however, soon Bet in, and was followed by tetanus. Mr Berry, at Portland, said if the measures of Constitutional reform were obstructed, a direct' appeal would be made to the Imperial Parliament.