"PECCAVI."
(To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR:1 Sta,—You have kindly allowed me once or twice to say a few words in the Spectator on points of literary interest in connexion with India. I would ask permission to do so once more in regard to the famous "Peceavi " attributed to Sir Charles Napier. Many, and among them persons of eminence in the world of letters—notably the late Sir William Lee-Warner, who sought in vain for some trace of it in the Calcutta records—have diligently taken up the quest for the.origin of that which stands as the most laconic of all known military despatches. That quest has worked its way to ,its final goal in Punch of May 18th, 1844. Beyond that there is no trace. No Life or Memoir of Sir Charles claims the bon mot as his. The association with it of the names of the humorists of the early " forties," most of whom were contributors to Punch, is Pure guesswork. The one indisputable fact is that Punch of May 18th, 1844, holds it to admiration as the successful rival of Caesar's " Veni, Vidi, Vici." At that time Miss Catherine Wink- worth,. afterwards known as the author of Lyra Germanica and other works, was under the tutorship of Mr. Gasket!, the husband of one of the most talented of British lady-novelists; and from Mr. Gaskeli's pupil-room emanated " Peccavi—I have Sin(ne)d." In the October number of The East and the West Miss C. W. Mackintosh, the niece of Miss Winkworth, vouches for this. The "happy thought" was communicated to Punch and worked up into the form in which we find it in Punch of May 18th, 1814. On such a point we would very naturally defer with respect to the author of The History of Punch. The present editor and the pro- prietors of Punch have admitted that their records are innocentof any reference to "Peceavi" and its origin. The historian of Punch adopts a less tolerant attitude, end treats the claim of " a Miss Winkworth " in a tone of airy persiflage, if not of ridicule. There is no justification for such an attitude. Miss Catherine and her sister Miss Susanna were women of character and ability. Their niece and biographer (Longmans in 1908 published Memorials of Two Sisters), Miss M. .1. Shaen, specially remarks upon the humour that characterized Miss Catherine's eyes and mouth. The. Memoir itself and the bibliography at the end of it prove that the two sisters were the friends and fellow-workers of some of the best-known men of the day, men of diverse nationali- ties. My acquaintance with Miss Shaen enabled me to invite her to make inquiries among the relatives of the Misses Winkworth as to the accuracy or otherwise of Miss C. W. Mackintosh's state- ment. Miss Sheen has made inquiries, and authorizes me to say that "members of Miss Catherine Winkworth's family are still alive who can vouch for the fact that the bon not (` Peccavi ') was sent to Punch by her and an acknowledgment received by her from the editor." I think, therefore, that it is only right that the best-accredited originator of " Peccavi" should not go down to posterity as " a Miss Winkworth."—I am, Sir, &c..
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