" CHESHIRE " OR " CHESTER "?
[To THE Dines or THE "Sem-mm."1 his pleasant account of Captain Millet's Souvenirs de Cempagne your reviewei writes that the gallant author has made
a with in the phrase un morceau do chester, and credits him with running " Cheshire " and " Cheddar " into one, and pro- ducing a " portmanteau " word. A simpler explanation is that the error, such as it is, is common in France. We lived for ten -years in that country, and my wife tells me that she never found Cheddar on sale; but Cheshire, an appreciated luxury, is spoken of as Chester—perhaps from the parcel bearing the name of that city. Former residents of Pan will recall the excellent epicerie in the rue Henri IV. Here M. Freehon, choicest of grocers and amiability itself, would one day before Christmas, apparently with the sole object of putting her on to a good thing, inform Madame that he was expecting du fromage de Chester, and that it would be well to give an order in advance. About the same time the present Bishop of Chester was publicly lamenting that the finest cheeses in his diocese were sent abroad. As we savoured our morceau de chester we reflected that his Lordship was [Captain Millet stands acquitted by the verdict of the readers of the Spectator. It is unnecessary to call any other witnesses. All the same, in our opinion, Cheshire is a good cheese, but Cheddar is a better.—ED. Spectator.]
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