7 MARCH 1952, Page 5

My note of last week regarding the qualities of our

National Anthem has brought me expressions both of agreement and of disagreement—as was to be expected; every man has a right to his own tastes. Someone, in the matter of authorship, asks whether the rhyme was not written by Henry Carey. It is certainly sometimes attributed to that writer, but on no sufficient evidence. The plain fact is that, as far as I can discover, no one knows who did write it. One further comment. The sovereigns whose graciousness and nobility the Anthem celebrated during the first ninety years or so of its existence were George II, George III, George IV and William IV. Words which suited the qualities of those monarchs are not necessarily calculated to suit the qualities of Queen Elizabeth II.