Looking for backgroud / origin info for "William Bloat".

Every version I've found, the same as the one in the DT, attributes the tune to a Raymond Calvert. But I've been told that that version is different from the original tune, that the original tune was just the story and not an advertisement.

I'm told that the tune is pretty old. I'd be interested to know the background and original author, if it was in fact only modified by Calvert to be an advertisement.

Anyone know anything about this? Any truth to the "Whitman wrote it" story?


-Branwen-