Chapter II: Part 2

"The blackbird far its hues shall know,
As _lapwing_ knows the vine."

In the first line the allusion is to the berries of the hawthorn; but what the _lapwing_ has to do with the _vine_, I am at a loss to know. Having forgotten whence I copied the above lines, perhaps some one will favor me with the author's name.

J. B. WHITBORNE.

_"Could we with ink," &c._--Could you, or any of your numerous and able correspondents, inform me who is the _bonâ fide_ author of the following lines?--

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the heavens of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky."

NAPHTALI.

_Launching Query._--With reference to the accident to H.M.S. Cæsar at Pembroke, I would ask, Is there any other instance of a ship, on being launched, stopping on the ways, and refusing to move in spite of all efforts to start her?

A. B.

_Manliness._--Query, What is the meaning of the word as used in "N. & Q.," Vol. viii., p. 94., col. 2. l. 12.

ANONYMOUS.

* * * * *

Minor Queries with Answers.

_Pues or Pews._--Which is the _correct_ way of spelling this word? What is its derivation? Why has the form _pue_ been lately so much adopted?

OMEGA.

[The abuses connected with the introduction of pues into churches have
led to an investigation of their history, as well as to the etymology
of the word. Hence the modern adoption of its original and more correct
orthography, that of _pue_; the Dutch _puye_, _puyd_, and the English
_pue_, being derived from the Latin _podium_. In Vol. iii., p. 56., we
quoted the following as the earliest notice of the word from the
_Vision of Piers Plouman_:

"Among wyves and wodewes ich am ywoned sute
Yparroked in _pues_. The person hit knoweth."

Again, in _Richard III._, Act IV. Sc. 4.: "And makes her _pue-fellow_
with others moan."--In Decker's _Westward Hoe_: "Being one day in
church, she made mone to her _pue-fellow_."--And in the _Northern Hoe_
of the same author: "He would make him a _pue-fellow_ with lords."--See
a paper on _The History of Pews_, read before the Cambridge Camden
Society, Nov. 22, 1841.]

_"Jerningham" and "Doveton."_--Who was the author of _Jerningham_ and _Doveton_, two admirable works of fiction published some twelve or fifteen years ago? They are equal to anything written by Bulwer Lytton or by James.

J. MT.

[The author of these works was Mr. Anstruther.]

* * * * *

Replies.

BATTLE OF VILLERS EN COUCHÉ.

(Vol. viii., p. 8.)

I possess a singular work, consisting of a series of _Poetical Sketches_ of the campaigns of 1793 and 1794, written, as the title-page asserts, by an "officer of the Guards;" who appears to have been, from what he subsequently states, on the personal staff of His Royal Highness the late Duke of York. This work, I have been given to understand, was suppressed shortly after its publication; the ludicrous light thrown by its pages on the conduct of many of the chief parties engaged in the transactions it records, being no doubt unpalatable to those high in authority. From the notes, which are valuable as appearing to emanate from an eye-witness, and sometimes an actor in the scenes he describes, I send the following extracts for the information of your correspondent; premising that the letter to which they are appended is dated from the "Camp at Inchin, April 26, 1794."

"As the enemy were known to have assembled in great force at the Camp
de Cæsar, near Cambray, Prince Cobourg requested the Duke of York would
make a _reconnoissance_ in that direction: accordingly, on the evening
of the 23rd, Major-General Mansel's brigade of heavy cavalry was
ordered about a league in front of their camp, where they lay that
night at a farm-house, forming _part_ of a detachment under General
Otto. Early the next morning, an attack was made on the French drawn up
in front of the village of Villers en Couchée (between Le Cateau and
Bouchain) by the 15th regiment of Light Dragoons, and two squadrons of
Austrian Hussars: they charged the enemy with such velocity and force,
that, darting through their cavalry, they dispersed a line of infantry
formed in their rear, forcing them also to retreat {128} precipitately
and in great confusion, under cover of the ramparts of Cambray; with a
loss of 1200 men, and three pieces of cannon. The only British officer
wounded was Captain Aylett: sixty privates fell, and about twenty were
wounded.

"Though the heavy brigade was formed at a distance under a brisk
cannonade, while the light dragoons had so glorious an opportunity of
distinguishing themselves, there are none who can attach with propriety
any blame on account of their unfortunate delay; for which General Otto
was surely, as having the command, alone accountable, and not General
Mansel, who acted at all times, there is no doubt, according to the
best of his judgment for the good of the service.

"The Duke of York had, on the morning of the 26th, observed the left
flank of the enemy to be unprotected; and, by ordering the cavalry to
wheel round and attack on that side, afforded them an opportunity of
gaining the highest credit by defeating the French army so much
superior to them in point of numbers.

"General Mansel rushing into the thickest of the enemy, devoted himself
to death; and animated by his example, that _very_ brigade performed
such prodigies of valour, as must have convinced the world that
Britons, once informed _how to act_, justify the highest opinion that
can possibly be entertained of their native courage. Could such men
have _ever_ been willingly _backward_? Certainly not.

"General Mansel's son, a captain in the 3rd Dragoon Guards, anxious to
save his father's life, had darted forwards, and was taken prisoner,
and carried into Cambray. Since his exchange, he has declared that
there was not, on the 26th, _a single French soldier_ left in the town,
as Chapuy had drawn out the whole garrison to augment the army destined
to attack the camp of Inchi. Had that circumstance been fortunately
known at the time, a detachment of the British army might easily have
marched along the Chaussée, and taken possession of the place ere the
Republicans could possibly have returned, as they had in their retreat
described a circuitous detour of some miles."

MR. SIMPSON will perceive, from the above extracts, that the brilliant skirmish of Villers en Couché took place on April 24th; whereas the defeat of the French army under Chapuy did not occur until two days later. A large quantity of ammunition and thirty-five pieces of cannon were then captured; and although the writer does not mention the number who were killed on the part of the enemy, yet, as he states that Chapuy and near 400 of his men were made prisoners, their loss by death was no doubt proportionately large.

The 15th Hussars have long borne on their colours the memorable words "Villers en Couché" to commemorate the daring valour they displayed on that occasion.

T. C. SMITH.

In Cruttwell's _Universal Gazetteer_ (1808), this village, which is five miles north-east of Cambray, is described as being "remarkable for an action between the French and the Allies on the 24th of April, 1794." The following officers of the 15th regiment of light dragoons are there named as having afterwards received crosses of the Order of Maria Theresa for their gallant behaviour, from the Emperor of Germany, viz.:

"Major W. Aylett, Capt. Robert Pocklington, Capt. Edw. Michael Ryan,
Lieut. Thos. Granby Calcraft, Lieut. Wm. Keir, Lieut. Chas. Burrel
Blount, Cornet Edward Gerald Butler, and Cornet Robert Thos. Wilson."

D. S.

* * * * *

SNAIL-EATING.

(Vol. viii., p. 33.)

The Surrey snails referred to by H. T. RILEY, are thus mentioned by Aubrey in his account of Box Hill:

"On the south downs of this county (Surrey), and in those of Sussex,
are the biggest snails that ever I saw, twice or three times as big as
our common snails, which are the Bavoli or Drivalle, which Mr. Elias
Ashmole tells me that the Lord Marshal brought from Italy, and
scattered them on the Downs hereabouts, and between Albury and Horsley,
where are the biggest of all."

Again, Aubrey, in his _Natural History of Wiltshire_, says:

"The great snailes on the downes at Albury, in Surrey (twice as big as
ours) were brought from Italy by * * * Earle Marshal, about
1638."--Aubrey's _History_, p. 10., edited by John Britton, F.S.A.,
published by the Wiltshire Topographical Society, 1847.

The first of these accounts, from Aubrey's _Surrey_, I have quoted in my _Promenade round Dorking_, 2nd edit. 1823, p. 274., and have added in a note:

"This was one of the Earls of Arundel. It is probably from this snail
account that the error, ascribing the planting of the box (on Box Hill)
to one of the Earls of Arundel, has arisen. The snails were brought
thither for the Countess of Arundel, who was accustomed to dress and
eat them for a consumptive complaint."

When I lived at Dorking (1815-1821) a breed of large white snails was found on Box Hill.

JOHN TIMBS.

MR. H. T. RILEY is informed that the breed of white snails he refers to is to be plentifully found in the neighbourhood of Shere. I have found them frequently near the neighbouring village of Albury, on St. Martha's Hill, and I am told they are to be met with in the lanes as far as Dorking. I have always heard that they were imported for the use of a lady who was in a consumption; but who this was, or when it happened, I have never been able to ascertain.

NEDLAM.

The breed of large white snails is to be found all along the escarpment of the chalk range, and is {129} not confined to Surrey. It is said to have been introduced into England by Sir Kenelm Digby, and was considered very nutritious and wholesome for consumptive patients. About the end of the last century I was in the habit of collecting a few of the common garden snails from the fruit-trees, and taking them every morning to a lady who was in a delicate state of health; she took them boiled or stewed, or cooked in some manner with milk, making a mucilaginous drink.

E. H.

I have somewhere read of the introduction of a foreign breed of snails into Cambridgeshire, I forget the exact locality, for the table of the monks who imported them; but unfortunately it was before I commenced making "notes" on the subject, and I have not been able to recollect where to find it.

SELEUCUS.

* * * * *

INSCRIPTION NEAR CIRENCESTER.

(Vol. viii., p. 76.)

This inscription is not "in Earl Bathurst's park," as your correspondent A. SMITH says, but is in Oakley Woods, situated at some three or four miles' distance from Cirencester, and being separated and quite distinct from the park; nor is the inscription correctly copied. Rudder, in his new _History of Gloucestershire_, 1779, says:

"Concealed as it were in the wood stands Alfred's Hall, a building that
has the semblance of great antiquity. Over the door opposite to the
south entrance, on the inside, is the following inscription in the
Saxon character and language [of which there follows a copy]. Over the
south door is the following Latin translation:

"'Foedus quod Ælfredus & Gythrunus reges, omnes _Anglia sapientes, &
quicunq_; Angliam in_c_olebant orientalem, ferierunt; & non solum de
seipsis, verum etiam de nat_i_s suis, ac nondum in lucem editis,
quotquot misericordiæ divinæ aut regiæ vel_i_nt esse participes
jurejurando sanxerunt.

"'Primò ditionis nostræ fines ad T_h_amesin evehunt_u_r, inde ad Leam
usq; ad fontem ejus; t_u_m recta ad Bedfordiam, ac deniq; per Usam ad
viam Vetelin_g_ianam.'"

I copy from Rudder, with the stops and contracted "et's," as they stand in his work; though I think the original has points between each word, as marked by A. SMITH.

The omissions and mistakes of your correspondent (which you will perceive are important) are marked in Italics above.

Rudder adds,--

"Behind this building is a ruin with a stone on the chimney-piece, on
which, in ancient characters relieved on the stone, is this
inscription:

'IN . MEM . ALFREDI . REG . RESTAVR . ANO . DO . 1085.'

"It would have been inexcusable in the topographer to have passed by so
curious a place without notice; but the historian would have been
equally culpable who should not have informed the reader that this
building is an excellent imitation of antiquity. The name, the
inscription, and the writing over the doors, of the convention between
the good king and his pagan enemies, were probably all suggested by the
similarity of _Achelie_, the ancient name of this place, to _Æcglea_,
where King Alfred rested with his army the night before he attacked the
Danish camp at Ethandun, and at length forced their leader Godrum, or
Guthrum, or Gormund, to make such convention."

It is many years since I saw the inscription, and then I made no note of it; but I have no doubt that Rudder has given it correctly, because when I was a young man I was intimately acquainted with him, who was then an aged person; and a curious circumstance that occurred between us, and is still full in my memory, impressed me with the idea of his great precision and exactness.

I would remark on the explanation given by Rudder, that the _Iglea_ of Asser is supposed by Camden, Gibson, Gough, and Sir Richard Colt Hoare to be _Clayhill_, eastward of Warminster; and _Ethandun_ to be _Edington_, about three miles eastward of Westbury, both in Wilts.

Asser says that, "in the same year," the year of the battle, "the army of the pagans, departing from Chippenham, as had been promised, went to _Cirencester_, where they remained one year."

On the signal defeat of Guthrum, he gave hostages to Alfred; and it is probable that, if any treaty was made between them, it was made immediately after the battle; and not that Alfred came from his fortress of _Æthelingay_ to meet Guthrum at Cirencester, where his army lay after leaving Chippenham.

If the treaty was made soon after the battle, it might have been at Alfred's Hall near Cirencester, especially if _Hampton_ (Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire), which is only six miles from Oakley Wood, be the real site of the great and important battle, as was, a few years since, very plausibly argued by Mr. John Marks Moffatt, in a paper inserted, with the signature "J. M. M.," in Brayley's _Graphic and Historical Illustrator_, p. 106. _et seq._, 1834.

The mention of Rudder's History brings to my mind an inscription over the door of Westbury Court, which I noticed when a boy at school, in the village of Westbury in this county. This mansion was taken down during the minority of Maynard Colchester, Esq., the present owner of the estate. Rudder, in his account of that parish, has preserved the inscription--

"D.
O. M.
N. M. M. H. E. P. N. C."

He reads the first three letters "Deo Optimo Maximo," and says the subsequent line contains the initials of the following hexameter:

"Nunc mea, mox hujus, et postea nescio cujus,"

{130} alluding to the successive descent of property from one generation to another.

Perhaps one of your readers may be enabled to tell me whether the above line be original, or copied, and from whom.

P. H. FISHER.

Stroud.

The agreement referred to is no other than the famous treaty of peace between Alfred and Guthrun, whose name, by the substitution of an initial "L." for a "G.," among various other inaccuracies for which your correspondent is perhaps not responsible, has been disguised under the form of "Lvthrvnvs." The inscription itself forms the commencement of the treaty, which is stated, in Turner's _Anglo-Saxons_, book iv. ch. v., to be still extant. It is translated as follows, in Lambard's [Greek: Archaionomia], p. 36.:--

"Foedus quod Aluredus & Gythrunus reges ex sapientum Anglorum, atque
eorum omnium qui orientalem incolebant Angliam consulto ferierunt, in
quod præterea singuli non solum de se ipsis, verum etiam de natis suis,
ac nondum in lucem editis (quotquot saltem misericordiæ divinæ aut
regiæ velint esse participes), jurarunt.

"Primo igitur ditionis nostræ fines ad Thamesim fluvium evehuntor: Inde
ad Leam flumen profecti, ad fontem ejus deferuntor: tum rectà ad
Bedfordiam porriguntor, ac denique per Usam fluvium porrecti ad viam
Vetelingianam desinunto."

Another translation will be found in Wilkins's _Leges Anglo-Saxonicæ_, p. 47., and the Saxon original in both. As to the boundaries here defined, see note in Spelman's _Alfred_, p. 36.

At Cirencester Guthrun remained for twelve months after his baptism, according to his treaty with Alfred. (See _Sim. Dunelm. de gestis Regum Anglorum_, sub anno 879.)

J. F. M.

* * * * *

CURIOUS CUSTOM OF RINGING BELLS FOR THE DEAD.

(Vol. viii., p. 55.)

W. W., alluding to such a custom at Marshfield, Massachusets, asks "if this custom ever did, or does now exist in the mother country?" The curiosity is that your worthy Querist has never heard of it! Dating from _Malta_, it may be he has never been in our _ringing island_: for it must be known to every Englishman, that the custom, varying no doubt in different localities, exists in every parish in England.

The _passing bell_ is of older date than the canon of our church, which directs "that when any is passing out of this life, a bell shall be tolled, and the minister shall not then slack to do his duty. And after the party's death, if it so fall out, then shall be rung no more than one short peal."

It is interesting to learn that our colonists keep up this custom of their mother country.

In this parish, the custom has been to ring as quickly after death as the sexton can be found; and the like prevails elsewhere. I have known persons, sensible of their approaching death, direct the bell at once to be tolled.

Durand, in his _Rituals of the Roman Church_, says: "For expiring persons bells must be tolled, that people may put up their prayers: this must be done twice for a woman, and thrice for a man." And such is still the general custom: either before or after the _knell_ is rung, to toll three times _three_, or three times _two_, at intervals, to mark the sex.[6]

"Defunctos plorare" is probably as old as any use of a bell; but there is every reason to believe that--

"the ringing of bells at the departure of the soul (to quote from
Brewster's _Ency._) originated in the darkest ages, but with a
different view from that in which they are now employed. It was to
avert the influence of Demons. But if the superstition of our ancestors
did not originate in this imaginary virtue, while they preserved the
practice, it is certain they believed the mere noise had the same
effect; and as, according to their ideas, evil spirits were always
hovering around to make a prey of departing souls, the tolling of bells
struck them with terror. We may trace the practice of tolling bells
during funerals to the like source. This has been practised from times
of great antiquity: the bells being muffled, for the sake of greater
solemnity, in the same way as drums are muffled at military funerals."

H. T. ELLACOMBE.

Rectory, Clyst St. George.

At St. James' Church, Hull, on the occurrence of a death in the parish, a bell is tolled quickly for about the space of ten minutes; and before ceasing, nine knells given if the deceased be a man, six if a woman, and three if a child. As far as I have been able to ascertain, the custom is now almost peculiar to the north of England; but in ancient times it must have been very general according to Durandus, who has the following in his _Rationale_, lib. i. cap. 4. 13.:

"Verum aliquo moriente, campanæ debent pulsari; ut populus hoc audiens,
oret pro illo. Pro muliere quidem bis, pro eo quod invenit
asperitatem.... Pro viro vero ter pulsator.... Si autem clericus sit,
tot vicibus simpulsatur, quot ordines habuit ipse. Ad ultimum vero
compulsari debet cum omnibus campanis, ut ita sciat populus pro quo sit
orandum."--Mr. Strutt's _Man. and Cust._, iii. 176.

{131} Also a passage is quoted from an old English Homily, ending with:

"At the deth of a manne three bellis shulde be ronge, as his knyll, in
worscheppe of the Trinetee; and for a womanne, who was the secunde
persone of the Trinetee, two bellis should be rungen."

In addition to the intention of the "passing-bell," afforded by Durandus above, it has been thought that it was rung to drive away the evil spirits, supposed to stand at the foot of the bed ready to seize the soul, that it might "gain start." Wynkyn de Worde, in his _Golden Legend_, speaks of the dislike of spirits to bells. In alluding to this subject, Wheatly, in his work on the Book of Common Prayer, chap. xi. sec. viii. 3., says:

"Our Church, in imitation of the Saints of former ages, calls in the
minister, and others who are at hand, to assist their brother in his
last extremity."

The 67th canon enjoins that, "when any one is passing out of this life, a bell shall be tolled, and the minister shall not then slack to do his duty. And after the party's death, if it so fall out, there shall be rung _no more than one short peal_."

Several other quotations might be adduced (vid. Brand's _Antiq._, vol. ii. pp. 203, 204. from which much of the above has been derived) to show that "one short peal" was ordered only to be rung after the Reformation: the custom of signifying the sex of the deceased by a certain number of knells must be a relic, therefore, of very ancient usage, and unauthorised by the Church.

R. W. ELLIOT.

Clifton.

[Footnote 6: This custom of three tolls for a man, and two for a woman, is thus explained in an ancient Homily on Trinity Sunday:--"At the deth of a manne, three bells should be ronge as his knyll in worship of the Trinitie. And for a woman, who was the second person of the Trinitie, two bells should be ronge."]

* * * * *

WHO FIRST THOUGHT OF TABLE-TURNING?

(Vol. viii., p. 57.)

Respecting the origin of this curious phenomenon in America, I am not able to give your correspondent, J. G. T. of Hagley, any information; but it may interest him and others among the readers of "N. & Q." to have some account of what appears to be the first recorded experiment, made in Europe, of table-moving. These experiments are related in the supplement (now lying before me) to the _Allgemeine Zeitung_ of April 4, by Dr. K. Andrée, who writes from Bremen on the subject. His letter is dated March 30, and begins by stating that the whole town had been for eight days preceding in a state of most peculiar excitement, owing to a phenomenon which entirely absorbed the attention of all, and about which no one had ever thought before the arrival of the American steam-ship "Washington" from New York. Dr. Andrée proceeds to relate that the information respecting table-moving was communicated in a letter, brought through that ship, from a native of Bremen, residing in New York, to his sister, who was living in Bremen, and who, in her correspondence with her brother, had been rallying him about the American spirit-rappings, and other Yankee humbug, as she styled it, so rampant in the United States. Her brother instanced this table-moving, performed in America, as no delusion, but as a fact, which might be verified by any one; and then gave some directions for making the experiment, which was forthwith attempted at the lady's house in Bremen, and with perfect success, in the presence of a large company. In a few days the marvellous feat, the accounts of which flew like wildfire all over the country, was executed by hundreds of experimenters in Bremen. The subject was one precisely adapted to excite the attention and curiosity of the imaginative and wonder-loving Germans; and, accordingly, in a few days after, a notice of the strange phenomenon appeared in _The Times_, in a letter from Vienna, and, through the medium of the leading journal, the facts and experiments became rapidly diffused over the world, and have been repeated and commented upon ten thousand fold. As the experiment and its results are now brought within the domain of practical science, we may hope to see them soon freed from the obscurity and uncertainty which still envelope them, and assigned to their proper place in the wondrous system of "Him, in whom we live, and move, and have our being."

JOHN MACRAY.

Oxford.

* * * * *

SCOTCHMEN IN POLAND.

(Vol. vii., pp. 475. 600.)

"Religious freedom was at that time [the middle of the sixteenth
century] enjoyed in Poland to a degree unknown in any other part of
Europe, where generally the Protestants were persecuted by the
Romanists, or the Romanists by the Protestants. This freedom, united to
commercial advantages, and a wide field for the exercise of various
talents, attracted to Poland crowds of foreigners, who fled their
native land on account of religious persecution; and many of whom
became, by their industry and talents, very useful citizens of their
adopted country. There were at Cracow, Vilna, Posen, &c., Italian and
French Protestant congregations. A great number of Scotch settled in
different parts of Poland; and there were Scotch Protestant
congregations not only in the above-mentioned towns, but also in other
places, and a particularly numerous one at Kieydany, a little town of
Lithuania, belonging to the Princes Radziwill. Amongst the Scotch
families settled in Poland, the principal were the Bonars, who arrived
in that country before the Reformation, but became its most zealous
adherents. This family rose, by its wealth, and the great merit of
several of its members, to the highest dignities of the state, but
became extinct during the seventeenth century. There are even now in
Poland many families of Scotch descent belonging to the class of
nobles; as, for instance, {132} the Haliburtons, Wilsons, Ferguses,
Stuarts, Haslers, Watsons, &c. Two Protestant clergymen of Scotch
origin, Forsyth and Inglis, have composed some sacred poetry. But the
most conspicuous of all the Polish Scotchmen is undoubtedly Dr. John
Johnstone [born in Poland 1603, died 1675], perhaps the most remarkable
writer of the seventeenth century on natural history. It seems, indeed,
that there is a mysterious link connecting the two distant countries;
because, if many Scotsmen had in bygone days sought and found a second
fatherland in Poland, a strong and active sympathy for the sufferings
of the last-named country, and her exiled children, has been evinced in
our own times by the natives of Scotland in general, and by some of the
most distinguished amongst them in particular. Thus it was an eminent
bard of Caledonia, the gifted author of _The Pleasures of Hope_, who,
when

'Sarmatia fell, unwept, without a crime,'

has thrown, by his immortal strains, over the fall of her liberty, a
halo of glory which will remain unfaded as long as the English language
lasts. The name of Thomas Campbell is venerated throughout all Poland;
but there is also another Scotch name [Lord Dudley Stuart] which is
enshrined in the heart of every true Pole."--From Count Valerian
Krasinski's _Sketch of the Religious History of the Sclavonic Nations_,
p. 167.: Edinburgh, Johnstone and Hunter, 1851.

J. K.

* * * * *

ANTICIPATORY USE OF THE CROSS.

(Vol. vii., pp. 548. 629.)

I think THE WRITER OF "COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE UNSEEN WORLD" would have some difficulty in referring to the works on which he based the statement that "it was a tradition in Mexico that when that form (the cross) should be victorious, the old religion should disappear, and that a similar tradition attached to it at Alexandria." He doubtless made the statement from memory, and unintentionally confounded two distinct facts, viz. that the Mexicans worshipped the cross, and had prophetic intimations of the downfall of their nation and religion by the oppression of bearded strangers from the East. The quotation by MR. PEACOCK at p. 549., quoted also in Purchas' _Pilgrims_, vol. v., proves, as do other authorities, that the cross was worshipped in Mexico prior to the Spanish invasion, and therefore it was impossible that the belief mentioned by THE WRITER, &c. could have prevailed.

On the first discovery of Yucatan,--

"Grijaha was astonished at the sight of large crosses, evidently
objects of worship."--Prescott's _Mexico_, vol. i. p. 203.

Mr. Stephens, in his _Central America_, vol. ii., gives a representation of one of these crosses. The cross on the Temple of Serapis, mentioned in Socrates' _Ecc. Hist._, was undoubtedly the well-known _Crux ansata_, the symbol of life. It was as the latter that the heathens appealed to it, and the Christians explained it to them as fulfilled in the Death of Christ.

MR. PEACOCK asks for other instances: I subjoin some.

In _India_.--The great pagoda at Benares is built in the form of a cross. (Maurice's _Ind. Ant._, vol. iii. p. 31., City, Tavernier.)

On a Buddhist temple of cyclopean structure at Mundore (Tod's _Rajasthan_, vol. i. p. 727.), the cross appears as a sacred figure, together with the double triangle, another emblem of very wide distribution, occurring on ancient British coins (Camden's _Britannica_), Central American buildings (Norman's _Travels in Yucatan_), among the Jews as the Shield of David (Brucker's _History of Philosophy_), and a well-known masonic symbol frequently introduced into Gothic ecclesiastical edifices.

In _Palestine_.--

"According to R. Solomon Jarchi, the Talmud, and Maimonides, when the
priest sprinkled the blood of the victim on the consecrated cakes and
hallowed utensils, he was always careful to do it in the form of a
_cross_. The same symbol was used when the kings and high priests were
anointed."--Faber's _Horæ Mosaicæ_, vol. ii. p. 188.

See farther hereon, Deane on _Serpent Worship_.

In _Persia_.--The trefoil on which the sacrifices were placed was probably held sacred from its cruciform character. The cross ([+]) occurs on Persian buildings among other sacred symbols. (R. K. Porter's _Travels_, vol. ii.)

In _Britain_.--The cross was formed by baring a tree to a stump, and inserting another crosswise on the top; on the three arms thus formed were inscribed the names of the three principal, or triad of gods, _Hesus_, _Belenus_, and _Taranis_. The stone avenues of the temple at Classerniss are arranged in the form of a cross. (Borlase's _Antiquities of Cornwall_.)

In _Scandinavia_.--The hammer of Thor was in the form of the cross; see in Herbert's _Select Icelandic Poetry_, p. 11., and Laing's _Kings of Norway_, vol. i. pp. 224. 330., a curious anecdote of King Hacon, who, having been converted to Christianity, made the sign of the cross when he drank, but persuaded his irritated Pagan followers that it was the sign of Thor's hammer.

The figure of Thor's hammer was held in the utmost reverence by his followers, who were called the children of Thor, who in the last day would save themselves by his mighty hammer. The fiery cross, so well known by Scott's vivid description, was originally the hammer of Thor, which in early Pagan, as in later Christian times, was used as a summons to convene the people either to council or to war. (Herbert's _Select Icelandic Poetry_, p. 11.)

EDEN WARWICK.

Birmingham.

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* * * * *

PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE.

_Glass Chambers for Photography._--I am desirous to construct a small glass chamber for taking portraits in, and shall be much obliged if you can assist me by giving me instructions how it should be constructed, or by directing me where I shall find clear and sufficient directions, as to dimensions, materials, and arrangements. Is it essential that it should be all of violet-coloured glass, ground at one side, as that would add a good deal to the expense? or will white glass, with thin blue gauze curtains or blinds, answer?

Probably a full answer to this inquiry, accompanied with such woodcut illustrations as would be necessary to render the description complete, and such as an artificer could work by, would confer a boon on many amateur photographers, as well as your obliged servant,

C. E. F.

[In the construction of a photographic house, we beg to inform our
correspondent that it is by no means needful to use entirely
violet-coloured glass, but the roof thereof exposed to the rays of the
sun should be so protected; for although the light is much subdued, and
the glare so painful to the eyes of the sitter is taken away, yet but
few of the actinic rays are obstructed. It has been proposed to coat
the interior with smalt mixed with starch, and afterwards varnished;
but this does not appear to have answered. Calico, both white and
coloured, has also been used, but it is certainly not so effectual or
pleasant. Upon the whole, we think that the main things to attend to
are, firmness in its construction, so as to avoid vibration; ample
size, so as to allow not only of room for the operator, but also for
the arrangements of background, &c., and the sides to open so as to
allow a free circulation of air; blinds to be _applied at such spots
only_ as shall be found requisite. Adjoining, or in one corner, a small
closet should be provided, admitting only yellow light, which may be
effectually accomplished by means of yellow calico. A free supply of
water is indispensable, which may be conveyed both to and from by means
of the gutta percha tubing now in such general use. We apprehend,
however, that the old proverb, "You must cut your coat according to
your cloth," is most especially applicable to our querist, for not only
must the house be constructed according to the advantages afforded by
the locality, but the amount of expense will be very differently
thought of by different persons: one will be content with any moderate
arrangement which will answer the purpose, where another will be
scarcely satisfied unless everything is quite of an _orné_ character.]

_Dr. Diamond's Replies._--I am sorry I have not before replied to the Queries of your correspondent W. F. E., contained in Vol. viii., p. 41.; but absence from home, together with a pressure of public duties here, has prevented me from so doing.

1st. No doubt a _small_ portion of nitrate of potash is formed when the iodized collodion is immersed in the bath of nitrate of silver, by mutual decomposition; but it is in so small a quantity as not to deteriorate the bath.

2nd. I believe collodion will keep good much longer than is generally supposed; at the beginning of last month I obtained a tolerably good portrait of Mr. Pollock from some remains in a small bottle brought to me by Mr. Archer in September 1850; and I especially notice this fact, as it is connected with the first introduction of the use of collodion in England. Generally speaking, I do not find that it deteriorates in two or three months; the addition of a few drops of the iodizing solution will generally restore it, unless it has become rotten: this, I think, is the case when the gun cotton has not been perfectly freed from the acid. The redness which collodion assumes by age, may also be discharged by the addition of a few drops of liquor ammoniæ, but I do not think it in any way accelerates its activity of action.

3rd. "Washed ether," or, as it is sometimes called, "inhaling ether," has been deprived of the alcohol which the common ether contains, and it will not dissolve the gun cotton unless the alcohol is restored to it. I would here observe that an excess of alcohol (spirits of wine) thickens the collodion, and gives it a mucilaginous appearance, rendering it much more difficult to use by its slowness in flowing over the glass plate, as well as producing a less even surface than when nearly all ether is used. A collodion, however, with thirty-five per cent. of spirits of wine, is very quick, allowing from its less tenacious quality a more rapid action of the nitrate of silver bath.

4th. Cyanide of potassium has been used to re-dissolve the iodide of silver, but the results are by no means so satisfactory; the cost of pure iodide of potassium bought at a _proper market_ is certainly very inconsiderable compared to the disappointment resulting from a false economy.

H. W. DIAMOND.

Surrey County Asylum.

_Trial of Lenses._--When you want to try a lens, first be sure that the slides of your camera are correctly constructed, which is easily done. Place at any distance you please a sheet of paper printed in small type; focus this on your ground glass with the assistance of a magnifying-glass; now take the slide which carries your plate of glass, and if you have not a piece of ground glass at hand, insert a plate which you would otherwise excite in the bath after the application of collodion, but now _dull_ it by touching it with putty. Observe whether you get an equally clear and well-focussed picture on this; if you do, you may conclude there is no fault in the construction of your camera.

Having ascertained this, take a chess-board, and place the pieces on the row of squares which run {134} from corner to corner; focus the middle one, whether it be king, queen, or knight, and take a picture; you will soon see whether the one best in the visual focus is the best on the picture, or whether the piece one or more squares in advance or behind it is clearer than the one you had previously in focus. The chess-board must be set square with the camera, so that each piece is farther off by one square. To vary the experiment, you may if you please stick a piece of printed paper on each piece, which a little gum or common bees'-wax will effect for you.

In taking portraits, if you are not an adept in obtaining a focus, cut a slip of newspaper about four inches long, and one and a half wide, and turn up one end so as it may be held between the lips, taking care that the rest be presented quite flat to the camera; with the help of a magnifying-glass set a correct focus to this, and afterwards draw in the tube carrying the lenses about one-sixteenth of a turn of the screw of the rackwork. This will give a medium focus to the head: observe, as the length of focus in different lenses varies, the distance the tube is moved must be learned by practice.

W. M. F.

_Is it dangerous to use the Ammonio-Nitrate of Silver?_--Some time ago I made a few ounces of a solution of ammonio-nitrate of silver for printing positives; this I have kept in a yellow coloured glass bottle with a ground stopper.

I have, however, been much alarmed, and refrained from using it or taking out the stopper, lest danger should arise, in consequence of reading in Mr. Delamotte's _Practice of Photography_, p. 95. (vide "Ammonia Solution"):

"If any of the ammonio-nitrate dries round the stopper of the bottle in
which it is kept, the least friction will cause it to explode
violently; it is therefore better to keep none prepared."

As in pouring this solution out and back into the bottle, of course the solution will dry around the stopper, and, if this account is correct, may momentarily lead to danger and accident, I will feel obliged by being informed by some of your learned correspondents whether any such danger exists.

HUGH HENDERSON.

* * * * *

Replies to Minor Queries.

_Burke's Marriage_ (Vol. vii., p. 382.).--Burke married, in 1756, the daughter of Dr. Nugent of Bath. (See _Nat. Cycl., s.v._ "Burke.")

P. J. F. GANTILLON, B.A.

_The House of Falahill_ (Vol. vi., p. 533.).--As I have not observed any notice taken of the very interesting Query of ABERDONIENSIS, regarding this ancient baronial residence, I may state that there is a Falahill, or Falahall, in the parish of Heriot, in the county of Edinburgh. Whether it be the Falahill referred to by Nisbet as having been so profusely illuminated with armorial bearings, I cannot tell. Possibly either Messrs. Laing, Wilson, or Cosmo Innes might be able to give some information about this topographical and historical mystery.

STORNOWAY.

_Descendants of Judas Iscariot_ (Vol. viii., p. 56.).--There is a collection of traditions as to this person in extracts I have among my notes, which perhaps you may think fit to give as a reply to MR. CREED'S Query. It runs as follows:

"On dit dans l'Anjou et dans le Maine que Judas Iscariot est né à
Sablé; là-dessus on a fait ce vers:

'Perfidus Judæus Sabloliensis erat.'

"Les Bretons disent de même qu'il est né au Normandie entre Caen et
Rouen, et à ce propos ils recitent ces vers.

'Judas étoit Normand,
Tout le monde le dit--
Entre Caen et Rouen,
Ce malheureux naquit.
Il vendit son Seigneur pour trente mares contants.
Au diable soient tous les Normands.'

"On dit de même sans raison que Judas avoit demeuré à Corfou, et qu'il
y est né. Pietro della Valle rapporte dans ses _Voyages_ qu'étant à
Corfou on lui montra par rareté un homme que ceux du pays assuroient
être de la race du traître Judas--quoiqu'il le niât. C'est un bruit qui
court depuis long tems en cette contrée, sans qu'on en sache la cause
ni l'origine. Le peuple de la ville de Ptolemaïs (autrement de l'Acre)
disoit de même sans raison que dans une tour de cette ville on avoit
fabriqué les trente deniers pour lesquelles Judas avoit vendu nôtre
Seigneur, et pour cela ils appelloient cette tour la _Tour Maudite_."

This is taken from the second volume of _Menagiana_, p. 232.

J. H. P. LERESCHE.

Manchester.

_Milton's Widow_ (Vol. viii., p. 12.).--The information once promised by your correspondent CRANMORE still seems very desirable, because the statements of your correspondent MR. HUGHES are not reconcilable with two letters given in Mr. Hunter's very interesting historical tract on Milton, pages 37-8., to which tract I beg to refer MR. HUGHES, who may not have seen it. These letters clearly show that Richard Minshull, the writer of them, had only _two aunts_, neither of whom could have been Mrs. Milton, as she must have been if she was the daughter of the writer's grandfather, Randall Minshull. Probably this Elizabeth died in infancy, which the Wistaston parish register may show, and which register would perhaps also show (supposing Milton took his wife from Wistaston) the wanting marriage; or if Mrs. Milton was of the Stoke-Minshull family, that parish register would most likely {135} disclose his third marriage, which certainly did not take place sooner than 1662.

GARLICHITHE.

_Whitaker's Ingenious Earl_ (Vol. viii., p. 9.).--It was a frequent saying of Lord Stanhope's, that he had taught law to the Lord Chancellor, and divinity to the Bishops; and this saying gave rise to a caricature, where his lordship is seated acting the schoolmaster with a rod in his hand.

E. H.

_Are White Cats deaf?_ (Vol. vii., p. 331.).--In looking up your Numbers for April, I observe a Minor Query signed SHIRLEY HIBBERD, in which your querist states that in all white cats stupidity seemed to accompany the deafness, and inquires whether any instance can be given of a white cat possessing the function of hearing in anything like perfection.

I am myself possessed of a white cat which, at the advanced age of upwards of seventeen years, still retains its hearing to great perfection, and is remarkably intelligent and devoted, more so than cats are usually given credit for. Its affection for persons is, indeed, more like that of a dog than of a cat. It is a half-bred Persian cat, and its eyes are perfectly blue, with round pupils, not elongated as those of cats usually are. It occasionally suffers from irritation in the ears, but this has not at all resulted in deafness.

H.

_Consecrated Roses_ (Vol. vii., pp. 407. 480.; Vol. viii., p. 38.).--From the communication of P. P. P. it seems that the origin of the consecration of the rose dates so far back as 1049, and was "en reconnaissance" of a singular privilege granted to the abbey of St. Croix. Can your correspondent refer to any account of the origin of the consecration or blessing of the sword, cap, or keys?

G.

_The Reformed Faith_ (Vol. vii., p. 359.).--I must protest against this term being applied to the system which Henry VIII. set up on his rejecting the papal supremacy, which on almost every point but that one was pure Popery, and for refusing to conform to which he burned Protestants and Roman Catholics at the same pile. It suited Cobbett (in his _History of the Reformation_), and those controversialists who use him as their text-book, to confound this system with the doctrine of the existing Church of England, but it is to be regretted that any inadvertence should have caused the use of similar language in your pages.

J. S. WARDEN.

_House-marks_ (Vol. vii., p. 594.).--It appears to me that the _house-marks_ he alluded to may be traced in what are called _merchants' marks_, still employed in marking bales of wool, cotton, &c., and which are found on tombstones in our old churches, _incised_ in the slab during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and which till lately puzzled the heralds. They were borne by merchants who had no arms.

E. G. BALLARD.

_Trash_ (Vol. vii., p. 566.).--The late Mr. Scatchard, of Morley, near Leeds, speaking in Hone's _Table Book_ of the Yorkshire custom of _trashing_, or throwing an old shoe for luck over a wedding party, says:

"Although it is true that an old shoe is to this day called 'a trash,'
yet it did not, certainly, give the name to the nuisance. To 'trash'
originally signified to clog, encumber, or impede the progress of any
one (see Todd's _Johnson_); and, agreeably to this explanation, we find
the rope tied by sportsmen round the necks of fleet pointers to tire
them well, and check their speed, is hereabouts universally called
'trash cord,' or 'dog trash.' A few miles distant from Morley, west of
Leeds, the 'Boggart' or 'Barguest,' the Yorkshire Brownie is called by
the people the _Gui-trash_, or _Ghei-trash_, the usual description of
which is invariably that of a shaggy dog or other animal, _encumbered_
with a chain round its neck, which is heard to rattle in its movements.
I have heard the common people in Yorkshire say, that they 'have been
_trashing_ about all day;' using it in the sense of having had a tiring
walk or day's work.

"East of Leeds the 'Boggart' is called the _Padfoot_."

G. P.

_Adamsoniana_ (Vol. vii., p. 500.).--Michel Ada_n_son (not Ada_m_son), who has left his name to the gigantic Baobab tree of Senegal (_Adansonia digitata_), and his memory to all who appreciate the advantages of a natural classification of plants--for which Jussieu was indebted to him--was the son of a gentleman, who after firmly attaching himself to the Stuarts, left Scotland and entered the service of the Archbishop of Aix. The _Encyclopædia Britannica_, and, I imagine, almost all biographical dictionaries and similar works, contain notices of him. His devoted life has deserved a more lengthened chronicle.

SELEUCUS.

Your correspondent E. H. A., who inquires respecting the family of Michel Adamson, or Michael Adamson, is informed that in France, the country of his birth, the name is invariably written "Ada_n_son;" while the author of _Fanny of Caernarvon, or the War of the Roses_, is described as "John Ada_m_son." Both names are pronounced alike in French; but the difference of spelling would seem adverse to the supposition that the family of the botanist was of Scottish extraction.

HENRY H. BREEN.

St. Lucia.

_Portrait of Cromwell_ (Vol. viii., p. 55.).--The portrait inquired after by MR. RIX is at the British Museum. Being placed over the cases in the long gallery of natural history, it is extremely difficult to be seen.

JOHN BRUCE.

{136}

_Burke's "Mighty Boar of the Forest"_ (Vol. iii., p. 493.; Vol. iv., p. 391.).--It is not, I hope, too late to notice that Burke's description of Junius is an allusion neither to the _Iliad_, xiii. 471., nor to Psalm lxxx. 8-13., but to the _Iliad_, xvii. 280-284. I cannot resist quoting the lines containing the simile, at once for their applicability and their own innate beauty:

"[Greek: Ithusen de dia promachôn, sui eikelos alkên]
[Greek: Kapriôi, host' en oressi kunas thalerous t' aizêous]
[Greek: Rhêidiôs ekedassen, elixamenos dia bêssas.]
[Greek: Ôs huios Telamônos]."

W. FRASER.

Tor-Mohun.

"_Amentium haud Amantium_" (Vol. vii., p. 595.).--The following English translation may be considered a tolerably close approximation to the alliteration of the original: "Of dotards not of the doting." It is found in the Dublin edition of _Terence_, published by J. A. Phillips, 1845.

C. T. R.

Mr. Phillips, in his edition, proposes as a translation of this passage, "Of _dotards_, not of the _doting_." Whatever may be its merits in other respects, it is at all events a more perfect alliteration than the other attempts which have been recorded in "N. & Q."

ERICA.

Warwick.

When I was at school I used to translate the phrase "Amentium haud amantium" (Ter. _Andr_., i. 3. 13.) "_Lunatics, not lovers_." Perhaps that may satisfy FIDUS INTERPRES.

[Pi]. [Beta].

A friend of mine once rendered this "_Lubbers, not lovers_."

P. J. F. GANTILLON, B.A.

_Talleyrand's Maxim_ (Vol. vi., p. 575.; Vol. vii., p. 487.).--Young's lines, to which Z. E. R. refers, are:

"Where Nature's end of language is declined,
And men talk only to conceal their mind."

With less piquancy, but not without the germ of the same idea, Dean Moss (ob. 1729), in his sermon _Of the Nature and Properties of Christian Humility_, says:

"Gesture is an artificial thing: men may stoop and cringe, and bow
popularly low, and yet have ambitious designs in their heads. And
_speech is not always the just interpreter of the mind_: men may use a
condescending style, and yet swell inwardly with big thoughts of
themselves."--_Sermons_, &c., 1737, vol. vii. p. 402.

COWGILL.

_English Bishops deprived by Queen Elizabeth_ (Vol. vii., pp. 260. 344. 509.).--The following particulars concerning one of the Marian Bishops are at A. S. A.'s service. Cuthbert Scot, D.D., sometime student, and, in 1553, Master of Christ's Church College, Cambridge, was made Vice-Chancellor of that University in 1554-5; and had the temporalities of the See of Chester handed to him by Queen Mary in 1556. He was one of Cardinal Pole's delegates to the University of Cambridge, and was concerned in most of the political movements of the day. He, and four other bishops, with as many divines, undertook to defend the principles and practices of the Romish Church against an equal number of Reformed divines. On the 4th of April he was confined, either in the Fleet Prison or the Tower, for abusive language towards Queen Elizabeth; but having by some means or other escaped from _durance_, he retired to Louvain, where he died, according to Rymer's _Foedera_, about 1560.

T. HUGHES.

Chester.

_Gloves at Fairs_ (Vol. vii., _passim._).--To the list of markets at which a glove was, or is, hung out, may be added Newport, in the Isle of Wight. But a Query naturally springs out of such a note, and I would ask, Why did a glove indicate that parties frequenting the market were exempt from arrest? What was the glove an emblem of?

W. D--N.

As the following extract from Gorr's _Liverpool Directory_ appears to bear upon the point, and as it does not seem to have yet attracted the attention of any of your correspondents, I beg to forward it:--

"Its (_i.e._ Liverpool's) fair-days are 25th July and 11th Nov. Ten
days before and ten days after each fair-day, a hand is exhibited in
front of the Town-hall, which denotes protection; during which time no
person coming to or going from the town on business connected with the
fair can be arrested for debt within its liberty."

I have myself frequently observed the "hand," although I could not discover any appearance of a fair being held.

R.

_St. Dominic_ (Vol. vii., p. 356.).--Your correspondent BOOKWORM will find in any chronology a very satisfactory reason why Machiavelli could not reply to the summons of Benedict XIV., unless, indeed, the Pope had made use of "the power of the keys," to call him up for a brief space to satisfy his curiosity.

J. S. WARDEN.

_Names of Plants_ (Vol. viii., p. 37.).--Ale-hoof means useful in, or to, ale; Ground-ivy having been used in brewing before the introduction of hops. "The women of our northern parts" (says John Gerard), "especially about Wales or Cheshire, do tunne the herbe Ale-hoof into their ale ... being tunned up in ale and drunke, it also purgeth the head from rhumaticke humours flowing from the brain." From the aforesaid tunning, it was also called Tun-hoof (_World of Words_); and in Gerard, Tune-hoof. {137}