Replies.

"Go ask the vicar of Taunton Deane,And he'll tell you the banns were askit,And a good fat ceapun he had for his peains,And he's carrit it whoom in his baskit."

"Go ask the vicar of Taunton Deane,

And he'll tell you the banns were askit,

And a good fat ceapun he had for his peains,

And he's carrit it whoom in his baskit."

S. A. S.

Lady High Sheriff.—Can any of your Herefordshire readers inform me who the lady was who served the office of high sheriff for that county, somewhere about the years 1769 or 1770?

Her husband had been appointed, but dying shortly afterwards, his widow took his place, and attended the judges with the javelin-men, dressed in deep mourning. If any one could give me anyinformation about this lady, I should be much obliged: I should be glad to know whether there is another instance of a lady high sheriff on record?

W. M.

Major-General Lambert, the first president of Cromwell's council, after the Restoration was exiled to Guernsey, where he remained for thirty years a prisoner. Noble, in hisHouse of Cromwell, vol. i. p. 369., says, Mrs. Lambert has been supposed to have been partial to the Protector; "that her name wasFra., an elegant and accomplished woman. She had a daughter, married to a Welsh judge, whom she survived, and died in January, 1736-7." Any of your correspondents who may be able, will oblige by informing me who Mrs. Lambert was, when she and the general died, and to whom the daughter was married. Noble evidently had not been able to ascertain who the accomplished woman was.

Hoyle, Meaning of; and Hoyle Family.—What is the English to the Celtic word Hoyle; and was there any family of the name of Hoyle previous to the year 1600? If so, can you give me any history of them, or say where same may be found? Also, what is the arms, crest, and motto of that family?

F. K.

Robert Dodsley.—In all the biographies, this amiable and worthy man is said to have been born at Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. Does he anywhere state this himself? If not, what is the evidence in favour of such statement? Not the parish register of Mansfield certainly. I have often thought that a Life of Dodsleyin extensomight be made an interesting vehicle for illustrating the progress of an individual from the humble rank of a livery servant to the influential position of a first-class London bookseller in the Augustan age of English literature; including, of course, all the reflex influences of the society of that period. There is plenty of matter; and I think a well-known correspondent of "N. & Q." andGent's Mag., whose initials are P. C., would know where to find and how to use it.

N. D.

Mary Queen of Scots.—In theGentleman's Magazine, vol. xcix. part ii. p. 77., it is stated that the late Earl of Buchan (who died in April, 1829) "in some letters warmly embraced the cause of Mary Queen of Scots against Dr. Robertson;" but we are not informed whether they were ever printed, or where they are to be found. As I have always felt a strong conviction of the injustice done this unfortunate woman, I shall be gratified by any communication stating where these letters can be met with.

F. R. A.

Heuristisch—Evristic.—The wordheuristischoccurs four times in theKritik der Reinen Vernunft, pp. 480. 515. 520. 568., ed. Leipzig, 1838. I cannot find it in any German Dictionary. Mr. Haywood (ed. 1838) translates itevristic, which I cannot find in any English dictionary. I conjecture that it may beἑυρίσκωGermanised, and that it will bear the translationtentative. Will some one, better versed than myself in the language of German metaphysics, tell me whether I am right, and, if not, set me so?

H. B. C.

U. U. Club.

Minor Queries with Answers.

"Eugenia," by Hayes and Carr.—Can any of your readers give me any account of the following play, as to where the scene of it is laid, &c.?

Eugenia, a Tragedy, by Samuel Hayes and Robert Carr, 8vo. 1766.

This play, which appears to have never been acted, was written by the Rev. Samuel Hayes, author of several of the Seatonian prize poems, and who was at one time usher in Westminster School. Robert Carr, who assisted him in writing it, appears to have been one of the Westminster scholars about 1766, but I am unable to give any further account of him.

A. Z.

Glasgow.

[The scene, as stated at the commencement of the play, was laid in and near the Mercian camp, on the confines of Wales, except the first act, and beginning of the third, which lies in the British camp, distant from the Mercian eight miles. Thedramatis personæwere:—Britons: Cadwallyne, king of the Britons; Ormanus, a noble captive; Albanact, Eliud, Edgar, officers; Eugenia, Althira, captives.Mercians: Penda, king of Mercia; Ethelred, his son; Osmond, nephew to the king; Offa, Egbert, Edwin, officers. British and Mercian officers, prisoners, guards, and other attendants.]

Claret.—How, or from whence, have we adopted the wordClaret, as applied to the wines of the Bordeaux district, and which seems to be utterly unknown in other parts of Europe?

Vinos.

[Dr. Pegge, in hisAnonymiana, cent. iii. sect. 57., says, "There is a place of the name ofClaretin the Duke de Rohan'sMémoires, lib. iv., from whence I conceive the French wine takes its name." It is stated in theMémoiresas being five miles from Montpellier.]

"Strike, but hear me."—On what occasion, and by whom, were these words first used? I have not been able to trace them.

Abhba.

[These words occur in a conversation between Eurybiades and Themistocles, and will be found in Plutarch'sLife of Themistocles, cap. xi.]

Fever at Croydon.—In Camden'sBritanniabefore me, with date on (written) title-page 1610,Londini, Georgii Bishop, Joannes Norton, p. 320., under county Svthrey, and against the marginal "Croidon," it is thus stated:

"As for that sudden swelling water or bourne, which the common people reports to breake foorth heere out of the ground, presaging, I wote not how, either dearth of corne or the pestilence, may seeme not worthy once the naming, and yet the euentes sometime ensuing hath procured it credit."

I have heard it stated, without reference to the above, that the aforesaid stream had risen during the last few months, and, if such be the case, the fever that has been so prevalent in the town seems to bear out the above statement.

Can any of your correspondents inform me whether the above fact is mentioned in any other account of the place, and if so, where?

R. W. H.

[It appears that our early ballad writers do not give a very favourable account of the locality of Croydon. Listen to Patrick Hannay, Gent., in 1662:—"It seems of starved Sterilitie the seat,Where barren downs do it environ round;Whose parched tops in summer are not wet,And only are with snow in winter crown'd,Only with bareness they do still abound;Or if on some of them we roughness find,It's tawny heath, badge of the barren rinde."In midst of these standsCroydoncloath'd in black,In a low bottom sink of all these hills;And is receipt of all the dirty wracke,Which from their tops still in abundance trills,The unpav'd lanes with muddy mire it fillsIf one shower fall; or, if that blessing stay,You may well smell, but never see your way."]

[It appears that our early ballad writers do not give a very favourable account of the locality of Croydon. Listen to Patrick Hannay, Gent., in 1662:—

"It seems of starved Sterilitie the seat,Where barren downs do it environ round;Whose parched tops in summer are not wet,And only are with snow in winter crown'd,Only with bareness they do still abound;Or if on some of them we roughness find,It's tawny heath, badge of the barren rinde."In midst of these standsCroydoncloath'd in black,In a low bottom sink of all these hills;And is receipt of all the dirty wracke,Which from their tops still in abundance trills,The unpav'd lanes with muddy mire it fillsIf one shower fall; or, if that blessing stay,You may well smell, but never see your way."]

"It seems of starved Sterilitie the seat,

Where barren downs do it environ round;

Whose parched tops in summer are not wet,

And only are with snow in winter crown'd,

Only with bareness they do still abound;

Or if on some of them we roughness find,

It's tawny heath, badge of the barren rinde.

"In midst of these standsCroydoncloath'd in black,In a low bottom sink of all these hills;And is receipt of all the dirty wracke,Which from their tops still in abundance trills,The unpav'd lanes with muddy mire it fillsIf one shower fall; or, if that blessing stay,You may well smell, but never see your way."]

"In midst of these standsCroydoncloath'd in black,

In a low bottom sink of all these hills;

And is receipt of all the dirty wracke,

Which from their tops still in abundance trills,

The unpav'd lanes with muddy mire it fills

If one shower fall; or, if that blessing stay,

You may well smell, but never see your way."]

"Gesmas et Desmas."—What is the meaning of two terms,GesmasandDesmas, in the following couplet, which I transcribe from MS. entries in an old and rare volume lately bought, of date 1564, and the handwriting would seem coeval with the printing of the book? The lines evidently relate to the crucifixion of our Lord between the thieves; but I have never seen any appellations given to these last, and cannot fix a meaning for the terms with any certainty: they may have reference to the penitence of one, and the hardened state of the other still "tied and bound in the chain of his sins," but I know not to what language to refer them:

"Disparibus meritis pendit tria Corpora lignisGesmasetDesmas, medius Divina Potestas."

"Disparibus meritis pendit tria Corpora lignis

GesmasetDesmas, medius Divina Potestas."

A. B. R.

[Our correspondent is right in supposing that Gesmas and Desmas are the names traditionally assigned to the two malefactors, and which occur in the Old Mysteries, &c.Desmasis that of the Penitent Thief. These names are, we believe, mentioned in the Pseudo-Gospel of Nicodemus; and some particulars of the legend, we believe, but we cannot just now ascertain, are preserved in Molan.De Pictur. Sacris, 1. iv. c. 9.]

Satirical Medal.—1. I shall be glad to obtain some information respecting a curious medal in my possession, bearing—

Obv. "Ecclesia perversa tenet faciem diaboli, 666." A face in profile, crowned with the tiara: turned round, the same face becomes that of the devil.

Rev. "Sapientes stulti aliquando." A head with a cardinal's cap, which reversed becomes a face surmounted with a fool's cap and bells.

The medal is of silver, nearly the size of a crown piece; and from the form of the letters is, I suppose, about two hundred years old.

John I. Dredge.

[This curious medal, which is figured in Rigollot'sMonnaies des Fous(Pl. iv. fig. 10.), and the reverse of which has been engraved by Tilliot (Fête des Foux) as the seal of theMère Folleof Dijon, is a satirical medal issued by the Protestants. Their opponents retorted, or provoked its issue, by one which Riggolot has also figured (fig. 11.): which has on one side the head of Calvin, crowned with the tiara, &c. (which, when turned, becomes that of the Devil), and the words "Joan. Calvinus Heresiarch. pessimus;" and on the reverse a Cardinal's head, which is turned into a fool's head, with the motto "Et Stulti, aliquando sapite."—Psalm xciii.]

(Vol. i., pp. 385. 473. 492.; Vol. ii., p. 44.; Vol. iv., p. 103.)

Upon an examination of the ancient records which are preserved in the Exchequer Record Office, at the Four Courts, Dublin, it will be found that in the year 1632 Sir Vincent Gookin acquired, by purchase from David Earl of Barrymore, the lands of Cargane in the county of Cork; and from Mr. William Fitz John O'Hea, in the year 1633, the lands of Ballymacwilliam and Cruary, in the same county; and that he died on the 7th of Feb. 1637[3];—that Captain Robert Gookin, in recompence for his services as a soldier and adventurer, obtained an assignment from the Protector of an estate in the same county, consisting of upwards of five thousand acres, which he afterwards surrendered to Charles II.; and that thereupon the king granted it to Roger Earl of Orrery;—that Vincent Gookin died on the 29th of March, 1692, and that his son Robert, and Dorothy Clayton, were his executors;—that in the year 1681 the collectors of quit rent made a demand upon Thomas Gookin, one of Sir Vincent's sons, for therent of the lands which his father had purchased from Mr. O'Hea, and that, upon proof being made to the Court of Exchequer by Mr. John Burrowes, one of Sir Vincent's executors, that the estate was a "Protestant interest," or, in other words, that as the family had been of the Protestant religion, and not implicated in the rebellion of 1641, the lands were therefore not liable to the payment of quit rent, they were accordingly put out of charge. It appears also by the records which are deposited in the same office, that Thomas Gookin, gentleman, was indicted at the sessions held at Bandon in the year 1671, "for that he, with several others, riotously and unlawfully did assemble and associatt themselves together at Lislee, on the 27th of December, 1671, and in and uppon David Barry and Charles Carthy, gentlemen, did make a cruell assaulte and affray, and did beate, wound, and falsely imprison them, under colour of a warrant from Henry Bathurst, Esq., made and interlined by the said Thomas Gookin;" and that Elizabeth Gookin, of Lislee, spinster, was one of his sureties. This Elizabeth was probably descended from a Charles Gookin, who claimed the lands of Lislee in the time of the Protector. By the records in the same department, it appears that in and previous to the year 1719 a suit was pending in the Court of Exchequer with respect to the lands of Courtmacsherry; and by the Receiver's account, which bears the autograph of Robert Gookin, it is shown that a payment was made to Mrs. Dorothy Gookin for maintenance, and that there was an arrear due to Lady Mary Erwin, "at ye time of Captain Gookin's death, which happened in September, 1709:" and in the same office there is deposited a deed, dated the 30th of October, 1729, which relates to the lands of Clouncagh, in the same county of Cork, whereto John Allin, an alderman of the city of Cork, and Elizabeth Gookin, otherwise Towgood, his wife, and Robert Gookin, Esq., eldest son and devisee of Robert Gookin deceased, are parties. I have been informed that a lengthened account of Sir Vincent Gookin is to be found in Lord Stafford's State Letters; that much information may be gathered from the Privy Council PaperstemporeCromwell, which are deposited in Dublin Castle, with respect to Captain Robert Gookin; and that in the year 1620 Daniel Gookin was one of the undertakers in the county of Longford, and that his estate of five hundred acres afterwards passed to an ancestor of the late popular novelist Miss Edgeworth.

J. F. F.

Dublin.

Footnote 3:(return)Amongst the Inquisitions of the county of Cork which are preserved in the Rolls Office of Chancery, there is one which relates to Vincent Gookin, and was taken at Mallow, on the 14th of August, 1638; and is probably an inquisitionpost mortem.

Amongst the Inquisitions of the county of Cork which are preserved in the Rolls Office of Chancery, there is one which relates to Vincent Gookin, and was taken at Mallow, on the 14th of August, 1638; and is probably an inquisitionpost mortem.

(Vol. vii., p. 65.)

This little Query may perhaps come under the category you mention in the address of your opening Number for the year, although it might be a sufficient reply merely to say that it was the legend round the common Manx halfpenny, encircling the three legs of man on its reverse; but when we consider these three conjoined limbs in their awkward and impossible position, the propriety of the legend may be doubted, and its presence attributable only to the numismatic necessity of accompanying the figure with its motto. The following epigram has been composed by some Manxman thoroughly convinced of the propriety of the application:

"Reader! thou'st seen a falling cat,Light always on his feet so pat;A shuttlecock will still descend,Meeting the ground with nether end;The persevering Manksman thus,A shuttlecock or pauvre puss;However through the world he's tost—However disappointed, crost—Reverses, losses, Fortune's frown,No chance or change can keep him down.Upset him any way you will,Upon hislegsyou'll find him still.For ever active, brisk, and spunky,Stabit jeceris quocunque."

"Reader! thou'st seen a falling cat,

Light always on his feet so pat;

A shuttlecock will still descend,

Meeting the ground with nether end;

The persevering Manksman thus,

A shuttlecock or pauvre puss;

However through the world he's tost—

However disappointed, crost—

Reverses, losses, Fortune's frown,

No chance or change can keep him down.

Upset him any way you will,

Upon hislegsyou'll find him still.

For ever active, brisk, and spunky,

Stabit jeceris quocunque."

Where, however, we perceive in the last line the rhyme has destroyed the metre of the Latin poet, if the words be really a classical quotation, which I should wish to form into a Query for some of your readers.

But the emblem, as the famousTriquetra, is one of the most ancient and celebrated of antiquity. It figures on the oldest coins of Metapontum; and subsequently on many of those of Sicily, particularly on those of Palermo and Syracuse, asislandcities; for to islands, from one use of its name in the Greek wordΧΗΛΗ, as a jutting promontory, a break-water, or a jetty, was it more especially appropriated. Hence it is even now borne in the Neapolitan blazon for Sicily: as Britain, if she followed the continental examples, would be entitled to quarter it in her full imperial escutcheon, not only for Man, but for Malta; by which latter it was early taken as the device. But under this distinctive name asChele, it only figured the potency which all pointed or angular forms and substances possessed insensitively or in a triple degree. To understand this, we should consider the force that all pointed or sharp instruments possess: the awl, the wedge, the adze, are well known for their assistance to the mechanic; and the transference of the idea to non-physical aid was so easy, and so consonant to the human mind, that, when we speak of the acuteness of an intellect, the point of an epigram, the keen edge of a sarcasm, we are scarcely conscious that we indulge at all in the maze of metaphor.

Nor was the adaptation of the figure less suitable to the purposes of superstition, by which itwas seized on, both for the purpose of driving away the evil one or forcing him to appear: all edged tools, or angular forms, gave complete mastery over him. Therefore, the best method of obtaining sight of the otherwise invisible spirits of the air, is by putting the head beneath the legs, the human fork or angle—the true Greekchele—as it is also used by Saxo-Grammaticus in a dialogue between Bearco and Ruta, to see Odin riding on the whirlwind:

"Bearco.At nunc ille ubi sit qui vulgo dicitur OthinArmipotens, uno semper contentus ocello;Dic mihi Ruta, precor, usquam si conspicis illum?Ruta.Adde oculum proprius etnostras prospice chelas,Ante sacraturus victrici lumina signo,Si vis presentem tuto cognoscere Martem.Bearco.Sic potero horrendum Frigæ spectare maritum," &c.

"Bearco.At nunc ille ubi sit qui vulgo dicitur OthinArmipotens, uno semper contentus ocello;Dic mihi Ruta, precor, usquam si conspicis illum?

"Bearco.At nunc ille ubi sit qui vulgo dicitur Othin

Armipotens, uno semper contentus ocello;

Dic mihi Ruta, precor, usquam si conspicis illum?

Ruta.Adde oculum proprius etnostras prospice chelas,Ante sacraturus victrici lumina signo,Si vis presentem tuto cognoscere Martem.

Ruta.Adde oculum proprius etnostras prospice chelas,

Ante sacraturus victrici lumina signo,

Si vis presentem tuto cognoscere Martem.

Bearco.Sic potero horrendum Frigæ spectare maritum," &c.

So boys in the north put their heads between their legs to see the devil looking over Lincoln: and I am indebted to a mention of myShakspeare's Puck and his Folk-lorein theMaidstone Journalfor the proof that this belief still exists in Ireland from an anecdote told by Curran, who, in the absence of a Währwolf on which to try its efficacy, would prove it on a large mastiff by walking backwards to it in this posture, "while the animal made such a grip at the poor barrister's hinder region, that Curran was unable tositwith any gratification to himself for some weeks afterwards."

Permit me to refer such readers as are curious to know more on this subject, to the above work, p. 73. But if you still can find room for a continental proof of the efficacy of a pair of shears as very powerfulchele, not only for driving away Satan, but altogether banishing him from earth, allow me to adduce from a most excellent collection of tales, Traditions of the Bavarian Territories (Sagenbuch der Baierischen Lande), just published by Herr A. Schöppner, under the auspices of the ex-king, the following tale, No. 757, "Die Scharfe Scheere" (The Sharp Scissors):

"Outside the parish church of Münnerstadt, you see a gravestone with a pair of shears sculptured on it. He who rests under it was a pious tailor, who was often disturbed by the Devil in his devotions. The latter appeared to him frequently, and whispered him to throw plenty of cabbage into his hell (a technical German term for its receptacle, I know not if usual amongst the English gentle craft), and otherwise played him many insidious pranks. Our tired Schneider complained of the evil to a pious hermit, who advised him, the next time the Prince of Darkness made his appearance, to take the shears andcut off his tail. The tailor resolved to follow his advice; and, on the next visitation, he lopped the tail clean from his body. The Devil halloed out murder! went off, and ever afterwards left the tailor in peace. But the shears remained a long time as an heirloom in the family, and their form was sculptured on his tombstone in remembrance. Since then, the Devil walks through Münnerstadt without a posterial adornment, and therefore not now recognisable; which is the reason that many people assert that there is no longer any Devil."

Well might Herrick, in hisHesperides, inculcate:

"Hang uphooks and shearsto scareHence the hag that rides the mare."

"Hang uphooks and shearsto scare

Hence the hag that rides the mare."

William Bell, Phil. Doc.

17. Gower Place.

(Vol. iv., p. 152.; Vol. vi., pp. 518. &c.)

Will you accept a French elucidation of the etymon of this word, which has sorely puzzled your correspondents? What saith theEncyclopédie des Gens du Monde, tom. xix. (1843):

"Pique Nique.—Expression empruntée de l'Anglais, où elle est formée depick, choisir, etnick, instant précis, et signifie choix judicieux où tout se rencontre bien. On se sert aussi en Français de cette locution pour désigner un repas où chacun paie son écot, ou bien auquel chacun contribue en fournissant un des plats."

The word is in Ménage (Dictionnaire étymologique, folio, 1694):

"Piquenique.—Nous disonsfaire un repas à pique-nique, pour dire faire un repas où chacun paye son écot: ce que les Flamans disent,parte bétal, chacun sa part. Ce mot n'est pas ancien dans notre langue; et il est inconnu dans la plupart de nos provinces."

Picnicswere known and practised in the reign of James I. An amusing description of one is given in a letter from Sir Philip Mainwaring, dated Nov. 22, 1618. The knight is writing to Lord Arundel from Newmarket:

"The Prince his birth-day hathe beene solemnised heare by those few Marquises and Lords which found themselves heare, and to supplie the want of the Lords, Knights and Squires were admitted to a consultation, wherein it was resolved that such a number should meete at Gamiges, and bring every man his dish of meate. It was left to their own choyces what to bring: some strove to be substantiall, some curios, and some extravagant. Sir George Goring's invention bore away the bell; and that was foure huge brawny piggs, pipeing hott, bitted and harnised with ropes of sarsiges, all tyde to a monstrous bag-pudding."

And on the 28th of the same month, Mr. Chamberlain wrote to Sir Dudley Carleton:

"We hear nothing from Newmarket, but that they devise all the means they can to make themselves merry; as of late there was a feast appointed at a farmhouse not far off, whither every man should bring his dish. The king brought a great chine of beef, the Marquis of Hamilton four pigs incircled with sausages, the Earl of Southampton two turkies, another six partridges, and one a whole tray full of buttered eggs;and so all passed off very pleasantly."—Nichols'sProgresses of James I., vol. iii. pp. 495. 496.

W. M. R. E.

[Mr. Arthur Wilsonhas written to us that this word is Swedish, and to be found in Widegren'sSwedish and English Dictionary. We may add that it is also in Delens, but we do not believe it to be of Swedish origin. We believe it will eventually be traced to a French source.—Ed.]

(Vol. vii., p. 182.)

The Latin word for a rabbit iscuniculus, as is shown in the following couplet of Martial:

"Gaudet in effossis habitare cuniculus antris:Monstravit tacitas hostibus ille vias."—xiii. 60.

"Gaudet in effossis habitare cuniculus antris:

Monstravit tacitas hostibus ille vias."—xiii. 60.

The rabbit appears to have been originally peculiar to Spain, Southern France, and the adjoining islands. Strabo (iii. 2. § 6.) says that it is found nearly over the whole of Spain, and in the Balearic islands; and that it reaches as far as Massilia. Polybius (xii. 3.) likewise states it to be a native of Corsica. It was unknown to the Greeks, and is not mentioned by Aristotle in his works on natural history (see Camus,Notes sur l'Histoire des Animaux d'Aristote, p. 278.); nor does it ever occur in the Æsopian fables, although the hare is frequently introduced. Hence it had no native Greek name; and Polybius borrows the Latin word, calling itκύνικλος(compareAthen., ix. p. 400.). Strabo uses the periphrasis of "burrowing hares,"γεώρυχοι λαγιδεῖς. Ælian, again, employs the Latin name, which he considers to be of Iberian origin (De Nat. Anim., xiii. 15.). If this be true, the sense ofsubterranean passage, whichcuniculusalso bears, is secondary, and not primary (compare Plin.Nat. Hist., viii. 81.).

The language of Varrode Re Rust.(iii. 12.) likewise shows that the rabbit was in his time peculiar to Spain, and had not been introduced into Italy. The meaning of the Hebrew wordSaphan, which is translatedconyin the authorised version of the Old Testament (Lev. xi. 5.; Deut. xiv. 7.; Ps. civ. 18.; Prov. xxx. 26.), has been fully investigated by biblical critics and naturalists. (See Bochart'sHierozoicon, vol. ii. pp. 409-429., ed. Rosenmüller; Winer,Bibl. Real-Wörterbuch, inSpringhase;Penny Cyclopædia, inHyrax.) It is certainlynotthe rabbit, which is not a native of Syria and Palestine: but whether this ruminant quadruped, which lives in the rocks, is the jerboa, or a species of hyrax, or some other small edible animal of a like description, is difficult to determine.

From the manner in which Strabo speaks of Spain and the Balearic islands being infested by large numbers of rabbits, it would appear (as Legrand d'Aussy remarks,Vie privée des Français, tom. ii. p. 24.) that the ancients did not eat its flesh. The rabbit is now so abundant in parts of the south of France, that, according to the same author, a sportsman in the islands near Arles who did not kill a hundred, would be dissatisfied with his day's sport. A Provençal gentleman, who in 1551 went out to kill rabbits with some of his vassals, and three dogs, brought home in the evening not less than six hundred.

From the Latincuniculushave been formed, according to the proper analogy, the Italianconiglio, the Spanishconéjo, and the Frenchconil, sometimes modified intoconin(see Diez,Roman. Gramm., vol. ii. p. 264.). From the old Frenchconinwas borrowed the Englishconingorconig, afterwards shortened intocony: and from this word have been formedconigarandconingryorconigry, for rabbit-warren (see Halliwell'sDict., inConig).Conillus, for a rabbit-warren, occurs in Ducange;conejáris the Spanish term.

The Germans, like the English, had no native name for the rabbit; an animal not indigenous in their country. Hence they borrowed the French nameconin, which they altered intokanin; and have since formed the diminutivekaninchen. In Suabian, the form used isküniglein. See Adelung in v. The Dutch word iskonÿn.

The rabbit was probably introduced into England from France. Query: When did that introduction take place? Also, when did the later term "rabbit" supersede the old namecony? and what is the etymology ofrabbit? The Frenchlapin, which has supplanted the old wordconin, is said to be formed fromlepinus, an adjective oflepus.

Your solution of the etymology of this word, as coming fromConey-borough,is no doubt correct: but I apprehend the last syllable has a more specific derivation. On the opposite sides of the Lough of Belfast, there are two localities in which this old English word is preserved. This district was, as you are aware, colonised by English settlers about 1590A.D., when large grants were made to Sir Arthur Chichester, ancestor of the present Marquis of Donegal. At Carrickfergus, on the north side of the bay, there is a spot called theConnyberry, which is a corruption of "Coneyborough;" but on the opposite side, at Holyward, there is a populous rabbit-warren, known as the "Kinnegar;" which I take to be theconyngerorconingeriaabout which your correspondent asks.

J. Emerson Tennent.

(Vol. vii., p. 155.)

Z.'sthirdapplication relative to the names and numbers of regiments has roused me into activity,and I now forward you the required information, viz.:

Query 1. What was the origin of giving British regiments the name of certain officers, instead of numbering them as at present?

Regiments were numbered, but it was generally customary to designate them by the name of their colonel previous to 1751.

2. If in honour of an officer commanding the corps, was the name changed when that officer died or removed to another regiment, or what was the rule?

The name of the regiment changed by death or removal of the colonel.

3. When did the present mode of numbering regiments begin, and by whom was it introduced?

1st July, 1751, by royal warrant of George II., when the number of the regiment was directed to be embroidered on its standard; even after the numbering became general, the names of colonels were for some time retained.

4. What was the rule or principle laid down in giving any regiment a certain number? Was it according to the length of time it had been embodied?

In 1694 a board of officers assembled to decide the relative rank of regiments, and the regiments formed in England were placed by seniority of raising, but those from Scotland or Ireland on their being placed upon the English establishment.

5. What is the guide now in identifying a named with a numbered regiment; for example, at the battle of Culloden in 1746, Wolfe's, Barrett's, and Howard's Foot were engaged. Now, what is the rule for ascertaining the numbers of these and other old regiments in the British army at the present day?

The Army List with colonels of that date. In 1746 Wolfe's was the 8th Foot, Barrett's the 4th Foot, and Howard's the 3rd Foot. There were two Howards of the same date (1746), Green and the Buff Howards, known by their facings.

Arthur Hamilton.

P.S.—I shall be happy to give further information and more details if required, and inclose my card to the Editor.

(Vol. vi., pp. 125. 297. 400.)

I send the following as some answer to the inquiries made by your correspondent A. S. A. For the more ample account of Bishop Ellis, I am indebted to an article in theRambler, vol. vii. p. 313., entitled "Collections illustrating the History of the English Benedictine Congregation."

Richard Smith, appointed Bishop of Chalcis, Feb. 4, 1625, and Vicar-Apostolic of England; he withdrew to France four years afterwards, and died in Paris in 1655, aged eighty-eight, in a house belonging to the English convent upon the Fossé St. Victor. He was probably buried in the convent chapel, where a monument to his memory was erected. See the Rev. Joseph Berington'sMemoirs of Panzani, p. 109.

John Leyburn, consecrated Bishop of Adrumetum, and appointed Vicar-Apostolic of England, 1685: on the country being divided into four vicariats in 1688, he was appointed to the London, or southern district. On the breaking out of the revolution in the same year, he was committed to the Tower; but his peaceable and inoffensive conduct soon caused him to be discharged, and he was suffered to remain unmolested until his death, which occurred in 1703. He was greatly beloved and respected by his flock.

Bonaventure Giffard, of the ancient Roman Catholic family of the Giffards of Chillington, Staffordshire, appointed Vicar-Apostolic of the Midland District, 1688. Like Bishop Leyburn, on the breaking out of the revolution, he was committed to the Tower, but was soon released, and on the condition of always making the place of his abode known to the government, he passed the remainder of his days unmolested. On the death of Bishop Leyburn in 1703, he was removed to the London, or southern district, where he died March 12, 1734, aged ninety. There is a good portrait of Bishop Giffard at the Roman Catholic College of Old Hall Green in Hertfordshire.

Philip Ellis, third son of Rev. John Ellis, Rector of Waddesden, Bucks, by his wife Susanna Welbore, whilst a pupil in Westminster School, was called to the Catholic faith, and to the grace of religion, in St. Gregory's Convent, Douay, where he made his profession, 30th November, 1670, æt. eighteen. After duly qualifying himself for the ministry, he was sent to labour in the English vineyard. His great abilities recommended him to the notice of King James II., who appointed him one of his chaplains and preachers; and when Innocent XI., on 30th January, 1688, signified his wish that his majesty would nominate three fit subjects to fill the newly constituted vicariats, midland, northern, and western (for Dr. John Leyburn, Bishop of Adrumetum, during the last three years had governed the whole of England), Father Ellis, then thirty-six years of age, was selected for the western vicariat, and was consecrated bishop on Sunday, 6th May, 1688, at St. James's, where the king had established a convent of fourteen Benedictine monks, by the title of Aureliopolis. In the second week of July, the new prelate confirmed a considerable number of youths, some of them recent converts, in the new chapel of the Savoy. (Ellis Correspondence, vol. ii. p. 62.) In his letter (ibid. p. 145.) to his brother John, dated from St. James's, 26th August, 1688, he describes the uneasiness of the court at the preparations making in Holland by the Prince ofOrange. We doubt if this vicar-apostolic attempted to visit his diocese; for, on the breaking out of the revolution at London in the ensuing November, he was apprehended and committed to Newgate (Macaulay'sHistory, vol. ii. p. 563.), yet he was soon restored to liberty. Foreseeing but faint hope of serving the cause of religion in such turbulent times, he left England for the court of his exiled sovereign at St. Germains, and, after staying some time, obtained permission to visit the Eternal City. In 1693 Pope Innocent XII. made him an assistant prelate; and on the feast of St. Louis, six years later, he sung the high mass at Rome, in the French church, before many cardinals, invited and received by the Cardinal de Bouillon. The Prince of Monacho, ambassador of France, being then incognito, assisted in a tribune. Resigning his western vicariat, he was promoted by Pope Clement XI. to the vacant see of Segni, in the Campagna di Roma. There he originated a seminary, over which he watched with parental zeal and solicitude. In November 1710, he held a synod in the choir of his cathedral; about seventy of his clergy attended, all of whom he entertained with generous hospitality. In addition to his many meritorious works, he substantially repaired and embellished his palace, and to his cathedral he left a splendid mitre and some costly vestments; but the bulk of his property he bequeathed to his seminary. A dropsy of the chest carried him off on the 16th November, 1726, æt. seventy-four, and his remains were interred in the centre of the seminary church.

Seven sermons of this prelate, preached before James II. at Windsor and St. James's, were printed.

A beautiful portrait of the Bishop, engraved by Meyer, is prefixed to theEllis Correspondence, published by the late Lord Dover, in two volumes 8vo., 1829.

James Smith was consecrated Bishop of Calliopolis, and appointed Vicar-Apostolic of the Northern District, 1688: he died May 20, 1711.

The following Vicars-Apostolic were nominated after the above four till the year 1750.

Midland District.—George Witham, of the ancient Roman Catholic family of the Withams of Cliffe, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, was educated at Douay College, consecrated Bishop of Marcopolis, and appointed Vicar-Apostolic of the Midland District in 1703. He was removed to the Northern District in 1716, and died in 1725, at Cliffe Hall, the seat of his family.

Western District.—Matthew Pritchard, a Franciscan Friar, Bishop of Myrinen: I have not been able to ascertain the date either of his consecration or death; the latter took place at Perthyre, Monmouthshire.[4]

Northern District.—Thomas Williams, a Dominican friar, Bishop of Tiberiopolis, died at Huddlestone, Yorkshire, April 14, 1740.

J. F. W.

Footnote 4:(return)I have since learned Bishop Pritchard was consecrated in 1715.

I have since learned Bishop Pritchard was consecrated in 1715.

The reply of E. H. A. to my Query about these Vicars-Apostolic is rather unsatisfactory. I admit his correction ofChalcedonforChalcis, but wish that he had been more explicit in his notices of both those Vicars-Apostolic appointed in 1685-88, as well as of those since nominated. When didSmithandEllisdie? and what was the see in Italy to which the latter was nominated? Who were theconsecratorsof Giffard, Ellis, and Smith? Bishop Leyburn was, I think, one, and is said to have been "assisted by twoIrishprelates." Who were they? E. H. A. also refers, as his authority, to a tract by the Rev. L. Darwall, inChristian's Miscellany: but he does not give the date of that publication, nor did I ever hear of it. Surely some ecclesiastical reader of "N. & Q." will answer some, at least, of these inquiries of mine. I know many of your subscribers can do so if they choose. I am desirous of possessing the names and dates of consecration and death of every Roman Catholic Vicar-Apostolic appointed for England since 1689, and also of those for Scotland, if possible.

A. S. A.

Wuzzeerabad.

(Vol. vii., p. 191.)

To a certain extent, the informationMr. F. H. Brettgot from his Scotch friend is correct. An idea does exist in some parts of Scotland, that children born out of wedlock must be "under the apron string" at the solemnisation of the marriage of their parents, before they can be legitimatedper subsequens matrimonium. How this notion originated, I do not pretend to say; but it is easy to speculate as to its origin. ButMr. Brett'sfriend showed a blessed ignorance of the laws of his native country, if he ever said that "in the Scotch law of marriage there is a clause providing that all 'under the apron string,' at the time of the marriage, shall be considered legitimate." The Scotch law of marriage is not statutory, and, consequently, it has no clauses.

I have often felt sore at the ignorance displayed, even in well-informed circles in England, as to the real principles of the Scotch law of marriage; and I am encouraged by the comprehensive terms ofMr. Brett'sQuery, to hope that you will permit me to say a word or two which may serve to dissipate some of the delusions that prevail as to both the constitution of a Scotch marriage, and its effects.

In Scotland, as in every country whose system of jurisprudence is based on the civil law,marriage is dealt with asa purely civil contract; and its constitution may be established by the same proof as would establish any ordinary civil contract, viz. by writing, by the testimony of witnesses, or by the judicial confession of the parties. It is true, that, in deference to the natural feeling that the blessing of God should be invoked upon the constitution of a relation so important and so solemn, and from other considerations of public policy and morality, the law has prescribed that a "regular marriage" can be performed only by a clergyman, after due proclamation of the banns; and that it punishes an "irregular" constitution of the contract by fines and other penalties. But it never loses sight of the principle, that the contract is purely civil; and irregularity in point ofform, though punishable, does not vitiate the contract, which is binding and valid if itssubstancebe proved, in the same way as any other contract may be proved. Such a contract is binding, if entered into in accordance with thelex loci contractus, although that law should differ from the law of the domicile of the parties. The sole privilege of the smith of Gretna Green consisted in his smithy being the nearest place to the English border, at which witnesses to the constitution of the contract could be obtained. Now-a-days, I suppose, a runaway couple, unable to hire a special train, would take the express; and I would advise them to take their tickets to Ecclefechan—the first Scotch station at which the express stops—and to confer on the station-master and porter there the dignity of high priests of Hymen: for they, or any other two witnesses you meet in Scotland, can help you to tie the knot as firmly as the Gretna smith. After what I have said, I need hardly add that these functionaries had no warrant for their certificate that their marriages were performed "according to the forms of the Church of Scotland." To those who look upon marriage as a purely civil contract, the mock ceremony at Gretna is a marriage; to those who look upon it as a sacrament, or who think that a religious ceremony affects its constitution in the slightest degree, a Gretna Green marriage is, in plain words, neither more nor less than alegalised concubinage; and, surely, I need not say, that the spouses in such a marriage, though,quoad omnem civilem effectum, on the same footing with persons regularly marriedin facie ecclesiæ, are not—in Scotland, at least—allowed to obtrude themselves into respectable society. So much for the constitution of the contract of marriage under the law of Scotland.

As for its effects, in so far as involved inMr. Brett'sQuery, no such provision exists, or ever did exist, in the Scotch law of marriage, as that children, to be legitimatisedper subsequens matrimonium, must be under their mother's apron strings. In its effects, as well as in its constitution, the contract of marriage in Scotland is ruled by the principles of the civil law; andallthe children of the spouses, born before marriage, are legitimatedper subsequens matrimonium, whether, at the time the ceremony is performed, they be "under the apron strings" or not. The old theory was, that marriage being a consensual contract, the constitution of the rights and obligations arising from it drew back to the date of the consent; which, in the case of parties who had previously had connexion, was presumed in law to be the date of the connexion. This theory has of late been somewhat impaired by the decision of the Court of Session, in the case of Kerrv.Martin. See Dunlop Bell and Murray'sReports of Cases decided in the Court of Session, vol. ii. p. 752. The soundness of that decision is still matter of controversy in the profession; but I may referMr. Brettto it as containing a full and able discussion of the whole principles on which the Scotch law of marriage is founded.

An Advocate.

I remember that my brother, when curate of a parish in Lincolnshire between 1838 and 1844, married a woman enveloped only in a sheet. He was of course startled at the slenderness of her apparel; but as all the requisitions of the law had been complied with, he did not feel himself at liberty to refuse. He contented himself, therefore, with addressing the numerous congregation on the behaviour he expected from them at a religious ordinance, and all went off well. The reason for the bride so presenting herself, was of course the popular opinion, that her new husband would not be liable for her debts.

Anon.

Mr. Weld Taylor's Process.—As I presume the object of publishing Photographic Notes, &c., is to aid those who arenot proficientsin the processes indicated,Mr. Weld Taylormust not take umbrage at his first communication being misunderstood, whether unavoidably or wilfully, as I am sure the former must have been the case with all novices in the photographic art at least; however, I had no intention whatever of offering any annoyance toMr. Taylorin my remarks, which were intended solely with a view to produce an effect which has partially been successful, that of exciting a more definite explanation of his meaning. ThatMr. Weld Taylormay "enlighten" me is not only possible, but very probable, and I can only say I shall be much obliged to him for so doing.

With reference to his process for iodizing Canson's paper, I presume his meaning to be as follows, viz.: Mix half an ounce of aforty-grainsolution ofnitrate of silverwith an equal quantityof afifty-grainsolution ofiodide of potassium, by which a precipitate of iodide of silver will be formed, the supernatant fluid containing the excess of iodide of potassium and the nitrate of potash formed by the decomposition.Adddrop by drop a solution of the cyanide of potassium, until the iodide of silver is redissolved, and the liquid becomes limpid, and thenfour ouncesmore of distilled water, making up five ounces altogether. The paper should then be washed over with the above anddried, after which it may be floated on water slightly acidulated with sulphuric acid for a few minutes, and after being again dried, either wholly, or else partially with blotting-paper, may be rendered sensitive with a weak solution of nitrate of silver. Here are two or three points admitting doubt: first, Would it not be better to wash away the nitrate of potash and free iodide of potash first, and then dissolve the iodide of silver in solution of cyanide of potassium? Secondly, Would not a slight soaking in plain water after the acidulated bath be of advantage? Thirdly, Is it better to dry the paper again before rendering it sensitive? and fourthly, What strength of nitrate of silver solution should be used to render it sensitive; and ought it to have any acetic or gallic acid, or both?

George Shadbolt.

Animal Charcoal in Photography.—Perhaps you or one of your photographic correspondents would inform me whether the animal charcoal, recommended for the aceto-nitrate of silver solution, should be used as a filter, or simply allowed to remain in the bottom of the bottle?

A. B. C.

Oxford.

Sir W. Newton on Use of Common Soda and Alum.—In reply toW. Adrian Delferier, who is desirous of knowing the "rationaleof theactionof thecommon sodaand powdered alum, &c.," my motive for usingcommon sodato cleanse thenegativesis, that it not only removes the hyposulphite of soda more readily, but any impurities which may be in the paper, as well as thewholeof thesize, such being absolutely necessary for the afterwaxingprocess; which, when done, the negative should appear nearly as transparent as glass.

The reason why I preferalumfor the positives is, that while it has the effect of removing the hyposulphite of soda and other impurities in the paper, it does not act upon thesize, which in this instance it is desirous to retain.

I have been induced to make a series of experiments, with a view to prevent thefadingof thepositives, or, indeed, that any portion should be, as it were,eaten away in parts; and since I have adopted the foregoing, in no one instance has any change taken place whatever.

W. J. Newton.

6. Argyle Street.

Difficulties in Photographic Practice.—Having met with some of the difficulties that your correspondent G. H. mentions in his communication (Vol. vii., p. 218.), I beg to offer a few hints which I think will be of service to those who are trying the waxed-paper process.

With regard to the spots, it is not easy to know whether they are produced by particles of iron in the paper, or by the oxide of silver. Le Gray says: "If spots should form, produced by the oxide of silver, they may be removed by pouring over the negative some acetic acid, and passing a brush lightly over it."

The second difficulty, want of depth of tone or intensity in the negative, may have been caused by too short an exposure in the camera, or not having used the proper proportion of developing solution. Try the following:

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