Queries.

"Mr. LeechMade a speech,Neat, concise, and strong;Mr. Hart,On the other part,Was wordy, dull, and wrong.Mr. ParkerMade it darker;'Twas dark enough without.Mr. Cooke,Cited his book;And the Chancellor said—I doubt."

"Mr. Leech

Made a speech,

Neat, concise, and strong;

Mr. Hart,

On the other part,

Was wordy, dull, and wrong.

Mr. Parker

Made it darker;

'Twas dark enough without.

Mr. Cooke,

Cited his book;

And the Chancellor said—I doubt."

—a picture of Chancery practice in the days "when George III. was king," which some future Macaulay of the twenty-first or twenty-second century, when seeking to reproduce in his vivid pages the form andpressureof the time, may cite from "N. & Q." without risk of leading his readers to any very inaccurate conclusions.

T. A. T.

Florence.

Ridley's University.—The author ofThe Bible in many Tongues(a little work on the history of the Bible and its translations, lately published by the Religious Tract Society, and calculated to be useful), informs us that Ridley "tells us incidentally," in his farewell letter, that he learned nearly the whole of St. Paul's Epistles "in the course of his solitary walks at Oxford." What Ridley tells us directly in his "Farewell" to Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, is as follows:

"In my orchard (the walls, butts, and trees, if they could speak, would bear me witness) I learned without book almost all Paul's Epistles; yea, and I ween all the canonical epistles, save only the Apocalypse."

Abhba.

Marvellous, if true.—

"This same Duc de Lauragnois had a wife to whom he was tenderly attached. She died of consumption. Her remains were not interred; but were, by some chemical process, reduced to a sort of small stone, which was set in a ring which the Duke always wore on his finger. After this, who will say that the eighteenth century was not a romantic age?"—Memoirs of the Empress Josephine, vol. ii. p. 162.: London, 1829.

E. H. A.

Progress of the War.—One is reminded at the present time of the satirical verses with reference to the slow progress of business in the National Assembly at the first French Revolution, which were as follows:

"Une heure, deux heures, trois heures, quatre heures,Cinq heures, six heures, sept heures, midi;Allons-nous diner, mes amis!Allons-nous," &c."Une heure, deux heures, trois heures, quatre heures,Cinq heures, six heures, sept heures, minuit;Allons-nous coucher, c'est mon avis!Allons-nous coucher," &c.

"Une heure, deux heures, trois heures, quatre heures,Cinq heures, six heures, sept heures, midi;Allons-nous diner, mes amis!Allons-nous," &c.

"Une heure, deux heures, trois heures, quatre heures,

Cinq heures, six heures, sept heures, midi;

Allons-nous diner, mes amis!

Allons-nous," &c.

"Une heure, deux heures, trois heures, quatre heures,Cinq heures, six heures, sept heures, minuit;Allons-nous coucher, c'est mon avis!Allons-nous coucher," &c.

"Une heure, deux heures, trois heures, quatre heures,

Cinq heures, six heures, sept heures, minuit;

Allons-nous coucher, c'est mon avis!

Allons-nous coucher," &c.

Which may be thus imitated in our language:

"One o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, four,Five o'clock, six o'clock, seven o'clock, eight,Nine o'clock, ten o'clock, eleven o'clock, noon;Let's go to dinner, 'tis none too soon!Let's go to dinner," &c."One o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, four,Five o'clock, six o'clock, seven o'clock, eight,Nine o'clock, ten o'clock, eleven, midnight;Let's go to bed, 'tis all very right!Let's go to bed," &c.

"One o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, four,

Five o'clock, six o'clock, seven o'clock, eight,

Nine o'clock, ten o'clock, eleven o'clock, noon;

Let's go to dinner, 'tis none too soon!

Let's go to dinner," &c.

"One o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, four,Five o'clock, six o'clock, seven o'clock, eight,Nine o'clock, ten o'clock, eleven, midnight;Let's go to bed, 'tis all very right!Let's go to bed," &c.

"One o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, four,

Five o'clock, six o'clock, seven o'clock, eight,

Nine o'clock, ten o'clock, eleven, midnight;

Let's go to bed, 'tis all very right!

Let's go to bed," &c.

F. C. H.

Hatherleigh Moor, Devonshire.—I copy the following from an old Devonshire newspaper, and should be obliged if any of your correspondents can authenticate the circumstances commemorated:

"When John O'Gaunt laid the foundation stoneOf the church he built by the river;Then Hatherleigh was poor as Hatherleigh Moor,And so it had been for ever and ever.When John O'Gaunt saw the people were poor,He taught them this chaunt by the river;The people are poor as Hatherleigh Moor,And so they have been for ever and ever.When John O'Gaunt he made his last will,Which he penn'd by the side of the river,Then Hatherleigh Moor he gave to the poor,And so it shall be for ever and ever."

"When John O'Gaunt laid the foundation stone

Of the church he built by the river;

Then Hatherleigh was poor as Hatherleigh Moor,

And so it had been for ever and ever.

When John O'Gaunt saw the people were poor,

He taught them this chaunt by the river;

The people are poor as Hatherleigh Moor,

And so they have been for ever and ever.

When John O'Gaunt he made his last will,

Which he penn'd by the side of the river,

Then Hatherleigh Moor he gave to the poor,

And so it shall be for ever and ever."

The above lines are stated to have been found "written in an ancient hand."

Balliolensis.

Cromwellian Gloves.—TheCambridge Chronicleof May 6, says that there is in the possession of Mr. Chas. Martin, of Fordham, a pair of gloves, reputed to have been worn by Oliver Cromwell. They are made of strong beaver, richly fringed with heavy drab silk fringe, and reach half way between the wrist and the elbow. They were for a long time in the possession of a family at Huntingdon. There is an inscription on the inside, bearing the name of Cromwell; but the date is nearly obliterated.

P. J. F. Gantillon.

Restall.—In the curious old church book of the Abbey Parish, Shrewsbury, the wordrestalloccurs as connected with burials in the interior of the church. I cannot find this word in any dictionary to which I have access. Can the readers of "N. & Q." explain its meaning and origin, and supply instances and illustrations of its use elsewhere? I subjoin the following notes of entries in which the word occurs:

"1566. Received for restall and knyll.1577. Received for buryalls in the church, viz.Itm. for a restall of Jane Powell for her gradmother, vijs.viijd."

"1566. Received for restall and knyll.

1577. Received for buryalls in the church, viz.

Itm. for a restall of Jane Powell for her gradmother, vijs.viijd."

1593. The word is now altered to "lastiall," and so continues to be written till April 29, 1621, when it is written "restiall," which continues to be its orthography until 1645, when it ceases to be used altogether, and "burials in the church" are alone spoken of.

Prior Robert of Salop.

(Continued fromp. 514.)

In a previous communication, fighting under the shield of a great authority, I attempted to prove that the effigies of the mediæval tombs presented the semblance of death—death in grandeur, mortality as the populace were accustomed to behold it, paraded in sad procession through the streets, and dignified in their temples. The character of the costume bears additional testimony to their supposed origin, and strongly warrants this conclusion. It is highly improbable that the statuaries of that age would clothe the expiring ecclesiastic in his sacerdotal robes, case the dying warrior in complete steel, and deck out other languishing mortals in their richest apparel, placing a lion or a dog, and such like crests or emblems, beneath their feet. They were far too matter-of-fact to treat a death-bed scene so poetically. The corpse however, when laid in state,wasarrayed in the official or the worthiest dress, and these heraldic appurtenancesdidoccupy that situation. Thus in 1852 were the veritable remains of Prince Paul of Wurtemburg, in full regimentals and decorated with honours, publicly exhibited in the Chapelle Ardente at Paris (Illustrated London News, vol. xx. p. 316.). Unimaginative critics exclaim loudly against the anomaly of a lifeless body, or a dying Christian, being thus dressed in finery, or covered with cumbrous armour; and such would have been the case in former days had not the people been so familiarised with this solemn spectacle. In an illumination in Froissart we have the funeral of Richard II., where the body is placed upon a simple car attired in regal robes, a crown being on the head, and the arms crossed. We are informed that "the body of the effigies of Oliver Cromwell lay upon a bed of state covered with a large pall of black velvet, and that at the feet of the effigies stood his crest, according to the custom of ancient monuments." The chronicler might, perhaps, have said with more propriety "in accordance with tradition;" cause and effect, original and copy, being here reversed.

"In a magnificent manner (he proceeds) the effigies was carried to the east end of Westminster Abbey, and placed in a noble structure, which was raised on purpose to receive it. It remained some time exposed to public view, the corpse having been some days before interred in Henry VII.'s Chapel."

In the account of the funeral obsequies of General Monk, Duke of Albemarle, in 1670, the writer says:

"Wren has acquitted himself so well, that the hearse, now that the effigy has been placed upon it, and surrounded by the banners and bannerols, is a striking and conspicuous object in the old abbey. It is supported by four great pillars, and rises in the centre in the shape of a dome."

It is here also worthy of note, that Horncastle Church affords a curious example of the principle of a double representation—one in life, and the other in death; before alluded to in the Italian monuments, and in that of Aylmer de Valence. On a mural brass (1519), Sir Lionel Dymock kneels in the act of prayer; and on another plate covering the grave below, the body is delineated wrapt in a shroud—beyond all controversy dead.

Mr. Markland, in his useful work, mentions "the steel-clad sires, and mothers mildreposingon their marble tombs;" and borrows from another archæologist an admirable description of the chapel of Edward the Confessor, who declares that "a more august spectacle can hardly be conceived, so many renowned sovereignssleepinground the shrine of an older sovereign, the holiest of his line." It can only be the sleep of death, and this the sentiment conveyed: "These all died in faith." The subjects of this disquisition are not lounging in disrespectful supplication, nor wrapt in sleep enjoying pious dreams, nor stretched on a bed of mortal sickness: but the soul, having winged its way from sin and suffering, has left its tenement with the beams of hope yet lingering on the face, and the holy hands still refusing to relax their final effort. Impossible as this may seem to calculating minds, it is nevertheless one of the commonest of the authorised and customary modes designed to signify the faith, penitence, and peace attendant on a happy end.

C. T.

Allow me through your pages to ask some of your correspondents for information respecting an old and very curious book, which I picked up the other day. It is a thinunpagedoctavo of twelve leaves, in black-letter type, without printer's name or date; but a pencil-note at the bottom of a quaint woodcut, representing a teacher and scholars, gives a date 1470! And in style of type, abbreviations, &c., it seems evidently of about the same age with another book which I bought at the same time, and which bears date as printed at "Padua, 1484."

The book about which I inquire bears the titleEs tu Scolaris, and is a Latin-German or Dutch grammar, of a most curious and primitive character, proving very manifestly that when William Lilly gave to the world the oldPowle's Grammar, it was not before such a work was needed. A few extracts from my book will give some idea of the erudition and etymological profundity of the "learned Theban" who compiled this guide to the Temple of Learning, which, if they do not instruct, will certainly amuse your readers. I should premise that the contractions and abbreviations in the printing of the book are so numerous and arbitrary, that it is extremely difficult to read, and that this style of printing condenses the subject-matter so much, that the twelve leaves would, in modern typography, extend to twenty or thirty. The book commences in the interrogatory style, in the words of its title,Es tu Scolaris?—"Sum." It then proceeds to ring the changes on this word "sum," what part of speech, what kind of verb, &c.; and setting it down asverbum anormalium, goes on to enumerate the anormalous verbs in this verse,—

"Sum, volo, fero, atque edo,Tot et anormala credo."

"Sum, volo, fero, atque edo,

Tot et anormala credo."

Now begins the curious lore of the volume:

"Q.Unde derivatursum?A.Derivatur a greca dictione,hemi(εμι); mutandohinseteinu, et deponendoi,sic habes sum!"

"Q.Unde derivatursum?

A.Derivatur a greca dictione,hemi(εμι); mutandohinseteinu, et deponendoi,sic habes sum!"

I dare say this process of derivation will be new to your classical readers, but as we proceed, they will say, "Foregad this is more exquisite fooling still."

"Q.Unde derivaturvolo?A.Derivatur abeniamin(sic proβουλομαὶ) grece; mutandobeninvoetiamininlo, sic habesvolo. VersusEstvoloformatumAbeniamin, bene vocatum.Q.Unde derivaturfero?A.Dicitur aphoos! grece; mutandophoinfeetosinro, sic habesfero!Q.Unde derivaturedo?A.Aphagin, grece; mutandophaineetginindo, sic habesedo!"

"Q.Unde derivaturvolo?

A.Derivatur abeniamin(sic proβουλομαὶ) grece; mutandobeninvoetiamininlo, sic habesvolo. Versus

EstvoloformatumAbeniamin, bene vocatum.

Estvoloformatum

Abeniamin, bene vocatum.

Q.Unde derivaturfero?

A.Dicitur aphoos! grece; mutandophoinfeetosinro, sic habesfero!

Q.Unde derivaturedo?

A.Aphagin, grece; mutandophaineetginindo, sic habesedo!"

Here be news for etymologists, and proofs, moreover, that when some of the zealous antagonists of Martin Luther in the next century denounced "Heathen Greek" as a diabolicalinventionof his, there was little in the grammar knowledge of the day to contradict the accusation.

But we have not yet exhausted the wonders and virtues of the wordsum; the grammar lesson goes on to ask,—

"Q.Quaresumnon desinit inonec inor?A.Ad habendum,drnam[2][I cannot expand this contraction, though from the context it means a mark or token], dignitatis sue respectu aliorum verborum.Q.Declara hoc, et quomodo?A.Quia persumintelligitur Trinitas, cum tres habeat litteras, scl.s.u. etm. Etiam illud verbum sum, quamvis de omnibus dici valeat, tamen de Deo et Trinitate proprie dicitur.Q.Quaresumpotius terminatur inmquam inn?A.Quia propriemrursus intelligitur Trinitas, cum illa litteram, tria habet puncta."

"Q.Quaresumnon desinit inonec inor?

A.Ad habendum,drnam[2][I cannot expand this contraction, though from the context it means a mark or token], dignitatis sue respectu aliorum verborum.

Q.Declara hoc, et quomodo?

A.Quia persumintelligitur Trinitas, cum tres habeat litteras, scl.s.u. etm. Etiam illud verbum sum, quamvis de omnibus dici valeat, tamen de Deo et Trinitate proprie dicitur.

Q.Quaresumpotius terminatur inmquam inn?

A.Quia propriemrursus intelligitur Trinitas, cum illa litteram, tria habet puncta."

I shall feel much obliged for any particulars about this literary curiosity which you or any of your correspondents can give.

A. B. R.

Belmont.

Footnote 2:(return)[Drnam stands for differentiam.]

[Drnam stands for differentiam.]

With reference to this subject, which has been so frequently discussed in your columns, daily experience convincing me still farther in the opinion that the complete performance of the task is impracticable, would you kindly allow me to ask what can be done in the now acknowledged case of frequent occurrence, where different copies of the folios and quartos vary in passages in the very same impression? What copies are to be taken as the groundworks of reference; and whose copy of the first folio is to be the standard one? Mr. Knight may give one reading as that of the edition of 1623, and Mr. Singer may offer another from the same work, while the author of the "critical digest" may give a third, and all of them correct in the mere fact that such readings are really those of the first edition. Thus, in respect to a passage inMeasure for Measure,—

"For thy own bowels, which do call theesire,"—

it has been stated in your columns that one copy of the second folio has this correct reading, whereas every copy I have met with readsfire; and so likewise the first and third folios. Then, again, in reference to this same line, Mr. Collier, in his Shakspeare, vol. ii. p. 48., says that the folio edition of 1685 also readsfireforsire; but in my copy of the fourth folio it is distinctly printedsire, and the comma before the word veryproperly omitted. It would be curious to ascertain whether any other copies of this folio readfire.

J. O. Halliwell.

"Original Poems."—There is a volume of poetry by a lady, published under the following title,Original Poems, on several occasions, by C. R., 4to., 1769. Can you inform me whether these poems are likely to have been written by Miss Clara Reeve, authoress ofThe Old English Baron, and other novels? I have seen at least one specimen of this lady's poetry in one of the volumes of Mr. Pratt'sGleaner.

Sigma.

A Bristol Compliment.—A present made of an article that you do not care about keeping yourself is called "A Bristol Compliment." What is the origin of the phrase?

Haughmond St. Clair.

French or Flemish Arms.—What family (probably French or Flemish) bears Azure, in chief three mullets argent; in point a ducal coronet or; in base a sheep proper crowned with a ducal coronet or.

Penn.

Precedence.—Will any of your correspondents assign the order of precedence of officers in army or navy (having no decoration, knighthood, or companionship of any order of knighthood), not as respects each other, but as respects civilians? I apprehend that every commission is addressed to the bearer, embodying a civil title, ase.g., "John Smith, Esquire," or as we see ensigns gazetted, "A. B., Gent." My impression therefore is, that in a mixed company of civilians, &c., no officer is entitled to take rank higher than theciviltitle incorporated in his commission would imply, apart from his grade in the service to which he belongs. On this point I should be obliged by any notices which your correspondents may supply; as also by a classification in order of precedence of the ranks which I here set down alphabetically: barristers, doctors (in divinity, law, medicine), esquires, queen's counsel, serjeants-at-law.

It may be objected that esquire, ecuyer, armiger, is originally a military title, but by usage it has been appropriated to civilians.

Suum Cuique.

"Σφιδή."—The meaning of this word is wanted. It is not in Stephens'Thesaurus. It occurs in Eichhoff'sVergleichung der Sprachen Europa und Indien, p. 234.:

"Sanscritbhid, schneiden, brechen; Gr.φάζω; Lat. fido, findo, fodio; Fr. fends; Lithuan., fouis; Deut. beisse; Eng. bite" [to which Kaltschmidt adds, beissen, speisen, fasten, Futter, Butter, Mund, bitter, mästen, feist, Weide, Wiese, Matte]; "Sans. bhidâ, bhid, Spaltung, Faser; Gr.σφιδή, Lat. fidis; Sans. bhittis, graben; Lat. fossa; Sans. bhaittar, zerschneider; Lat. fossor."

T. J. Buckton.

Lichfield.

Print of the Dublin Volunteers.—Can any of your correspondents inform me when, and where, and by whom, the well-known print of "The Volunteers of the City and County of Dublin, as they met on College Green, the 4th day of Nov., 1779," was republished? An original copy is not easily procured.

Abhba.

John Ogden.—Can any reader of "N. & Q." furnish an account of the services rendered by John Ogden, Esq., to King Charles I. of England? The following is in the possession of the inquirer:

"Ogden's Arms, granted to John Ogden, Esq., by King Charles II., for his faithful services to his unfortunate father, Charles I."Shield, Girony of eight pieces, argent and gules; in dexter chief an oak branch, fructed ppr."Crest, Oak tree ppr. Lion rampant against the tree."Motto, Et si ostendo, non jacto."

"Ogden's Arms, granted to John Ogden, Esq., by King Charles II., for his faithful services to his unfortunate father, Charles I.

"Shield, Girony of eight pieces, argent and gules; in dexter chief an oak branch, fructed ppr.

"Crest, Oak tree ppr. Lion rampant against the tree.

"Motto, Et si ostendo, non jacto."

Oakden.

Columbarium in a Church Tower.—At Collingbourne Ducis, near Marlborough, I have been told that the interior of the church tower was constructed originally to serve as a columbarium. Can this really be the object of the peculiar masonry, what is the date of the tower, and can a similar instance be adduced? It is said that the niches are not formed merely by the omission of stones, but that they have been carefully widened from the opening. Are there any ledges for birds to alight on, or any peculiar openings by which they might enter the tower?

J. W. Hewett.

George Herbert.—Will any one of your correspondents, skilled in solving enigmas, kindly give me an exposition of this short poem of George Herbert's? It is entitled—

"Hope."I gave to Hope a watch of mine; but heAn anchor gave to me.Then an old prayer-book I did present,And he an optic sent.With that, I gave a phial full of tears;But he a few green ears.Ah, loiterer! I'll no more, no more I'll bring;I did expect a ring."

"Hope.

"I gave to Hope a watch of mine; but heAn anchor gave to me.Then an old prayer-book I did present,And he an optic sent.With that, I gave a phial full of tears;But he a few green ears.Ah, loiterer! I'll no more, no more I'll bring;I did expect a ring."

"I gave to Hope a watch of mine; but he

An anchor gave to me.

Then an old prayer-book I did present,

And he an optic sent.

With that, I gave a phial full of tears;

But he a few green ears.

Ah, loiterer! I'll no more, no more I'll bring;

I did expect a ring."

G. D.

Apparition which preceded the Fire of London.—An account of the apparition which predicted the Great Fire of London two months before it took place, or a reference to the book in which it may be found, will oblige

Ignipetus.

Holy Thursday Rain-water.—In the parish of Marston St. Lawrence, Northamptonshire, there is a notion very prevalent, that rain-water collected on Holy Thursday is of powerful efficacy in all diseases of theeye. Ascension-day of the present year was very favourable in this respect to these village oculists, and numbers of the cottagers might be seen in all directions collecting the precious drops as they fell. Is it known whether this curious custom prevails elsewhere? and what is supposed to be the origin of it?

Anon.

Freemasonry.—A (Hamburg) paper,Der Freischütz, brings in its No. 27. the following:

"The great English Lodge of this town will initiate in a few days two deaf and dumb persons; a very rare occurrence."

And says farther in No. 31.:

"With reference to our notice in No. 27., we farther learned that on the 4th of March, two brethren, one of them deaf and dumb, have been initiated in the great English Lodge; the knowledge of the language, without its pronunciation, has been cultivated by them to a remarkable degree, so that with noting the motion of the lips they do not miss a single word. The ceremony of initiation was the most affecting for all present."

Query 1. Would deaf and dumb persons in England be eligible as members of the order? 2. Have similar cases to the above ever occurred in this country?

J. W. S. D. 874.

Lewis's "Memoirs of the Duke of Gloucester."—Can you inform me who was the editor of

"Memoirs of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester, from his birth, July the 24th, 1689, to October 1697: from an original Tract written by Jenkin Lewis. Printed for the Editor, and sold by Messrs. Payne, &c., London: and Messrs. Prince & Cooke, and J. Fletcher, Oxford, 1789."

In a rare copy of this volume now before me, it is attributed by a pencil-note to the editorship of Dr. Philip Hayes, who was organist of Magdalen College Chapel, Oxford, from 1777 to 1797. I should be glad to learn on what authority this could be stated. I am anxious also to know the names of any authors who have published books respecting the life, reign, or times of King William III.?

J. R. B.

Oxford.

[Some of our readers will probably be able to authenticate the editorship of Jenkin Lewis'Memoirs of the Duke of Gloucester. The following works on the reign of William III. may be consulted among others: Walter Harris'sHistory of the Reign of William III., fol., 1749;The History of the Prince of Orange and the Ancient History of Nassau, 8vo., 1688;An Historical Account of the Memorable Actions of the Prince of Orange, 12mo., 1689;History of William III., 3 vols. 8vo., 1702;Life of William III., 18mo., 1702; another, 8vo., 1703;The History of the Life and Reign of William III., Dublin, 4 vols. 12mo., 1747; Vernon'sLetters of the Reign of William III., edited by G. P. R. James, 3 vols. 8vo., 1841; Paul Grimbolt'sLetters of William III. and Louis XIV.Consult also Watt and Lowndes'Bibliographical Dictionaries, art.William III.; andCatalogue of the London Institution, vol. i. p. 292.]

Apocryphal Works.—Can you inform me where I can procure an English version of theBook of Enoch, so often quoted by Mackay in his admirable workThe Progress of the Human Intellect? Also theEpistle of Barnabas, and theSpurious Gospels?

W. S.

Cleveland Bridge, Bath.

[The Book of Enoch, edited by Archbishop Laurence, and printed at Oxford, has passed through several editions.—The Catholic Epistle of St. Barnabasis included among Archbishop Wake'sGenuine Epistles of the Apostolical Fathers.—"The Spurious Gospels" will probably be found inThe Apocryphal New Testament; being all the Gospels, Epistles, and other Pieces now extant, attributed in the first four Centuries to Jesus Christ, his Apostles, and their Companions, and not included in the New Testament by its compilers: London, 8vo., 1820; 2nd edition, 1821. Anonymous, but edited by William Hone.]

Mirabeau, Talleyrand, and Fouché.—Can any of your correspondents tell me which are the best Lives of three of the most remarkable men who figured in the age of the French Revolution, viz. Mirabeau, Talleyrand, and Fouché? If there are English translations of these works? and also if there is any collection of the fierce philippics of Mirabeau?

Kennedy McNab.

[Mirabeau left a natural son, Lucas Montigny, who publishedMemoirs of Mirabeau, Biographical, Literary, and Political, by Himself, his Uncle, and his adopted Child, 4 vols. 8vo., Lond., 1835.—Memoirs of C. M. Talleyrand, 2 vols. 12mo., Lond., 1805. Also hisLife, 4 vols. 8vo., Lond., 1834.—Memoirs of Joseph Fouché, translated from the French, 2 vols. 8vo., Lond., 1825.]

"The Turks in Europe," and "Austria as It Is."—I possess an 8vo. volume consisting of two anonymous publications, which appeared in London in 1828, one entitledThe Establishment of the Turks in Europe, an Historical Discourse, and the otherAustria as It Is, or Sketches of Continental Courts, by an Eye-witness. Can you give me the names of the authors?

Abhba.

[The Turks in Europeis by Lord John Russell: but the author ofAustria as It Is, we cannot discover; he was a native of the Austrian Empire.]

"Forgive, blest Shade."—Where were the lines, commencing "Forgive, blest shade," firstpublished? I believe it was upon a mural tablet on the chancel wall of a small village church in Dorsetshire (Wyke Regis); but I have seen it quoted as from a monument in some church in the Isle of Wight.

The tablet at Wyke, in Dorset, was erected anonymously, in the night-time, upon the east end of the chancel outer wall; but whether they wereoriginal, or copied from some prior monumental inscription, I do not know, and should feel much obliged could any of your readers inform me.

S. S. M.

[Snow, in hisSepulchral Gleanings, p. 44., notices these lines on the tomb of Robert Scott, who died in March, 1806, in Bethnal Green Churchyard. Prefixed to them is the following line: "The grief of a fond mother, and the disappointed hope of an indulgent father." Our correspondent should have given the date of the Wyke tablet.]

"Off with his head," &c.—Who was the author of the often-quoted line—

"Off with his head! so much for Buckingham!"

which is not in Shakspeare'sRichard III.?

Uneda.

Philadelphia.

[Colley Cibber is the author of this line. It occurs inThe Tragical History of Richard III., altered from Shakspeare, Act IV., near the end.]

"Peter Wilkins."—Who wrote this book? and when was it published?

Uneda.

Philadelphia.

[This work first appeared in 1750, and in its brief title is comprised all that is known—all that the curiosity of an inquisitive age can discover—of the history of the work, and name and lineage of the author. It is entitledThe Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, a Cornish Man. Taken from his own Mouth, in his Passage to England, from off Cape Horn in America, in the ship Hector. By R. S., a passenger in the Hector; Lond. 1750, 2 vols. The dedication is signed R. P. "To suppose the unknown author," remarks a writer in theRetrospective Review, vol. vii. p. 121., "to have been insensible to, or careless about, the fair fame to which a work, original in its conception, and almost unique in purity, did justly entitle him, is to suppose him to have been exempt from the influence of that universal feeling, which is ever deepest in the noblest bosoms; the ardent desire of being long remembered after death—of shining bright in the eyes of their cotemporaries, and, when their sun is set, of leaving behind a train of glory in the heavens, for posterity to contemplate with love and veneration."]

The Barmecides' Feast.—Can you tell me where the story of the Barmecides and their famed banquets is to be found?

J. D.

[InThe Thousand and One Nights, commonly calledThe Arabian Nights' Entertainments, Lane's edition, chap. v. vol. i. p. 410. Consult alsoThe Barmecides, 1778, by John Francis de la Harpe; and Moreri,Dictionnaire Historique, art. Barmécides.]

Captain.—I shall feel greatly obliged by your informing me the proper and customary manner of rendering in a Latin epitaph the words "Captain of the 29th Regiment." Ainsworth does not give any word which appears to answer to "Captain."Ordinum ductoris cumbrous and inelegant.

Clericus.

[The words, "Captain of the 29th Regiment," may be thus rendered into Latin: "Centurio sive Capitanus vicesimæ nonæ cohortis." The wordcapitanus, though not Ciceronian, was in general use for a military captain during the Middle Ages, as appears from Du Cange'sGlossary: "Item vos armati et congregati quendam de vobis incapitaneumelegistis."]

(Vol. ix., p. 496.)

In an article contained in the Number of "N. & Q." for May the 27th last, and signedC. Mansfield Ingleby, an inconsiderate, not to say a coarse attack has been made upon me, which might have been spared had the writer sought a private explanation of the matters upon which he has founded his charge.

He asks, "How has Mr. Green discharged the duties of his solemn trust? Has he made any attempt to give publicity to theLogic, the 'great work' onPhilosophy, the work on the Old and New Testaments, to be calledThe Assertion of Religion, or theHistory of Philosophy, all of which are in his custody, and of which the first is, on the testimony of Coleridge himself, a finished work?... For the four works enumerated above, Mr. Green is responsible."

Now, though, by the terms of Coleridge's will, I do not hold myself "responsible" in the sense which the writer attaches to the term, and though I have acted throughout with the cognizance, and I believe with the approbation of Coleridge's family, yet I am willing, and shall now proceed to give such explanations as an admirer of Coleridge's writings may desire, or think he has a right to expect.

Of the four works in question, theLogic—as will be seen by turning to the passage in the Letters, vol. ii. p. 150., to which the writer refers as "the testimony of Coleridge himself"—is described asnearlyready for the press, though as yetunfinished; and I apprehend it may be proved by reference to Mr. Stutfield's notes, the gentleman to whom it is there said they were dictated, and who possesses the original copy, that the work never was finished. Of the three parts mentioned as the components ofthe work, theCriterionandOrganondo not to my knowledge exist; and with regard to the other parts of the manuscript, including theCanon, I believe that I have exercised a sound discretion in not publishing them in their present form andunfinishedstate.

Of the alleged work on the Old and New Testaments, to be calledThe Assertion of Religion, I have no knowledge. There exist, doubtless, in Coleridge's handwriting, many notes, detached fragments and marginalia, which contain criticisms on the Scriptures. Many of these have been published, some have lost their interest by the recent advances in biblical criticism, and some may hereafter appear; though, as many of them were evidently not intended for publication, they await a final judgment with respect to the time, form, and occasion of their appearance. But no work with the title above stated, no work with any similar object—except theConfessions of an Inquiring Spirit—is, as far as I know, in existence.

The work to which I suppose the writer alludes as theHistory of Philosophy, is in my possession. It was presented to me by the late J. Hookham Frere, and consists of notes, taken for him by an eminent shorthand writer, of the course of lectures delivered by Coleridge on that subject. Unfortunately, however, these notes are wholly unfit for publication, as indeed may be inferred from the fact, communicated to me by Coleridge, that the person employed confessed after the first lecture that he was unable to follow the lecturer in consequence of becoming perplexed and delayed by the novelty of thought and language, for which he was wholly unprepared by the ordinary exercise of his art. If thisHistory of Philosophyis to be published in an intelligible form, it will require to be re-written; and I would willingly undertake the task, had I not, in connexion with Coleridge's views, other and more pressing objects to accomplish.

I come now to the fourth work, the "great work" onPhilosophy. Touching this the writer quotes from one of Coleridge's letters:

"Of this work something more than a volume has been dictated by me, so as to exist fit for the press."

I need not here ask whether the conclusion is correct, that because "something more than a volume" is fit for the press, I am therefore responsible for the whole work, of which the "something more than a volume" is a part? But—shaping my answer with reference to the real point at issue—I have to state, for the information of Coleridge's readers, that, although in the materials for the volume there are introductions and intercalations on subjects of speculative interest, such as to entitle them to appear in print, the main portion of the work is a philosophicalCosmogony, which I fear is scarcely adapted for scientific readers, or corresponds to the requirements of modern science. At all events, I do not hesitate to say that the completion of the whole would be requisite for the intelligibility of the part which exists in manuscript.

I leave it then to any candid person to decide whether I should have acted wisely in risking its committal to the press in its present shape. Whatever may be, however, the opinion of others, I have decided, according to my own conscientious conviction of the issue, against the experiment.

But should some farther explanation be expected of me on this interesting topic, I will freely own that, having enjoyed the high privilege of communion with one of the most enlightened philosophers of the age—and in accordance with his wishes the responsibility rests with me, as far as my ability extends, of completing his labours,—in pursuance of this trust I have devoted more than the leisure of a life to a work in which I hope to present the philosophic views of my "great master" in a systematic form of unity—in a form which may best concentrate to a focus and principle of unity the light diffused in his writings, and which may again reflect it on all departments of human knowledge, so that truths may become intelligible in the one light of Divine truth.

Meanwhile I can assure the friends and admirers of Coleridge that nothing now exists in manuscript which would add materially to the elucidation of his philosophical doctrines; and that in any farther publication of his literary remains I shall be guided, as I have been, by the duty which I owe to the memory and fame of my revered teacher.

Joseph Henry Green.

Hadley.

(Vol. ix., pp. 30, 31. 401.)

I was much pleased atMr. D'Alton'sannouncement of his work; and I should have responded to it sooner, if I could have had any idea that he did not possess King'sState of the Protestants in Ireland; but his inquiry about Colonel Sheldon, in Vol. ix., p. 401., shows that he has not consulted that work, where (p. 341.) he will find that Dominick Sheldon was "Lieutenant-General of the Horse." But after the enumeration of the General Staff, there follows a list of the field officers of eight regiments of horse, seven of dragoons, and fifty of infantry. In Tyrconnel's regiment of horse, Dominick Sheldon appears as lieutenant-colonel. This must have been, I suppose, a Sheldon junior, son or nephew of the lieutenant-general of horse. This reference to King's work has suggested to me an idea which I venture to suggest toMr. D'Altonas a preliminary to the larger work on Irish family genealogies which he is about, and for which we shallhave I fear to wait too long. I mean an immediate reprint (in a separate shape) of the several lists of gentlemen of both parties which are given in King's work. This might be done with very little trouble, and, I think, without any pecuniary loss, if not with actual profit. It would be little more than pamphlet size. The first and most important list would be of the names and designations of all the persons included in the acts of attainder passed in King James's Irish Parliament of May, 1689. They are, I think, about two thousand names, with their residences and personal designations; and it is interesting to find that a great many of the same families are still seated in the same places. These names I think I should place alphabetically in one list, with their designations and residences; and any short notes thatMr. D'Altonmight think necessary to correct clerical error, or explain doubtful names: longer notes would perhaps lead too far into family history for the limited object I propose.

In a second list, I would give the names of King James's parliament, privy council, army, civil and judicial departments, as we find them in King, adding to them an alphabetical index of names. The whole would then exhibit a synopsis of the names, residences, and politics of a considerable portion of the gentry of Ireland at that important period.

(Vol. ix., pp. 63. 159.)

Your correspondent H. B. C. is undoubtedly correct in his statement that "Ten times a day whip the Barrels," is a regimental parody on the song "He that has the best Wife," sung in Charles Coffey's musical farce ofThe Devil to Pay, published in 1731. Popular songs have been made the subject of political or personal parodies from time immemorial; and no more fruitful locality for parodies can be found than a barrack, where the individual traits of character are so fully developed, and afford so full a scope to the talents of a satirist. Indeed, I knew an officer, who has recently retired from the service, who seized on every popular ballad, and parodied it, in connexion with regimental affairs, to the delight of his brother officers; and in many instances his parodies were far more witty than the original comic songs whence they were taken.

As regards the regiment known as Barrell's, at the period assigned as the date of the song relative to that corps,i. e.circa 1747, there can be no doubt as to what corps is alluded to. Barrell's regiment, now the 4th, or King's Own, regiment of infantry, is the only corps that was ever known in the British army as Barrell's; for although Colonel William Barrell was colonel of the present 28th regiment from Sept. 27, 1715, to August 25, 1730, and of the present 22nd regiment from the latter date to August 8, 1734, yet neither of these regiments appears to have seen any war-service during the periods that they were commanded by him, or to have been known in military history as Barrell's regiments. He was appointed to the 4th regiment of infantry August 8, 1734, and retained the command of that distinguished corps exactly fifteen years, for he died August 9, 1749. While he commanded the regiment it embarked for Flanders, and served the campaign of 1744, under Field-Marshal Wade. It remained in Flanders until the rebellion broke out in Scotland, when it returned to England, and marched from Newcastle-on-Tyne to Scotland in January, 1746, arriving on the 10th of that month at Edinburgh. The regiment was engaged at the battle of Falkirk, Jan. 17, 1746, where its conduct is thus noticed in theGeneral Advertiser: "The regiments which distinguished themselves were Barrell's (King's Own), and Ligonier's foot." Ligonier's regiment is now the glorious 48th regiment, of Albuera fame.

At the battle of Culloden Barrell's regiment gained the greatest reputation imaginable; the battle was so desperate that the soldiers' bayonets were stained with blood to the muzzles of their muskets; there was scarce an officer or soldier of the regiment, and of that part of Munro's (now 37th regiment) which engaged the rebels, that did not kill one or two men each with their bayonets. (Particulars of the Battle, published 1746.) Now it will be remembered that your correspondent E. H., Vol. ix., p. 159., represents a drummer of the regiment interceding with the colonel for the prisoner, by stating that "he behaved well at Culloden." And this leads me to the question, Who was the colonel against whom this caricature was directed? It is proved ("N. & Q.," Vol. vii., p. 242.) that regiments were known by the names of theircolonels, whether commanded personally by the colonel or not, until July 1, 1751, and indeed for several subsequent years.

Now the reference to Culloden renders it probable that the colonel appealed to was present at that battle, and perhaps an eye-witness of the personal bravery on that occasion of the soldier who was subsequently flogged. But although Colonel Barrellretainedthe colonelcy of the 4th Infantry until August, 1749, yet he was promoted to major-general in 1735, after which time he would have commanded adivision, not aregiment. In 1739 he was farther promoted to lieut.-general, and appointed the same year Governor of Pendennis Castle, which office would necessarily remove him from the personal command of his regiment. He was not present at the battle of Culloden, April 16, 1746, where his regiment was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel RobertRich, who was wounded on that occasion. As to the epithet of "Colonel," used by the drummer, that term is always used in conversation when addressing a lieutenant-colonel, or even a brevet lieutenant-colonel, and its use only proves, therefore, that the officer in command of the parade held a higher rank than major. After Culloden, the 4th regiment moved to the Highlands, and in 1747 returned to Stirling. In 1749 General Barrell died, and the colonelcy of the regiment was given to Lieut.-Colonel Rich, whom I suspect to be the officer alluded to in the caricature. I have searched the military records of the 4th regiment, but can find no mention of the places at which it was stationed from 1747 to 1754, in the spring of which year it embarked from Great Britain for the Mediterranean, just as it is now doing in the spring of 1854. I am inclined to fix the date of the print as 1749 (not 1747), when "Old Scourge"returnedto his regiment as colonel, at the decease of General Barrell. Colonel Rich was not promoted to major-general until Jan. 17, 1758, and his commission as colonel is dated Aug. 22, 1749, the day on which he became colonel of the 4th regiment. He died in 1785, but retired from the service between the years 1771 and 1776: he succeeded his father as a baronet in 1768.

G. L. S.

(Vol. ix., p. 372.)

I was much pleased at readingMr. H. T. Riley'sNote on this neglected subject, in which I take no small interest, and feel happy in communicating the little amount of information I possess regarding it. I have long thought that the habit of smoking, I do not say tobacco, but some other herb, is of much greater antiquity than is generally supposed. Tobacco appears to have been introduced amongst us about 1586 by Captain R. Greenfield and Sir Francis Drake (vide Brand'sPopular Antiquities); but I have seen pipe-bowls of English manufacture, which had been foundbeneaththe encaustic pavement of Buildwas Abbey in Shropshire, which gives a much earlier date to the practice of smokingsomething. I remember an old man, a perfect Dominie Sampson in his way, who had been in turn gaoler, pedagogue, and postmaster, at St. Briavel's, near Tintern Abbey, habitually smoking the leaves of coltsfoot, which he cultivated on purpose; he told me that he could seldom afford to use tobacco. The pipes found in such abundance in the bed of the Thames, and everywhere in and about London, I believe to be of Dutch manufacture; they are identical with those which Teniers and Ostade put into the mouths of their boors, and have for the most part a small pointed heel, a well-defined milled ring around the lip, and bear no mark or name of the maker. Such were the pipes used by the soldiers of the Parliament, to be found wherever they encamped. I will only instance Barton, near Abingdon, on the property of G. Bowyer, Esq., M.P., where I have seen scores while shooting in the fields around the ruins of the old fortified mansion. The English pipes, on the contrary, have a very broad and flat heel, on which they may rest in an upright position, so that the ashes might not fall out prematurely; and on this heel the potter's name or device is usually stamped, generally in raised characters, though sometimes they are incised. Occasionally the mark is to be found on the side of the bowl. A short time ago I exhibited a series of some five-and-twenty different types at the Archæological Institution, and my collection has been enlarged considerably since. These were principally found in Shropshire and Staffordshire, and appear for the most part to have been made at Broseley. They are of a very hard and compact clay, which retains the impress of the milled ring and the stamp in all its original freshness. I shall feel much obliged by receiving any additional information upon this subject.

W. J. Bernhard Smith.

Temple.

(Vol. ix., p. 451.)

I cannot direct R. A. to the passage in Madame de Staël's works. The German book for which he inquires is not by Schlegelassistedby Fichte, but—

"Friedrich Nicolai's Leben und sonderbare Meinungen. Ein Beitrag zur Literatur-Geschichte des vergangenen und zur Pädagogik des angehenden Jahrhunderts, von Johan Gottlieb Fichte. Herausgegeben von A. W. Schlegel: Tubingen, 1801, 8o, pp. 130."

There certainly is no ground for the charge that Fichte attacked Nicolai when he was too old to reply. Nicolai was born in 1733, and died in 1811; so that he was sixty-eight when this pamphlet was published. HisLeben Sempronius Gundibertswas published in 1798; and your correspondent H. C. R. (Vol. vii., p. 20.) partook of his hospitality in Berlin in 1803.

As to the provocation, Fichte (at p. 82.) gives an account of attacks on his personal honour; the worst of which seems to be the imputation of seeking favourable notices in theLiterary Gazetteof Jena. InGundibertFichte's writings were severely handled, but no personal imputation was made. I do not know what was said of him in theNeue Deutsche Bibliothek, but I can hardly imagine any justification for so furious an attackas this on Nicolai. I also concur with Madame de Staël in thinking the book dull: "Non est jocus esse malignum." It begins with an attempt at grave burlesque, but speedily degenerates into mere scolding. Take one example:

"Es war sehr wahr, dass aus seinen (Nicolais) Händen alles beschmutzt und verdreht herausging; aber es war nicht wahr, das er beschmutzen und verdrehen wollte. Es ward ihm nur so durch die Eigenschaft seiner Natur. Wer möchte ein Stinkthier beschuldigen, dass es bohafter Weise alles was es zu sich nehme, in Gestank,—oder die Natter, das sie es in Gift verwandle. Diese Thiere sind daran sehr unschuldig; sie folgen nur ihrer Natur. Eben so unser Held, der nun einmal zum literarischen Stinkthier und der Natter des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts bestimmt war, verbreitete stank um sich, und spritze Gift, nicht aus Bosheit, sondern lediglich durch seine Bestimmung getrieben."—P. 78.

The charge of defiling all he touched will be appreciated by those who have readSebaldus NothankerandSempronius Gundibert, two of the purest as well as of the cleverest novels of the last century.

H. B. C.

U. U. Club.

(Vol. ix., p. 392.)

The long-received account of a very striking act in the martyrdom of Cranmer is declared to involve an "impossibility." The question is an important one in various ways, for it involves moral and religious, as well as literary and physiological, considerations of deep interest; but as I think the pages of "N. & Q." not the most appropriate vehicle for discussion on the former heads, I shall pass them over at present with a mere expression of regret that such a subject should have been so mooted there. With reference, then, to the literary evidence in favour of the fact, that the noble martyr voluntarily put forth his hand into the hottest part of the fire which was raging about him, and burnt it first, the historians quoted are entirely agreed, differing as they do only in such details as might seem rather to imply independent testimony than discrepant authority. But the action is declared to be "utterly impossible, because," &c. Why beg the question in this way? "Because," says H. B. C., "the laws of physiology and combustion show that he could not have gone beyondthe attempt;" adding, "If the hand were chained over the fire, the shock would produce death." Leaving thehypotheticalreasoning in both cases to go for what it is worth, it would surely be easy to produce facts of almost every week from the evidence given in coroners' inquests, in which persons have had their limbs burnt off—to say nothing of farther injury—without the shock "producing death." The only question then which I think can fairly arise, is, whether a person in Cranmer's position couldvoluntarilyendure that amount of mutilation by fire which many others haveaccidentallysuffered? This may be matter of opinion, but I have no doubt, and I suppose no truly Christian philosopher will have any, that the man who has faith to "give his body to be burned," and to endure heroically such a form of martyrdom, would be quite able to do what is attributed to Cranmer, and to Hooper too, "high medical authority" to the contrary notwithstanding. I might, indeed, adduce what might be called "high medical authority" for my view,i. e.the historical evidence of the fact, but I think the bandying of opinions on such a subject undesirable. It would be more to the point, especially if there really existed any ground for "historic doubt" on the subject, or if there was any good reason for creating one, to cite cotemporaneous evidence against that usually received. With respect to the heart of the martyr being "entire and unconsumed among the ashes," I must be permitted to say that, neither on physiological nor other grounds, does even this alleged fact, taken in its plain and obvious meaning, strike me as forming one of the "impossibilities of history."

J. H.

Rotherfield.

Your correspondent H. B. C. doubts the possibility of the story about Cranmer's hand, and says that "if a furnace were so constructed that a man might hold his hand in the flame without burning his body, the shock to the nervous system would deprive him of all command over muscular action before the skin could be entirely consumed. If the hand were chained over the fire, the shock would produce death." Now, this last assertion I doubt. The following is an extract from the account of Ravaillac's execution, given with wonderfully minute details by an eye-witness, and published in Cimber'sArchives Curieux de l'Histoire de France, vol. xv. p. 103.:

"On le couche sur l'eschaffaut, on attache les chevaux aux mains et aux pieds. Sa main droite percée d'un cousteau fut bruslée à feu de souphre. Ce misérable, pour veoir comme ceste exécrable main rotissoit, eut le courage de hausser la teste et de la secouer pour abattre une étincelle de feu qui se prenoit à sa barbe."

So far was this from killing him that he was torn with red-hot pincers, had melted lead, &c. poured into his wounds, and he was then "longuement tiré, retiré, et promené de tous costez" by four horses:

"S'il y eut quelque pause, ce ne fut que pour donner temps au bourreau de respirer, au patient de se sentir mourir, aux théologiens de l'exhorter à dire la vérité."

And still:

"Sa vie estoit forte et vigoureuse; telle que retirantune fois une des jambes, il arresta le cheval qui le tiroit."

I fear your correspondent underrates the power of the human body in enduring torture. I have seen a similar account of the execution of Damiens, with which I will not shock your readers. The subject is a revolting one, but the truth ought to be known, as it is (most humanely, I fully believe) questioned.

G. W. R.

Oxford and Cambridge Club.

Difficulties in making soluble Cotton.—In making soluble cotton according to the formula given by Mr. Hadow in thePhotographic Journal, and again byMr. Shadboltin "N. & Q.," I have been subject to the most provoking failures, and should feel obliged ifMr. Shadboltor any other of your correspondents could explain the causes of my failures, which I will endeavour to describe.

1st. In using nitrate of potash and sulphuric acid, with a certain quantity of water as given, I haveinvariablyfound that on adding the cotton to the mixture it becamecompletely dissolved, and the mass began to effervesce violently, throwing off dense volumes of deep red fumes, and the whole appearing of a similar colour. I at first thought it might be the fault of the sulphuric acid; but on trying some fresh, procured at another place, the same effects were produced.

Again, in using the mixed acids (which I tried, not being successful with the other method) I found, on following Mr. Hadow's plan, that the cotton was also entirely dissolved.

How is the proper temperature at which the cotton is to be immersed to be arrived at? Are there any thermometers constructed for the purpose? as, if one of the ordinary ones, mounted on wood or metal, was used, the acids would attack it, and, I should imagine, prove injurious to the liquids.

At the same time I would ask the reason why all the negative calotypes I have taken lately, both on Turner's and Sandford's papers, iodized according toDr. Diamond'splan, are never intense, especially the skies, by transmitted light, although by reflected light they look of a beautiful black and white. I never used formerly to meet with such a failure; but at that time I used always to wet the plate glass and attach the paper to it, making it adhere by pressing with blotting-paper, and then exciting with a buckles brush and dilute gallo-nitrate. But the inconvenience attending that plan was, that I was compelled to take out as many double slides as I wished to take pictures, which made me abandon it and take toDr. Diamond'splan of exciting them and placing them in a portfolio for use. I imagine the cause of their not being so intense is the not exposing them while wet.

A bag made of yellow calico, single thickness, has been recommended for changing the papers in the open air. I am satisfied it will not do, especially if the sun is shining; it may do in some shady places, but I have never yet seen any yellow calico so fine in texture as not to allow of the rays of light passing through it, unless two or three times doubled. I have proved to my own satisfaction that the papers will not bear exposure in a bag of single thickness, without browning over immediately the developing fluid is applied.

With regard to the using of thin collodion, as recommended by Mr. Hardwick in the last Number of thePhotographic Journal, I am satisfied it is the only plan of producing thoroughly good positives; and I have been in the habit of thinning down collodion in the same manner for a long time, finding that I produced much better pictures with about half the time of exposure necessary for a thick collodion.

H. U.

Light in Cameras.—I cannot sufficiently express my acknowledgments to "N. & Q." for the photographic benefits I have derived from its perusal, more especially from the communication in No. 240. ofLux in Camera. Since I took up the art some months ago, I have had (with two or three exceptions) nothing but a succession of failures, principally from the browning of the negatives, and on examining my camera, as recommended byLux in Camera, I find it lets in a blaze of light from the cause he mentions[3], and thence doubtless my disappointments. But why inflict this history upon you? I inclose for your acceptance the best photograph I have yet produced fromDr. Diamond's"Simplicity of the Calotype." Printed from Delamotte's directions:—

First preparation, 5 oz. of aq. dist.; ¼ oz. of muriate of ammonia.

Second process, floating on solution 60 grains of nitrate of silver, 1 ounce of distilled water.

Is there any better plan than the above?

Charles K. Probert.

P.S.—The view inclosed is the porch and transept of Newport Church, Essex, from the Parsonage garden. Is it printed too dark? I wish I could get the grey and white tints I saw in the Photographic Exhibition.[4]Had your readers behaved with ordinary gratitude, your photographic portfolio ought to have overflowed by this time.

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