the House of Commons the circumstance of the Stuart family receiving from the Crown a large annual payment in consideration of some seigneurial privileges surrendered in America. Mr. Stuart died, to the best of my remembrance, in 1871, and was buried in Aldenham churchyard. At his death many of the valuables which he had collected were dispersed. Another seat of his was Tempsford Hall, in Bedfordshire. He left surviving issue. JOHN PICKFORD, M.A. Newbourne Rectory, Woodbridge. POPULAR NOTIONS OF ECLIPSES (7th S. vi. 266).-There seems no subject on which usually well-informed people are more at sea than astronomy. B. W. S. does not exaggerate one bit. On the occasion of a recent eclipse of the moon I myself saw a tradesman here gravely observing our satellite through a piece of well-smoked glass. On another occasion, when Venus was so brilliant as to be reputed visible in the daytime to one who knew exactly where to look, another citizen was seen gazing with rapture at a black bottle. This article gave (as such things often do) two reflections of the sun, a big one and a little one, and the erudite individual, with delight, pointed to the smaller image as that of the evening star. This is a fact. Other instances could be mentioned, but I fear to trespass on your valuable space. Llanelly. ARTHUR MEE. A DORCHESTER WILL (7th S. vi. 247).—In 1766 Dorset formed part of the diocese of Bristol, and so continued until separated therefrom and added to Salisbury about 1826; and the archdeaconry of Dorset (as now) was co-extensive with the county. The bishop and archdeacon had courts for the proof of wills, amongst other jurisdictions, and such authorities continued so long as their courts existed. The registries of both courts were at Blandford, and their records, I conclude, are preserved still by the present official representatives of those courts there. 1766 is not a very remote date, and it is not unlikely that Z. Y. X. might learn something of his ancestor, and perhaps of his will, if he mentioned his name, as legal documents and papers of that date are known to exist in Dorchester at this day. OMEGA. In every probability Z. Y. X. will find the will he wants at the Probate Court, Blandford; if not there, at the Probate Court, Bristol. E. A. FRY. bably related, the word being derived from the legendary belief that turned liquor had been struck by some supernatural hand. D. SCOTT DALGLEISH. BELGIAN CUSTOM (7th S. vi. 249).—I have freout of a window, or more often the straw at the end quently seen in Belgium a bunch of straw hanging of a long string which was fastened at the end of a pole, and I generally found, on looking up, that repairs of roof or front were in progress, which rendered walking on the pavement risky, if not dangerous. I always considered it a storm signal, and acted accordingly. I have often noticed this signal or warning in East German towns. PAUL E. KARKEEK. Torquay. IDIOT (7th S. vi. 249).—Is MR. SPENCE correct in asserting that to the close of the seventeenth century the word was used in the sense of layman, as distinguished from philosopher? An Act was passed in the seventeenth year of the reign of Edward II. (1324) in which it is employed as a person bereft of reason: "His Prerogative in the Custody of Lands of Idiots.The King shall have the Custody of the Lands of natural struction, and shall find them their Necessaries, of whose Fools, taking the profits of them without Waste or DeFee soever the Lands be holden. (2) And after the death of such Idiots he shall render it to the right Heirs, so that such Idiots shall not aliene, nor their Heirs shall be disinherited." Directions for Compounding for Wards, Ideots, and A report of a "Commission with Instructions and Lunaticks" was published in 1617. Blount, in his 'Glossographia; or, Dictionary interpreting the Hard Words,' published in 1670, defines an idiot to be " so weak of understanding that he cannot govern one that is naturally born his 'English Expositour,' published in 1680, gives or manage his inheritance"; and Dr. Bradley, in the meaning as 66 a fool natural." 71, Brecknock Road. EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. On the Close Roll for 37 Henry VI. (1458-9) will be found a deposition relating to the inheritance of certain estates, and a family pedigree in connexion with them, wherein we are told that John Sely was loth to marry Dionise Craneford, "by cause she was in maner an Idiotte, and hadde ner knewe no worldly reason, in so moche that she would call a noble, a nubble." This gives the modern sense of the word at a date much earlier than the close of the seventeenth century, for it cannot be imagined that a labouring man in 1458 would have objected to marry a woman because she had not received the education of a philosopher. King's Norton. FUFTY (7th S. vi. 229, 276).—I have heard in Lanarkshire the expression "fusty fufty." Here, probably, the meaning was old, as if kept fifty years. In many old Keltic forms the i and u sounds are written exactly the contrary to their In a book catalogue (J. W. Jarvis, London, pronunciation, and the Anglo-Saxon fyste is pro-1888) I find "A Commission with Instructions and HERMENTRUDE. These are called "finger-posts" when the boards on which the names are painted are made to end in a roughly-cut outline of a hand with the index finger pointing in the required direction. One such post on Newland Green, near Malvern, lately fell down by reason of old age, and has not been replaced. It did not long survive an old man who lived in a cottage hard by, and who was always known by his neighbours as "Finger-post Smith." In the North of England they are sometimes vulgarly called "guy-posts," just as we hear of "guy-ropes." W. C. B. Will your correspondent R. C. A. P. kindly inform me in what part of Devonshire " spy-posts" are known? In this part, after many inquiries, I find "directing-posts" most in use. In Yorkshire I was most conversant with "finger-posts." Cullompton. HERBERT HARDY. SULLY-CHAMPAIGNE (7th S. vi. 269).—The eldest son of Adela, Countess of Blois, married Agnes de Sully, daughter of Gilon, Lord of Sully, and was ancestor by her of a long line of Lords of Sully in France. The last of these, Louis, Lord of Sally (who fought against the English at Poictiers), died 1381/2, leaving an only daughter and heir, Marie de Sully, who married Guy, Lord of Tremouille and Count of Guisnes. From this marriage the present Duc de la Tremouille derives his descent in an unbroken line. The male issue of William, grandson of William the Conqueror, and eldest brother of King Stephen, is believed to have become extinct in the person of Louis, father of Agnes, Lady of Tremouille aforesaid. But Archambaud, Lord of Sully, the great-grandson of William of Blois, had a second son William, Lord of Argent and Clemont, who, according to Père Anselme, was living in 1226. From him may have descended the famous Sully, minister of Henry IV. of France. Your correspondent will find a full account of the family of Sully-Champaigne in Père Anselme, vol. ii. p. 853. H. MURRAY LANE, Chester Herald. MISS FOOTE, COUNTESS OF HARRINGTON (7th S. vi. 6, 166, 292).-It seems strange how any one dowager who affronted Garrick was regarded by could seriously suppose that "the snuffling" old me "as the first wife of the Lord Harrington who married Miss Foote." In fact, this peer had never been married until his nuptials with Maria Foote. I sent my find to 'N. & Q.' merely as a curiosity, and for whatever it was worth. The passage should have run "A previous Lady Harrington." W. J. FITZ-PATRICK, F.S.A. WILLIAM PITT (7th S. vi. 269).-In 'A Picture of England' (1789), by M. D'Archenholz, there are some remarks on the policy of William Pitt at the commencement of his political career which may be of interest to MR. WALFORD : "In regard to Parliament, the great abuse consists in the inequality of the representation of the people in the House of Commons......It was a project truly patriotic, and well worthy of the son of the great William Pitt, to attempt a reformation in regard to the little boroughs...... London, which ought to send forty members, sends only four. Manchester, Birmingham; and a great number of other places whose manufactures and commerce render of Mr. Pitt, which tended to support the political conEngland so flourishing, send not even one. This scheme stitution of his country, then on the brink of ruin, was evidently dictated by the greatest propriety. Lord North Possibly it may be of use to MR. WALFORD to refer him to Landor's 'Conversation between Pitt and Canning.' It is, I think, one of the least happy, showing an utter absence of that dramatic power which gives the main charm to most of the Conversations,' and is so eminently characteristic of them. It is valuable not so much as indicating what Pitt was as what Landor was. MR. WALFORD may also turn to the opinions respecting Pitt put into the mouth of Alfieri in the 'Conversation between Alfieri and Salomon, the Florentine Jew' (vol. iv. p. 266 of Landor's 'Works,' 1876). T. ADOLPHUS TROLLOPE. Your correspondent will, I think, find some useful information concerning this great statesman in the 'Life of Canning,' by Robert Bell, and in the History of England during the Reign of George III., by the Right Hon. William Massey. JOHN PICKFORd, M. A. Newbourne Rectory, Woodbridge. For a severe attack upon him see Dr. Parr's preface to his edition of 'Bellenden de Statu.' W. E. BUCKLEY. The date of birth is given in the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xl. p. 142, and the Annual Register, vol. xiii. p. 178, as March 6, 1770; in the Scots Mag., vol. xxxii. p. 166, as March 16, 1770; while the 'Scots Compendium; or, Peerage of Scotland,' Edinburgh, 1826, vol. i. p. 70, makes it March 16, 1769. The date of death does not correspond with that given by G. F. R. B. at the above reference, and the inscription is obviously incorrect in the matter of the age. From Foster's 'Alumni Oxoniensis' it appears that his lordship matriculated at Christ Church April 23, 1788, aged eighteen. DANIEL HIPWELL. 34, Myddelton Square, Clerkenwell. DOLLARS (7th S. vi. 268).-Dollars must have been common enough in Charles Lamb's time. In 1797, in consequence of the deficiency of silver coinage, Spanish dollars and half-dollars were issued countermarked with George III.'s head on the neck of the bust. A second issue from the Mint was made in 1804, the countermark being the head used for stamping the silver penny. The countermarked dollars were current for 4s. 9d. Then Boulton manufactured at the Soho Mint the well-known five-shilling dollar, a beautiful coin. It has Obverse, the bust of the king laureated and draped; inscription, "Georgius III. Dei Gratia Rex." Reverse, an inner band, with a turreted crown inscribed "Five Shillings Dollar"; in the centre a figure of Britannia holding an olive branch and spear, and leaning on a shield with the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew united upon it; a bee-hive on her right, and a cornucopia at her left; "Bank of England, 1804." In 1811 the price of silver had risen, and the Bank of England gave notice (March 18, 1811) that they would pay for and issue them at 5s. 6d. The first issue of crowns in George III.'s reign did not take place until the great recoinage in 1816. See 'Guide to English Coins,' by H. W. Henfrey. JOHN E. T. LOVEDAY. Are not these the Spanish "pillar dollars"; and did they not run current in England as crown pieces? HERMENTRUde. FRIAR'S LANTHORN (7th S. vi. 168, 257).This seems to be one of the many names in the English language given to the ignis fatuus, though in an interesting and exhaustive article in Hazlitt's edition of Brand's 'Popular Antiquities' (vol. iii. pp. 345–57) this special name does not occur. "Jack o' Lantern" forms the subject of one of Cruikshank's best etchings in the Omnibus,' in which a hobgoblin is depicted amongst the reeds on the banks of a pool holding a lantern in his hand. Underneath is inscribed, "Designed, etched, and published by George Cruikshank, January 1st, 1842." The ignis fatuus is thus alluded to by Milton:- 'Paradise Lost,' book ix. v. 634-42. Again, in the opera, of 'Guy Mannering,' in the gipsy glee by Joanna Baillie: And The wild fire dances on the fen, Up rouse ye, then, my merry, merry men, probably in the Hermit,' by Oliver Goldsmith, the ignis fatuus is meant : "Forbear, my son," the hermit cries, For yonder faithless phantom flies Here to the houseless child of want And though my portion is but scant JOHN PICKFORd, M.A. AUTHORS OF QUOTATIONS Wanted (7th S. v. 269).Grief Doth live and dally with fantastic thought, &c. Allow me to answer my own query. I found the lines as sent to you quoted by Coleridge in an unpublished letter, and did not feel certain they were his own. Since then I have found them in 'Osorio,' Act V. Ec. i., in this somewhat modified form : For grief Doth love to dally with fantastic shapes Gives some resemblance of her own concerns (7th S. vi. 300.) J. D. C. The monkey who has seen the world' is the title of one of Gay's fables (No. xiv.). Any copy with illustrations probably has one for this. The copy before me (London, 1854, with illustrations, drawing by W. Harvey, engraving by Brothers Dalziel) has one at p. 54. Miscellaneous. ED. MARSHALL. NOTES ON BOOKS, &o. Byegones relating to Wales and the Border Counties, 1886-7. (Oswestry and Wrexham, Woodall, Minshall & Co.; London, Stock.) It for illustrations of Welsh history and literature. Calendar of the Freemen of Norwich, from 1317 to 1603. Cymru Fu: Notes and Queries relating to the Past His-structor of rosaries. Though the trade is still largely tory of Wales and the Border Counties. Edited by George H. Brierley. Part II., Jan.-June, 1888. (Cardiff, D. Owen & Co., Limited.) THESE two collections are, both in title and in fact, illustrative of the same classes of topics, bearing upon the same districts, and yet, so wide is the field to be covered, and so varied the information to be gathered, that we may in all honesty say both publications are needed. The student of the history, the archæology, and the folk-lore of Wales and the Marches will find help alike in Byegones and in Cymru Fu. If his search is not carried into the pages of both serials, he may miss the very link he was seeking. In Byegones we have very useful lists of wills of Shropshire testators, 13911641, and Shrewsbury testators, 1486-1641, and of Ludlow, Oswestry, and Border testators, to the same date, now preserved at Somerset House. In Cymru Fu we find an interesting list of Welsh Papists, 1680, classed, according to their reputation, as "active," "violent," "zealous," "quiet," "suspected priests," &c., embracing the Joneses, now Herberts, of Llanarth, the Vaughans of Courtfield, and other well-known families. The corresponding Shropshire list for 1680 is in Byegones. In Byegones, again, we have useful summaries of the proceedings at the meetings of the National Eisteddfod (London meeting), the Royal Archæological Institute, the Cambrian Archæological Society, &c., and the two serials alike draw upon the sources of the Hon. Cymmrodorion Society Word Portraits of Famous Writers. Edited by Mabel THE aim of this work is to give those particulars Foe, Charles Kingsley, and other writers, concerning The Brasenose Calendar: a List of Members of the King's THIS privately printed work, bearing the names of two is that the spirited example thus set may tempt others By Francis George Heath. (Kent & THE Volume of Illustrations contains an agreeable variety of contents, literary, artistic, scientific, &c. It is creditable alike in respect of cheapness and merit. 'LES PRINCESSES DE BOURBONS BIBLIOPHILES,' by Eugène Asse, with which the latest number of Le Livre Plumptre, and Lewis Morris are among those which have already appeared. THE Scottish Art Journal is now issued in London by Mr. Elliot Stock. The present number reproduces the Par Mêche' of Lepage. MESSRS. ILIFFE & SON have issued Photography for All, by W. Jerome Harrison, F.G.S., with illustrations. Notices to Correspondents. We must call special attention to the following notices: ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. WE cannot undertake to answer queries privately. To secure insertion of communications correspondents must observe the following rule. Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. Correspondents who repeat queries are requested to head the second communication "Duplicate." J. M. D., University, Tokyo.-"To go nap is to declare to make every trick at the game of nap against the collective antagonism of the other players. HERBERT HARDY ("Chitlings"). See in an etymological dictionary "Chitterlings" (Dutch Schyterling), the entrails. C. A. WARD ("Milton's Mulberry Tree ").-This is still in existence. We saw it last year. M. S. R.-The name is new to us. HE 1. ROBERT ELSMERE and CHRISTIANITY. opens, is accompanied by medallion etchings of five of TH IN the Universal Review the most interesting and valuable paper is that of Dr. Richard Garnett on the 'British Museum Catalogue.' It gives many curious, and some comforting, facts as to the progress of that great undertaking. Mr. F. C. Burnand writes earnestly upon The Spirit of Burlesque,' Sir Edwin Arnold's pleasantly illustrated 'To a Pair of Slippers' is pretty enough, but not quite up to the level of previous poems inspired by a similar theme. 4. CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHY and ANTIQUITIES. 5. MATTHEW ARNOLD. 6. PROVINCIAL LIFE under the ROMAN REPUBLIC. 7. TECHNICAL EDUCATION and FOREIGN COMPETITION. 8. Mr. BALFOUR'S ADMINISTRATION of IRELAND. JOHN MURRAY, Albemarle-street. With 15 Full-Page Photogravure Intaglio Plates, MR. F. E. SAWYER, F.S.A., has issued a guide, at once THE INNS OF OLD SOUTHWARK, erudite and popular, to the Devil's Dyke and the Neighbourhood. It is illustrated, and is published by Mr. D. B. Friend, of Western Road, Brighton, UNDER the alliterative title of Popular Poets of the Period Messrs. Griffith & Farran are issuing a series of brief biographies of English poets of the day, with selections from their works. Sir Edwin Arnold, Dean AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS. By WILLIAM RENDLE, F.R.C.S., and London: LONGMANS, GREEN & CO. |