Various

“ I have not yet tested it with a lens and the solution of sulphite of quinine, as I wished the sun to shine on the sheet of India rubber at the time, which would decide the question. However, sheet India rubber can be obtained of any size and thickness required: mine is about one-sixteenth of an inch thick, and one foot square; and the advantages over glass would be great in some cases, especially for a dark tent in the open air, as any amount of light might be obtained by stitching a sheet of India rubber into the side, which would fold up without injury. ”

“ Ce fut à Venise que Charles-Jean de Kœnigsmark rencontra la belle Comtesse de Southampton, cette vaillante amoureuse qui, plantant la fortune et famille, le suivit désormais par le monde déguisée en page: romanesque anecdote que la princesse Palatine a consignée dans ses mémoires avec cette brusque rondeur de style qui ne marchande pas les expressions. 'Il doit être assez dans le caractère de quelques dames anglaises de suivre leurs amans. ”

“ Pope Paul III. nominated him to the primatial see of Armagh, after the death of Archbishop Cromer in 1543, and during the lifetime of Archbishop Dowdal, who was a Catholic also, but being appointed Archbishop of Armagh in November 1543, by King Henry VIII., was not acknowledged at Rome as such. Waucup, as his name is also spelt, and Latinized "Venantius," never appears, however, to have been able to obtain regular possession of the see of Armagh and primacy of Ireland, being merely titular archbishop. ”

“ Pall Mall, whose well-known Preparation of Xylo-Iodide of Silver is pronounced by the most eminent scientific men of the day to excel every other Photographic Compound in sensitiveness, and in the marvellous vigour uniformly preserved in the middle tints of pictures produced by it. MR. R. W. THOMAS cautions Photographers against unprincipled persons who (from the fact of Xyloidin and Collodion being synonymous terms) would lead them to imagine that the inferior compound sold by them at half the price is identical with his preparation. ”

“ Winny took the goblet and pledged it with Mr. Alexander Whitney, the watchmaker, for five shillings. In a few days after a gentleman who lived not twenty miles from Creywell Cremony came in to Mr. Whitney's, saw the goblet, and recognised it as being once in his possession, and marked with the initials "M. R.," and on examining it found it to be the identical one which he had bestowed, some years before, on a Spanish merchant. Davy, when able to get out, deposed on oath before the Mayor of Ross (who is still living) to the facts narrated above. ”

“ Mr. Crookes' Wax-paper Process (Vol. vi., p. 613.) .—R. E. wishes to know the exact meaning of the sentence, "With the addition of as much free iodine as will give it a sherry colour." After adding the iodide of potassium to the water, a small quantity of iodine (this can be proctored at any operative chemist's) is to be dissolved in the mixture until it be of the proper colour.
The paper is decidedly more sensitive if exposed wet, but it should not be washed; and I think it is advisable to have a double quantity of nitrate of silver in the exciting bath. ”

“ If the arc through which the camera is moved to its second station be too large, the stereoscopic picture will be unnaturally and unpleasingly distorted. The second picture is now to be taken.
If the subject be a sitter, it is of the utmost importance to proceed as quickly as possible, as the identical position must be retained movelessly till both pictures are completed. This (in my experience) is scarcely practicable with collodion pictures, unless by the aid of an assistant and two levelled developing-stands in the dark closet ”

“ Punjaub.
Robert Wauchope, Archbishop of Armagh, 1543.—Is there any detailed account of this prelate extant? The few particulars I have been able to glean respecting him are merely that he was a native of Scotland, and Doctor in Divinity of the University of Paris, where he probably studied theology, as was common with Scottish ecclesiastics of that day. He arrived in Ireland about the year 1541, and is memorable for the glory, or shame, of being the first who introduced the Jesuit order into that country. ”

“ It was not then the custom for men to pursue learning for its own sake; and the most rational manner of accounting for the extent of Chaucer's acquirements, is to suppose that he was educated for a learned profession. The knowledge he displays of divinity would make it more likely that he was intended for the church than for the bar, were it not that the writings of the Fathers were generally read by all classes of students. One writer says that Chaucer was a member of the Inner Temple, and that while there he was fined two shillings for beating a Franciscan friar in Fleet Street [3] ”

“ J. Graves, of Kilkenny, allusion is made to the monument of the above Catholic Bishop Routh or Rothe, as being in the Cathedral of St. Canice, Kilkenny, with his arms "surmounted by a cardinal's hat," and that he died some years after 1643. If Mr. Graves would give the date of this prelate's decease, or rather a copy of the full inscription on his monument, with a notice of the sculptured armorial bearings thereupon, he would be conferring a favour on a distant inquirer; and as Mr. Graves is, apparently, a resident at Kilkenny, no obstacle exists to prevent his complying with this request. ”

“ THE ANNALS OF IRELAND;
From the Original of the Four Masters, from the earliest Historic Period to the Conclusion in 1616; consisting of the Irish Text from the Original MSS., and an English Translation, with copious Explanatory Notes, an Index of Names, and an Index of Places, by JOHN O'DONOVAN, Esq., LL.D., Barrister at Law; Professor of the Celtic Language, Queen's College, Belfast.
Extract from the Dublin Review.
"We can but hope, within the limited space at our disposal, to render a scanty and imperfect measure of justice to a work of such vast extent and varied erudition.... ”

“ The Scottish poetical antiquary is familiar with this eccentric character; but it may not be uninteresting to your general readers to add, that when public excitement in Edinburgh ran high against the Kirk, the lawyers, meal-mongers, or other rogues in grain, Claudero was the vehicle through which the democratic voice found vent in squibs and broadsides fired at the offending party or obnoxious measure from his lair in the Canongate. ”

“ Should the water in which the family had washed their feet, before going to bed, be left in the vessel, on the kitchen floor, without having a coal of fire put into it, if not thrown out in the yard, it will act as porter to the fairies or good people. ”

“ Any notices procurable regarding Bishop Routh are well deserving of insertion in "N. & Q.," for he was a man of deep learning and research, and is well known to have assisted the celebrated Archbishop Ussher of Armagh in the compilation of his Primordia, for which he had high compliments paid him by that eminent prelate, notwithstanding their being of different religions.
Bishop Routh was also himself the author of a work on Irish Ecclesiastical History, now very rare, and seldom procurable complete. He published it anonymously, in two volumes 8vo., in the year 1617, at "Coloniæ, apud Steph. ”

“ Let me now refer you to a document, written with his own hand, which sets the question of {60}Burnet's truthfulness and impartiality in his delineations of character completely at rest.
From the Napier charter-chest, "by a species of retributive justice," there has recently risen up in judgment against him a letter of his own, proving his own character. It is, I regret, too long for insertion in your pages in extenso, but no abstract can give an adequate idea of its contents. It is, in fact, so mean and abject as almost to overpass belief. ”

“ In our present Prayer-Book it is in marks of quotation, which we do not find in the second book of King Edward VI., where it originally appears—and the expressions there admit the real presence. It was altogether left out in Elizabeth's Prayer-Book, but again inserted in the last review in 1661, when the inverted commas first appear: the sense being somewhat different, allowing the spiritual but not the actual or bodily presence of Christ. ”

“ Bernard versus Fulke Greville.—On lately reading over the fine philosophical poem Of Humane Learning, by Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke, I was struck at finding that the 144th stanza was a literal transcript from St. Bernard. Some of your readers may possibly be amused or interested by the discovery:
"Yet some seeke knowledge, meerely to be knowne,
And idle curiositie that is;
Some but to sell, not freely to bestow,
These gaine and spend both time and health amisse;
Embasing arts, by basely deeming so,
Some to build others, which is charity,
But those to build themselves, who wise men be." ”

“ The most important is in the account of the exciting fluid,—the omission, at p. 21. col. 1. l. 47. (after directions to take one drachm of aceto-nitrate of silver) , of the words "one drachm of saturated solution of gallic acid." The passage should run thus: "Of this solution take one drachm, and one drachm of saturated solution of gallic acid, and add to it two ounces and a half of distilled water."
In the same page, col. 2. l. 13., "solvent" should be "saturated;" and in the same article, passim, "hyposulphate" should be "hyposulphite," and "solarise" should be "solarize." ”

“ The many Correspondents who have replied to these Queries are thanked.
C. (Pontefract) is requested to forward copies of the Queries in question.
Rev. E. B. (B***) is requested to state the subject of his communication. In his last very extraordinary letter he has omitted this important piece of information.
C. E. F. who complains of the disappearance of a portion of the collodion film at the spot where the hyposulphite of soda is applied, is informed that this is by no means an uncommon occurrence, and indicates the feeble action of the light at the present time of year. ”

“ In this case the only delay between the pictures is in the shifting the position of the camera. This is readily done by providing a table of suitable height (instead of the ordinary tripod) , on which an arc of a circle is painted, having for its centre the place of the sitter. If the sitter be at the distance of eleven or twelve feet (my usual distance with a 31⁄4 inch Voightlander) , the camera need not be moved more than ten or twelve inches; and even this distance produces some visible distortion to an accurate observer. ”

“ Among the many purposes to which the art of Lithography is most successfully applied, may be specified,—ARCHÆOLOGICAL DRAWINGS, Architecture, Landscapes, Marine Views, Portraits from Life or Copies, Illuminated MSS., Monumental Brasses, Decorations, Stained Glass Windows, Maps, Plans, Diagrams, and every variety of illustrations requisite for Scientific and Artistic Publications. ”

“ P.S.—I see that in the tables R. E. has given, he has nearly doubled the strength of my iodine bath. It should be twenty-four grains to the ounce, instead of forty-four; and he has entirely left out the iodine.
India Rubber a Substitute for Yellow Glass.—I think that I have made a discovery which may be useful to photographers. It is known that some kinds of yellow glass effectually obstruct the passage of the chemical rays, and that other kinds do not, according to the manner in which the glass is prepared. ”

“ Davy, not yet recovered from his surprise, stood looking on, but could not contrive to come at a drop: at length he asked a rather agreeable fairy who was close to him to help him to some. "When I shall have done," said the fairy, "I will give you this goblet, and you can drink." Very {62}soon after he handed the goblet to Davy, who was about to drink, when the leader gave the word of command:
"Away, away, my good fairies, away! ”

“ We can assure him that the present result of much consideration and many communications, both by letter and personally, is to impress us with the feeling that the majority approve. The book-men shall, however, be no losers. ”

“ May I also take the liberty of asking how soon we may expect the appearance of Sir James Tennent's book on the history, &c. of Ceylon? a work which will be a great work indeed, if we have at all a fair specimen of its author's learning and powers in the Christianity in Ceylon.
Ajax.
Flemish and Dutch Schools of Painting.—Would any of your correspondents direct me to some work giving me some information about the painters of the Dutch and Flemish schools, their biographers, their peculiarities, chefs-d'œuvre, &c.? ”

“ So when a man thinks to take another in, and gets himself bit, they say he's caught a Tartar."
Grose says that this saying originated with an Irish soldier who was in the "Imperial," that is, I suppose he means the Austrian service. This is hardly probable; the Irish are made to father many sayings which do not rightly belong to them, and this I think may be safely written as one among the number.
Eirionnach has now two references before him, Grose's Glossary and Arvine's Cyclopædia, in which his Query is partly explained, if he can but find the dates of their publication. ”

“ Can you, or any of your correspondents, say who this interesting Countess of Southampton was? She lived at the end of the seventeenth century. In addition to these particulars, which are so nicely told that I would not venture to alter them, as Orsino asks Viola, "What was her history?"
W. R.
Minor Queries.
Hardening Steel Bars.—Can any of your readers inform me how thin, flat, steel bars (say three feet long) can be prevented from "running" crooked when hardened in water? ”

“ In a field adjoining are the remains of a cromlech, the altar where, at a distance from the people, the priests performed their mystic rites. The superimposed stone has slipped off, and rests against the others. ”