Various

“ And we would add (even at the risk of reminding our readers of Dennis' energetic claim, "That's my Thunder!") that it was also a proud day for all who, like ourselves, desire to promote intercommunication between men of the same pursuits,—to bring them together in a spirit, not of envious rivalry, but of generous emulation,—to make their powers, faculties, and genius subservient to the common welfare of mankind. In our humble way we have striven earnestly to perform our share in this great mission ”

“ CONTENTS. THE GREAT EXHIBITION, NOTES AND QUERIES, AND CHAUCER'S PROPHETIC VIEW OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE.
The first of May, eighteen hundred and fifty-one, will be remembered in the Calendar for centuries after those who witnessed its glories shall have passed away. Its memory will endure with our language; and the Macaulays and Hallams of the time to come will add brilliancy to their pages by recounting the gorgeous yet touching ceremonial of this great Apotheosis of Peace. Peace has occasionally received some foretaste of that day's glory ”

“ A spectator at the north pole has the pole of the heavens coincident with his zenith; and there, all declination circles are also vertical circles; and there, the equator coincides with the horizon; whereby the whole effect of the rotation of the earth there (15° hourly) may be conceived to be given to the horizon: whilst, at the equator, the horizon is perpendicular to the equator, which therefore gives no such rotation at all to the horizon. Simple inspection of a celestial globe will illustrate this. ”

“ Query, Has Mons. Foucault's pendulum experiment been as yet clearly enunciated? and do I understand it aright, when I conceive it is intended to show the existence of a certain uniform rotation in azimuth of the horizon, but different for different latitudes; which rotation, if made out to exist, is acquired solely in virtue of the uniform diurnal rotation (15° hourly) in right ascension of the equator, identical in all latitudes.
A pendulum, manifestly, can only be suspended vertically, and can only vibrate in a vertical plane ”

“ Jeffrey, who forsooth thought fit to regard the new and original creations of a mighty and inventive genius "as a misapplication, in some degree, of very extraordinary talents," and "conceived it his duty to make one strong effort to bring back the great apostle of this (literary) heresy to the wholesome creed of his instructor," seems not to have penetrated one inch below the surface. ”

“ As we doubt not we number among the readers of "Notes and Queries" many admirers of
"Old Dan Chaucer, in whose gentle spright,
The pure well-head of poetry did dwell,"
to them we appeal, that the monument which was erected by the affectionate respect of Nicholas Brigham, nearly three centuries ago, may not in our time be permitted to crumble into dust; reminding them, in Chaucer's own beautiful language,
"That they are gentle who do gentle dedes." ”

“ San Marino has never, so far as I have been able to ascertain, undergone the calamity of a siege, and its inhabitants have uninterruptedly enjoyed the blessing of self-government from the foundation of the Republic in the third or fourth century to the present time, with the exception of the few months of 1503, during which the infamous Cesare Borgia forced them to accept a Podestà of his own nomination. ”

“ In the Introduction prefixed to this poem, nearly thirty years after its publication, Sir Walter Scott informs the world that the young Countess of Dalkeith, much interested and delighted with the wild Border tradition of the goblin called "Gilpin Horner" (which is given at length in the notes appended to the poem) , enjoined on him the task of composing a ballad on the subject:
"And thus" (says Sir Walter) "the goblin story objected to by several critics as an excrescence upon the poem, was, in fact, the occasion of its being written." ”

“ His reason had not the merit of common mechanism. When you press a watch or pull a clock, they answer your question with precision; for they repeat exactly the hour of the day, and tell you neither more nor less than you desire to know. ”

“ The University of Leyden purchased the library of Isaac Vossius for 36,000 florins. If it is still preserved at Leyden, a search among his books might ascertain whether there is among them any copy of the English or French editions of this work, and whether they contain any written remark by their former possessor. Moreover, it is to be observed that the system of natural religion is for the first time developed in the French edition; and this was the part which chiefly gave the book its celebrity: whereas, the supposition of Morhof implies that the English and French versions are identical. ”

“ Our correspondent has sent it to us in the hope that it may be made available in helping forward the good work of restoring Chaucer's tomb. We trust it will. The Committee who have undertaken that task could, doubtless, raise the hundred pounds required, by asking those who have already come forward to help them, to change their Crown subscriptions into Pounds. With a right feeling for what is due to the poet, they prefer, however, accomplishing the end they have in view by small contributions from the admiring many, rather than by larger contributions from the few. ”

“ Now, as I understand the experiment, as given in the public prints, it is asserted that the same expression of 15° × sin. lat. will give the rotation of the horizon in intermediate latitudes; of which rotation I subjoin a table calculated for the purpose.
Now this is the point which, it should seem, ought to be the business of experimenters to establish; it being proposed, as we are informed, to swing, in different latitudes, freely suspended pendulums, over horizontal dials, or circular tables, properly graduated, similarly to the horizons of common globes ”

“ She then gives him the commission, well remembered by every reader, to proceed on that night to Melrose Abbey to unclose the grave of Michael {365}Scott, and to rifle it of the magical volume which was accessible only on St. Michael's night, at the precise moment when the rays of the moon should throw the reflexion of the red cross emblazoned in the eastern oriel upon the wizard's monumental stone,—expecting that the possession of this "Book of Might" would enable her to direct the destiny of her daughter according to the dictates of her own imperious nature. "Dîs aliter visum." ”

“ He took away another man's wife and lived with her; and he behaved with extortion and cruelty in the province over which he ruled."
Other particulars followed equally in accordance with the popular charges against the late Governor-General of India, who, to the preacher's dismay, was unexpectedly discovered sitting in the D'Oyley pew. Mr. Gilpin concluded that he then saw the last of his "great" friend. But, not so: on the following morning Warren Hastings came, with his usual pleasant manner, for a chat with the vicar, and of course made no allusion to the sermon. ”

“ So that Sir Walter was correct, there being more than half moon on the night of which he was speaking. Such an instance as the one cited will show how valuable the Book of Almanacks must prove to all historical students, and what a ready test it furnishes as to accuracy of dates, &c. It must take its place on every shelf beside Sir H. Nicolas' Chronology of History.
We doubt not that many of our readers share our feeling as to the importance of children's books, from the influence they may be destined to exercise upon generations yet unborn. ”

“ This edition, in folio, contains a very interesting old map of Scandinavia, and a profusion of little cuts or engravings, representing men, animals, gods, mountains, weapons, religious rites, natural wonders, and everything relating to the people and the country that could be conceived or gathered together. ”

“ Buckman does not give sufficient credit for common sense to the believers in some portion of folk lore. Red wine is considered tonic, and justly, as it contains a greater proportion of turmic than white. The yellow bark of the barberry contains an essential tonic ingredient, as the Jesuit's bark does quinine, or that of the willow salicine. Nettle juice is well known as a purifier of the blood; and the navelwort, like Euphrosia, which is properly called Eyebright, is as likely to have had its name from its proved efficacy as a simple, as from any fancied likeness to the region affected. ”

“ It is thought that there can be no difficulty in raising such a sum, and that multitudes of people in various conditions of life, and even in distant quarters of the globe, who venerate the name of Chaucer, and have derived instruction and delight from his works, will be anxious to contribute their mite to the good deed. ”

“ So palpable, indeed, is this similarity, that, if the long-talked-of Order of Civil Merit should be instituted, (and certainly there was never a more fitting moment than the present for so honouring the cultivators of the peaceful arts) , we make no doubt that "Notes and Queries" will not be forgotten. Should our prophecy be fulfilled, we need scarcely remind our readers of Captain Cuttle's injunction and our Motto. ”

“ Charade upon Nothing translated.—In your No. for July a correspondent asks who was the author of the very quaint charade upon "Nothing:"
"Me, the contented man desires,
The poor man has, the rich requires,
The miser gives, the spendthrift saves,
And all must carry to their graves."
Possibly he may not object to read, without troubling himself as to the authorship of, the subjoined translation ”

“ Is there any English translation of Olaus Magnus?
Is there any English translation of Jornandes' Histoire Générale des Goths? It is full of curious matter. The French edition of 1603 gives the following accounts of the midnight sun:—
"Diverses nations ne laissent pas d'habiter ces contrées" (Scanzia or Scandinavia) . "Ptolomée en nomme sept principales. Celle qui s'appelle Adogit, et qui est la plus reculée vers le Nord, voit (dit on) durant l'Esté le Soleil rouler l'horizon quarante jours sans se coucher ”

“ At page 228. of "Notes and Queries" I see mention of an English translation of Danish ballads by Mr. Borrow. Is there any translation of Norwegian ballads? Many of them are very beautiful and characteristic, and well worthy of an able rendering into our own language, if there were any one to undertake it. There is also much beauty in the Norwegian national music, of which a pretty but limited collection, the Norske Field-Melodier, arranged by Lindeman, is published at Christiania. ”

“ The difficulty as to the authorship of the English version still, however, remains considerable. The extensive alterations introduced in the French edition certainly render it probable that two different writers were concerned in the work. The words of Leclerc respecting the information received from Locke are somewhat ambiguous; but they do not necessarily imply that Locke knew anything as to the connexion of Vairasse with the book, though they are not inconsistent with this meaning. Locke had doubtless become acquainted with Vairasse during his residence in England. ”

“ So much for that part of the difficulty, but another still remains. Was there ever an Egilbertus, or Engilbertus, Archbishop of Treves? To solve this question I consulted a list of the Archbishops of Treves in the Bibliothèque Sacrée of Richard et Giraud, and I there find the following statement:
"Engelbert, grand-prévôt de Passau, fut intrus par la faveur de l'empereur Henri IV., et sacré par des évêques schismatiques. ”

“ A more correct and veracious man than Mr. R. West could not be. Maclean stammered, and was consequently of no use to Lord Shelburne as a debater and supporter in parliament. A place in the East Indies was obtained for him, and he sailed in the Aurora frigate for that dependency, and was lost in her at the same time with Falconer, the author of the poem entitled The Shipwreck. ”

“ In Ireland a weakly child is frequently brought to the altar rails, and the priest officiating at mass requested to allow it to drink from the chalice of what is termed the ablution, that is, the wine and water with which the chalice is rinsed after the priest has taken the communion, and which ablution ordinarily is taken by the priest. Here the efficacy is ascribed to the cup having just before contained the blood of Our Lord. I have heard it seriously recommended in a case of hooping-cough. Your correspondent Mr. ”

“ A spark may blaze! I therefore throw it out to be fanned into a more brilliant light by those of your readers whose studies peculiarly fit them to inquire more searchingly into the subject. The Jews, it has been remarked by various writers, were ignorant of astronomy. Both, however, the Sabbatical and Jubilee years have been, as I conceive and will endeavour to show, founded on astronomical observation, commemorative of no particular event in Jewish history, but simply that of the moon's revolutions ”

“ There is a curious MS. catalogue of them in the possession of the University, which was too voluminous to be printed, when the library was about to be sold.
Hibernicus.
Engilbert, Archbishop of Treves (Vol. i., p 214.) .—There can be no doubt that the bishop's reference is incorrect, and the suggestion of T. J. (Vol. iii., p. 291.) to consult the reprint of 1840 affords no aid in setting it right; for there we find (p. 178.) a note as follows:
"There was no Engilbert, Archbishop of Treves, nor is there any work in this name in Goldasti." ”