Read Ebook: Notes and Queries Vol. IV Number 110 December 6 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men Artists Antiquaries Genealogists etc. by Various Bell George Editor

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NOTES:--

The Aborigines of St. Domingo, by Henry H. Breen 433

Mitigation of Capital Punishment to a Forger, by Alfred Gatty 434

Passage in Jeremy Taylor 435

Parallel Passages, by Harry Leroy Temple 435

Folk Lore:--Death Omen by Bees 436

The Caxton Coffer 436

Minor Notes:--Mental Almanac--Corruptions recognised as acknowledged Words--Pasquinade--Epigram on Erasmus--Etymology of London--Verses on Shipmoney--Columbus's Bust, &c. at Havanna 436

QUERIES:--

Additional Queries respecting General James Wolfe 438

Christianity, when first introduced into Orkney 439

The Roman Index Expurgatorius of 1607 440

Minor Queries:--"The Don," a Poem--John Lord Frescheville--Meaning of "Pallant"--Rectitudines Singularum Personarum--Sir Henry Tichborne's Journal--Round Towers at Bhaugulpore--Johannes Trithemius--Races in which Children are named after the Mothers--Foreign Ambassadors, Ministers, Envoys, and Residents from Foreign Courts--Critolaus and the Horatii and Curiatii--Cabal--"Thus said the Ravens black"--Symbols in Painting--Latin Verse on Franklin--General Moyle--Musical Compositions of Matthew Dubourg--Collodion, and its Application to Photography--Engraved Portrait--Lines by Lord Chesterfield on Queen Caroline's supposed Refusal to forgive her Son when on her Death-bed 441

REPLIES:--

Plaids and Tartans 445

Religious Statistics 445

Royal Library 446

Damasked Linen 446

Vermin, Payments for Destruction of 447

Was Raleigh in Virginia? 448

Replies to Minor Queries:--Bunting's Irish Melodies--Colonies in England--"History of Anglesey," &c.--The Lowey of Tunbridge--Praed's Works--John ? Cumber--Punishment of Prince Edward of Carnarvon--Joceline's Legacy--Bristol Tables--Grimsdyke or Grimesditch--Derivation of "AEra"--Scent of the Bloodhound--Monk and Cromwell Families--"Truth is that which a man troweth"--"Worse than a Crime"--Verses in Classical Prose--Cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru--Nolo Episcopari--Hougoumont--Call a Spade, a Spade--"Tace is Latin for a Candle"--Collars of SS.--Locusts of the New Testament--Theodolite--"A Posie of other Men's Flowers"--Voltaire--Sina?tic Inscriptions--Le Greene at Wrexham--Cross-legged Effigies--The Word ??????? --Finger Pillories--Blackloana Heresis--Quaker Expurgated Bible--"Acu tinali merida" 452

MISCELLANEOUS:--

Notes on Books, Sales, Catalogues, &c. 459

Books and Odd Volumes wanted 460

Notices to Correspondents 460

Advertisements 460

Notes.

THE ABORIGINES OF ST. DOMINGO.

"The extirpation of the pure Indian race prevented me from making comparative inquiries between the still existing tribes of Guiana, and those that once inhabited St. Domingo. My researches were therefore restricted to what history and the few and poor monuments have transmitted to us of their customs and manners. Their language lives only in the names of places, rivers, trees, and fruits; but all combine in declaring that the people who bestowed these names were identical with the Carib and Arawaak tribes of Guiana."

The second error into which Sir R. Schomburgk has fallen, is where he says:

"There are various proofs that the Caribs inhabited Santo Domingo; among others, I found at the eastern point of the island, called Junta Enga?o, numerous heaps of conch shells."

The fact is, that the Caribs were the mortal enemies of the Indians. They were engaged with them in the fiercest warfare, and made frequent depredatory incursions into Santo Domingo and the other large islands. But they never formed any settlements in those islands, and cannot be said to have "inhabited" any of them, in the sense in which that word is used by Sir R. Schomburgk.

Whenever the Caribs in any of the lesser Antilles projected an expedition against the Indians, they provided themselves with clubs and poisoned arrows, and set off in their canoes. On their way, they touched at most of the other small islands; and with their conch shells, of which they always kept a supply, they summoned their brother Caribs to join the expedition. As the fleet of canoes approached St. Domingo they glided silently along the coast, and secreted themselves in some sheltered bay, till the darkness of the night enabled them to emerge from their hiding places. Then, with the most savage yells and war-whoops, accompanied by the blowing of shells, they pounced upon the nearest village, beating down with their clubs such of the Indians as had not taken refuge in flight. In these encounters, however, the Caribs were not always victorious. If the Indians were less robust and warlike than their invaders, they were also far more numerous; and it sometimes happened that the Caribs were driven back to their canoes with much slaughter. In all hand-to-hand conflicts the conch shells would easily get detached, or, becoming an incumbrance, would be thrown aside; and the Indians, finding them on the field of battle, may be supposed to have piled them up as so many trophies.

These facts are sufficient to account for the heaps of shells found by Sir R. Schomburgk, and for the other traces of the Caribs which he appears to have discovered in St. Domingo, without resorting to the supposition that the Caribs had actually "inhabited" that island, or warranting the conclusion that the two races were identical.

HENRY H. BREEN.

St. Lucia, Sept. 1851.

MITIGATION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT TO A FORGER.

The well-known cases of Dr. D. the divine and Mr. F. the banker, who were executed for forgery, notwithstanding the powerful intercessions that were made in their behalf, induced me to suppose that any mitigation of punishment under similar circumstances used to be a very rare occurrence; and, if so, that a curious instance of successful application for mercy may interest some readers of "NOTES AND QUERIES."

With this she returned to the city at which the assizes had been held, just as they were concluded. The two judges were in the act of descending through the cathedral nave, after partaking of the holy sacrament, when the petitioner cast herself at their feet, and held forth her document. Baron G. was notorious for his unflinching obduracy; but her devotion and energy were irresistible. He received her petition; and her brother's sentence was eventually commuted to transportation for life. But his story is not yet finished. The forger was placed in the hulks prior to transportation; and, before this took place, he had forged a pass or order from the Home Secretary's office for his own liberation, which procured his release, and he was never afterwards heard of.

ALFRED GATTY.

PASSAGE IN JEREMY TAYLOR.

"Only be pleased to observe this one thing: that this place of Ezekiel is it which is so often mistaken for that common saying, 'At what time soever a sinner repents him of his sins from the bottom of his heart, I will put all his wickedness out of my remembrance, saith the Lord:' yet there are no such words in the whole Bible, nor any nearer to the sense of them, than the words I have now read to you out of the prophet Ezekiel."

Now the editor, as a reference for this "common saying," says in a note--

"+ See Jer. xviii. 7, 8.:"

Thus, I think, it is evident that this "sentence" has nothing to do with the passage of Jeremiah to which the editor refers us; and its being read continually in the church explains the application of the word "common" to it in this place.

While on this subject I would go on to mention that both Chillingworth and Taylor seemed to have erred in calling it a paraphrase, and saying that it does not occur in the Bible; for according to L'Estrange the sentence is taken from the Great Bible, or Coverdale's translation. It is, however, remarkable that this fact should not have been known to these divines.

F. A.

PARALLEL PASSAGES.

I send you two parallels on the subject of Death and Sleep, Nature the art of God, &c.

"How wonderful is death-- Death and his brother sleep!"

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