Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 11.djvu/398

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. XL APRIL 34, urn.

fine eighteenth-century house remaining. The 60-gallon still and head with worm and tub, that in 1760 was valued at 20Z., still existed, and Mr. Warren had many account-books and much correspondence of this date. Mr. William Jones, the second proprietor, recorded that the celebrated Dr. James used to frequent the parlour and purchased his antimony powder there. One of his letters is reproduced in the pam- phlet, and against the line, " The usual quantity of antimony. I have sent the Bearer for it," the chemist noted that .500 lt>. was the usual quantity that Dr. James obtained. ALECK ABRAHAMS.

" KATS AND KITTLINGS ON PALM SUNDAY."

When Easter is later the " kats an' kittlin's " are made to do duty as palms on Palm Sunday. It is a long time, however, since I saw children with " kats an' kitt- lin's " in their hands doing duty as palms. It requires a very early and genial spring to bring on the catkins of the hazel and poplar to be ready for Palm Sunday. I can remember how the children were better pleased to carry " kats an' kitt- lin's " than the buds of the willow which are known as palms. THOS. RATCLIFFE. Worksop.

MASKELYNE ISLANDS. These form a group of small islands in the New Hebrides, to the south-east of Mallicollo. They were so named at the suggestion of William Wales when on Capt. Cook's second voyage as astronomer. (He was also in the third voyage, when Cook was killed at Hawaii in 1779.) Krusenstern in his ' Recueil de Memoires hydrographiques ' says that the name was taken from one " a qui les marins ont tant d' obligation " ; and Egli in his ' Etymologisch-geographisches Lexikon ' is careful to state that Maskelyne (whose Christian name he gives as Neril, instead of Nevil) " war ein engl. astronom." He was, in fact, Astronomer Royal longer than any other nearly forty-six years.

W. T. LYNN.

Blackheath.

' D.N.B.' INDEX AND EPITOME. In the Index and Epitome of the ' D.N.B.' Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (1810-97) is described as " son of John Sherren Brewer [?..]." The only person of the latter name who appears in the Index is entered as born in 1810, the same year as E. C. Brewer. In the ' Dic- tionary ' itself J. S. Brewer is referred to in the same way under the name of E. C. Brewer. The article on John Sherren

Brewer (1810-79) states that he bore the same Christian names as his father. It is evident, therefore, that neither the ' Dic- tionary ' nor the Index is strictly accurate in appending q.v. to the John Sherren Brewer mentioned in the account of Ebenezer Cob- ham Brewer.

This is not the only inaccuracy connected with these names in the ' Dictionary.' E. C. Brewer is stated to have been born 2 May, 1810 ; but there is no mention of J. S. Brewer's birthday. From the Bibliographical Appendix to Dr. Brewer's ' Readers' Hand- book ' it appears that E. C. Brewer was born in 1810, as stated in the 'D.N.B.,' but that his brother J. S. Brewer was born in the previous year, 1809.

The following are two errors which occur in the Index, but not in the ' Dictionary ' itself.

Thomas Rawson Birks (1810-83) is de- cribed as " nonconformist divine." The ' Dictionary ' states that he was the son of Nonconformist parents, but that he took orders in the Church of England, remaining in her communion for the rest of his life.

The epitome of the article in the ' D.N.B.' on W. H. I. Bleek (1827-75) states that he set out with W. B. Blaikie in an expedition up the Niger in 1854. The latter name should be Baikie. JOHN T. KEMP.

"DISGRUNTLED." In 'How to Listen to Music,' p. 231, the author gives a sample of recitative from ' Don Giovanni,' and remarks : " In this specimen it ought to be noted how sluggishly the disgruntled Leporello replies to the brisk question of Don Giovanni."

I think the revival of this word in books offered for use in England is not to be encouraged. Mr. Henry Edward Krehbiel is, however, probably not a native.

ST. SWITHIN.

"CAMBER." The ' N.E.D.' cites this word (a ship basin) from ' Smyth's Word- Book,' but gives no literary quotation earlier than 1885. It occurs c. 1450 in ' The Brut ; or, The Chronicles of England ' (E.E.T.S.), 365^: " hadde ]>e victorye and broujt J>e Carrakej yn-to ]>e camere before Wynchylse."

The records of Portsmouth should mention its well-known Camber. H. P. L.

JEAN DE SCHELANDRE. Twc years ago I inquired whether anything was known about this French writer's stay in Scotland, but received no reply. His short biography