Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 12.djvu/454

 374

NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. XIL NOV. 6, im

Church. The reference to "the sattii bed " is explained by a paragraph in Th Morning Post, 19 Jan., 1774 :

" The beautiful blue damask bed of the celebratec Miss Kennedy of Berners Street was bought at he late sale by Count O'K[elly] for 250?. He presented it to his Countess."

This is the first statement I have seen t the effect that the Kennedy brothers hac more than one famous sister.

HORACE BLEACKLEY.

MILLER BIBLIOGRAPHY (10 S. xii. 1, 42) I have recently obtained three more

Miller books, and subjoin copies of the title

pages :

Lives of the most celebrated admirals anc

generals : containing a concise account of the nava and military history of Great Britain, and an accurate detail of the gallant achievements of her most distinguished heroes by land and by sea Together with the life and campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte ^ a circumstantial account of the decisive battle of Waterloo : with particulars of Napoleon's exile to St. Helena, conversations with Dr. Warden and his employment in the island. Embellished with portraits. To which is added, A biographical sketch of the most celebrated of the French generals Haddington. Printed by and for G. Miller & Son. Devout exercises of the heart in meditation anc soliloquy, prayer and praise. By the late pious anc ingenious Mrs. Elizabeth Rowe. Reviewed and published at her request, by I. Watts, D.D. Dun- bar. Printed and Sold by G. Miller. 1803.

The poetical works of Robert Burns : with ar. account of his life, written expressly for this edition : and an enlargement and corrected glos- sary. Dunbar : published by William Miller, book- seller. James Allan, Printer, East Lothian Printing Office, Haddington. 1834.

T. F. U.

GOMARA'S ' CONQUEST OF THE WE AST INDIA' (10 S. xii. 270, 334). The British Museum, besides the 1578 edition of the translation by T. N(icholas), has an edition dated 1596 ; and this was " amended " by Purchas in 1625. There is a notice of Thomas Nicholas in the ' D.N.B.'

ALBERT MATTHEWS. Boston, U.S.

[MR. W. SCOTT also thanked for reply.]

FLYING MACHINES IN 1751 (10 S. xi. 145 xii. 170, 238, 272). Chambers, 'Book of Days,' ii. 720-22, quotes from The Evening Post of 20-22 Dec., 1709, an account (with illustration) of a flying machine " stated to have been lately invented " by a Brazilian priest, " Father Bartholomew Laurent by name," who had brought his invention under the notice of the King of Portugal ; but with what result is not said. Neither the illus- tration nor the description is very con-

vincing ; but this machine, if it ever existed, was earlier than any of those mentioned at the above references. The inventor claimed that it would fly 200 miles in twenty-four hours.

See also 10 S. xi. 8, 98, 465. C. C. B.

FLYING MACHINES OF THE FAR EAST (10 S. xi. 425). Allow me to add the follow- ing translation from the Chinese of the ninth century to my note on this subject :

" Lit Pan was a native of Tun Hwang in Su Chau, but nobody can ascertain when he lived. His inventive power nearly equalled that of the Creator. While daily engaging himself in erecting a pagoda in Liang Chau, he constructed a wooden kite, which could be set in motion whenever three wedges were thrust into it. With this contrivance he nightly visited his wife at home, and eventually she was great with young. Closely inquired of as to the cause, she disclosed the secret to her husband's parents. Some time after the father, who was watching for the opportunity, captured the kite. He got on it and stuck in more than ten wedges, which made the machine fly over so long a distance as to Wu-Hwui. There the inhabitants killed him in the belief that he was recally a demon. Pan con- structed another wooden kite, travelled thereon to the place, and secured the corpse of his father Full of rancour against the Wu people for the murder, he set up a wooden image of a magician with a lifted hand directed south-eastwards, which was immediately followed by three years' drought all over Wu. The people by divination discovered the actual worker of the calamity ; they made him presents of several thousands of valuables, earnestly begging his forgiveness. So Pan cut off the hand of the statue, and instantly all the district was drenched with rain. This idol was still in existence at the beginning of the present dynasty [of Tang, i.e. 618 A.D.], and the people used to pray to it for rain.

"Much earlier, during the time of the Six Con- tending Kingdoms [fourth century B.C.], Kung Yu-Pan was reputed the inventor of a wooden kite whereby he is said to have looked down on the Fortifications of Sung." Twan Ching-Shih, ' Yu- yang-tsah-tsu,' Japanese edition, 1697, second series, torn. iv. fol. 6.

The eleventh book of the ' Kan-pi- tsze,' written in the third century B.C., attributes a similar exploit to Mo-tsze the philosopher

C. 400 B.C.). KUMAGUSTJ MlNAKATA.

Tanabe, Kii, Japan.

" ONE " : ITS PRONUNCIATION (10 S. xii. 288). The modern pronunciation of " one " wan) may have originated in Shropshire, )ut can scarcely be due to Welsh influence. !n Welsh on could develope only into awn, whereas the English number " one " has assed through the stages on, odn, udn, wan quite another series. It exhibits the pre- lilection for a " broken " vowel so cha- acteristic of English. In Shropshire oak, ath, oats, become wuck, wuth, wuts, and the )lace-name Oakengates is locally called