Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 4.djvu/545

 iv. DEC. 2, loos.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 451 a discussion of his claims by MM. Arago and Biot; but no mention of "photography." At the meeting of 4 March, M. Biot read the substance of a letter from Talbot, in which the "photogenic drawings" of the latter are rendered by "dessins photo- ge"niques"; on 8 April Talbot's process is termed by a Frenchman " precede photo- genique," and in the numerous articles from that date to the end of June Talbot's term becomes common. Herschel read his epoch- making paper before the Royal Society on 14 March, and the echo of it appears at length in the Comptes Rendus of 6 May, p. 714, in the expression art photographique. But this seems to be merely a casual instance, for the word p/iotographie does not appear in the index to the volume, and even Photogenic appears merely with a cross-reference to Cnambre obscure and Papier sensitif, under which all the photographic articles are classed. "Photography" was thus not re- cognized by the Academie up to the end of June ; but on 3 July M. Arago made his great report to the Chamber of Deputies, recommending the proposal of a pension to Daguerre for his discovery, and in this he adopts Herschel's nomenclature of photo- graphie for the subject generally, and his report abounds in such expressions as recherches photographiques, copie photogra- phique, dessins photographiques, me'thode photographique, image photographique, (fee. Needless to say that in volume ix. of the Comptes Rendus the index has Photographic, and that from the date of Arago's speech in the Chamber the word rapidly became as generally adopted in French as it already was in English. The suggestion, then, that Herschel probably adopted the term from Arago is exactly the converse of the fact. lithographic and Daguerreotype were in- vented in France, but photogeny and photo- graphy may be seen in the act of passing from English into French in the Comptes Rendus oi 1839. J. A. H. MURRAY. I think it would be well to ask Sir J. W. Swan, F.K.S., who was a scientific pioneer of the art. DAGUERRE. A search in 'N. & Q.,' indexed as 'Silver Lustre Ware' or 'Photography, its Origin,' might be of service to DR. MURRAY. HAROLD MALET, Colonel. DOVER PIER (10th S. iv. 387).—Possibly the under-noted references may be of some use to DR. MURRAY respecting the early use of the word pier. In Young's ' History of Whitby,' vol. ii. p. 530, there is a quotation from Leland's ' Itin.1 respecting the peere at that place. He also gives at the same place a quotation from a memorial presented to Henry VIII. about 1545, referring to the maintenance of thepeyr at Whitby. Charlton, in his 'History,' p. 289, also gives the same quotation, but dates it about 1541. A. H. ARKLE. May not the Old Dutch word bere, a batter- ing ram, so called, like the Latin aper, after the animal, and modern Dutch beer, as an architectural term, applied to a mole or bank made of bricks, or large stones, to break the violence of the sea, perhaps throw light upon the obscure history of pier, and its earlier spelling pere or peere, as pointed out by DR. MURRAY ] As for the initial p, its supposed connexion with Old French piere and Latin petra might have influenced and altered the spelling peere, were, instead of here. For the Old Dutch word bere, cf. 'Middel- Nederlandsch Woordenboek,' by Verwijs and Verdam, vol. i. p. 914 ('s Qravenhage, 1882). H. KREBS. KlNGSWAY AND ALDWYCH (10th S. iv. 361, 410, 433).—MR. ABRAHAMS somewhat arbi- trarily, though ambiguously, finds fault with my contribution as containing " many errors and inaccurate deductions." This charge is not easily digested. It was not my intention to write a precise or perfect relation of what had been done during my long acquaintance with London in the widening of streets and the opening of spaces. But if ME. ABRAHAMS can cite no truer example of error than that which he imputes to my reference to North- umberland House, I shall be content with what I have written. For surely it is fact that the old mansion " was found [to be] in obstacle" to forming communication between Charing Cross and the Embank- ment, and therefore was cleared away. The fact might, perhaps, have been more pre- cisely expressed ; but is it the expression only that the critic finds " altogether impos- sible," so convincingly "impossible" that he ihinks " no further comment necessary " ? These terms are ambiguous, but can scarcely ae read as complimentary. W. L. RUTTON. YIRGIL OR VERGIL? (10th S. iv. 248, 309.)— It is strange that this controversy should be revived in our day. If Politiau's arguments were so overwhelming at the close of the ifteenth century, why was the second spelling )f the poet's name not at once adopted? For this reason : Politian had as his antagonist Pierius, who showed that there were numerous lapidary inscriptions in favour