Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 7.djvu/300

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. VIL MARCH so, 1007.

period of the story is when we were at war with the United States. The speaker is -the second mate of an American privateer the True-blooded Yankee. He is described .as " sour, ferocious, quarrelsome." In the rsame chapter the American captain, who is mot a blackguard, speaking courteously to .Lieut. Frank Mildmay, says " You English- men," &c. Also a renegade sailor, who for misconduct is ordered to be flogged by the American captain, claiming his original nationality in the presence of the English "lieutenant, cries out, " I am an Englishman. ... .1 am a true-born Briton." The word Englishman occurs four times in this one chapter. The second mate calls a British war ship, which is gaining on the privateer, " one of John Bull's bellowing calves of the ocean." One wonders whether this phrase, put into the mouth of the ruffian mate by Marryat, is now to be accepted.

" Britisher " appears in Farmer's ' Ame- ricansims, Old and New,' where may be .found " blarsted Britishers," quoted from Proctor. I have heard the word used some- times by Englishmen of little education, .and am aware that Mr. Chamberlain has used the word in speeches.

A few years ago in the House of Commons 3tr. Balfour, referring to the nationality of Sir Robert Hart (an Irishman), Inspector- General of Chinese Maritime Customs at Peking, spoke of him as an Englishman. 'This was met with a remonstrance from rsome of the Irish Nationalist members. Mr. Balfour excused himself for describing Sir Robert as an Englishman on the ground that there was no other word in the lan- guage which would express his meaning. ROBERT PIERPOINT.

THE LAST WILL OF A PRESBYTERY. In his 'Sketch of the Denominations of the Chris- tian World,' fourteenth ed., 1821, dedicated to Lord Erskine, Dr. John Evans quotes Benedict's ' History of the Baptist Deno- mination ' for the following curious incident. About 1801, in consequence of the " great revival " in Kentucky, a number of ministers

" separated from the rest, formed a new Presbytery called the Springfield, upon New Light principles, -soon dissolved that, and five or six of them in a few years became Shaking Quakers. The Springfield Presbytery was formed by five ministers, who separated from the Kentucky Synod, and renounced the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian church. They made innovations upon almost every part of Presbyterianism, but yet retained something of its form. But at length they resolved to renounce /everything belonging to it, and made its Last Will .-and Testament, as follows :

" 'The Presbytery of Springfield, sitting at Cane

Ridge in the County of Bourbon, being, through a gracious Providence, in more than ordinary bodily health, growing in strength and size daily ; and in perfect soundness and composure of mind ; lint knowing that it is appointed for delegated bodies once to die, arid considering that the life of every such body is very uncertain, do make and ordain this our last Will and Testament, in manner and form following, viz. :

" 'Imprimis, we will that this body die, be dis- solved and sink into union with the body of Christ

at large We will that our name of distinction,

with its Reverend title, be forgotten We will

that the people henceforth take the Bible as the only sure guide to heaven ; and as many as are offended with other books, which stand in com- petition with it, may cast them in the fire if they choose ; for it is better to enter into life having one

book, than having many to be cast into hell

Finally, we n'ill that all our sister bodies read their Bible carefully, that they may see their fate there determined, and prepare for death before it is too late. Springfield Presbytery, June 28th, 1804.' "

RICHARD H. THORNTON.

" TWILT " : " QUILT." Twilt, in one sense as I knew it when a lad, was to " twitch " a dog with a whiplash, and to whip a top to keep it spinning. It was also the name for a bed-quilt. Quilt also meant to give a beating a somewhat more severe one than " scutching " a dog with a single lash of a whip. Quilt, besides meaning a covering, was also used for beating with a whip or rope's end, and quilting was a sort of rough needlework. We made our cricket balls with wrappings of twine, done very tightly, and then quilted them on the outside with whipcord or other similar string, using a
 * >ent sacking awl with an eye in the top end.

Quilting the ball w r as a sort of knitting, one round following the other until the whole of
 * he ball was covered ; and such a ball, when

well made, was as hard and as good as any- thing done in leather. Quilting a ball is, I believe, a lost art amongst school lads.

THOS. RATCLIFFE. Worksop.

THE PRINCE or MONACO. I printed ante, p. 125, a petition from the Prince of Monaco to the National Convention. The bllowing is a translation of an inedited draft >f a letter, in my possession, from the Prince )f Monaco to Carnot, 4 Jan., 1794. The )ortions in italics have been erased :

To the Citizen Carnot, 4 Nivose, the year 2 of

the Republic.

CITIZEN, In making, the 14 Fri e last, in the

lame of the Diplomatic Committee, your Report

>on the reunion decreed of the Principality of

onaco to the French Republic, this Committee,

n rendering justice to the sentiments which have

ong attached me to the French nation, thought

hat I was entitled to its protection and safety in