Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 12.djvu/39

 n s. xii. JULY 10, 1915. j NOTES AND QUERIES.

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tribute on the part of the colonists to the monarchical principles under which they have lived and prospered, and which they trust to transmit unimpaired to their children's children." ' Han- sard's Parliamentary Debates,' pp. 567-8.

The Bill was read in the House of Lords for the third time and passed on 26 February. It was read in the House of Commons for the first time on 26 February, and at its second reading on 28 February the Right Hon. Charles B. Adderley opened his speech with the words : " Sir, I rise to move the second reading of a Bill for the union in one Domirion of the Canadas, New Bruns- wick, and Nova Scotia " ; and later said : " I need not go far back to show the origin of this desire of the Provinces to be united in one Dominion " (ibid., pp. 1164-5).

It thus appears that there had been ques- tion as to " the designation of this new State," but that the name " Dominion of Canada " had been determined upon and had received the approval of Queen Victoria before the Bill was introduced into Parlia- ment. The Bill passed, as Bourinot stated, " with very little discussion " ; in fact, some members of both Houses declared that it was, to use a modern American phrase, " railroaded " through ; but there was no debate over the name selected.

Of course, the word " Dominion " was used in the special sense thus defined in the ' N.E.D.' : " The territory owned by or subject to a king or ruler, or under a parti- cular government or control." As, however, the extracts from 1512 to 1832 are not to our present point, it will be pertinent to give some earlier ones, and to show how Virginia received its sobriquet the earliest in this country except " Bay State "as applied to Massachusetts.

In the Virginia charter of 6 April, 1606, occur the words, " any Realms or Dominions under our Obedience " ; in that of 23 May, 1609, occur the words, " within our Realm of England, and Dominion of Wales," and " within this our Realm of England, or in any other of our Dominions." In the Massachusetts charter of 4 March, 1629, occur the words, " out of any our realmes or domynions whatsoever." For half a century the terms usually found are " colony," " plantation," " country," but after 1660 the word " dominion " becomes more common. On 21 June, 1665, occur the words, " Whereas his majesty out of his

Erincely care for the preservation of all other is dominions, so of this Colony of Virginia." On 17 Sept., 1666, Virginia was alluded to as " this, his Ma ties Ancientest Colony."

On 25 Feb., 1674, we read of " the colony and dominion of Maryland,'' and of " the colony and dominion commonly called Carolina." On 8 July, 1675, Charles II. granted " unto the "said Thomas Lord Culpeper the office of our Lieut, and Governor General of all our said colony and dominion of Virginia in America." On 10 Nov., 1682, the Virginia Assembly enacted that

"if any person shall maliciously declare

that the acts of assembly of Virginia not

repealed or annulled by the kings most excellent

majestic are not of force or binding within this

his majesties dominion such person shall be

adjudged factious and seditious."

On 8 Oct., 1685, James II. constituted " a President & Councill to take care of all that our Territory & Dominion of New England in America " ; and on 3 June, 1686, and again on 7 April, 1688, he commissioned Sir Edmund Andros governor " over all that our Territory and Dominion in New England in America." A document dated 8 June, 1699, speaks of " this Our Ancient and Great Colony and Dominion of Virginia." In 1705 F. Makemie dedicated his ' Plain & Friendly Perswuasive,' &c., " to His Ex- cellency Major Edward Nott, Her Majestys Governor of the Ancient Dominion of Virginia."

Thus, in the course of a century, was evolved the name of " Ancient Dominion " as applied to Virginia, and that name remained in vogue for still another century, but has now been displaced by " Old Dominion." The true origin of the phrase, sometimes wrongly explained, is clearly brought out by the extracts given above. There is no reason a priori why the name might not have been applied to any one of the original thirteen American colonies except Georgia and Delaware, but as a matter of fact it became attached to Virginia only. This was, of course, largely because Virginia was the oldest of the colonies.

ALBERT MATTHEWS.

Boston, U.S.

PROFESSORS AT DEBITZEN [DEBRECZIN], 1756 (11 S. xi. 279, 327). Two copies of the " Case " printed below are preserved in the University archives at Oxford. It is fol- lowed by a statement that the Bishops had contributed 261/. 15s. for the assistance of the Professors, and by a certificate from the Archbishop of Canterbury to the character of " the Bearer, Mr. St. Weszpremi of the University of Debritzen." From other papers in the same collection it appears that all but two of the Colleges at Oxford