Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 12.djvu/430

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. xii. NOV. 27, 1915.

FRED. WITT VAN WASSENAEB, HEBB VAN ROSANDE (BOBN 1658). Any information about this man is desired. Was he a son of Baron Opdam van Wassenaer, mentioned in Michaud ? W. F. P.

COALVILLE. It is said that some member of Parliament Mr. John Burns's name has been suggested called this borough in Leicestershire "an elongated slum." Could some reader supply the reference ?

L. L. K.

"MEDDLE AND MUDDLE." What is the origin of this phrase ? H. B. P.

BABON WESTBTJBY : INSCBIPTION. I should be glad to know where the following inscription exists :

Richard, Baron Westbury, Lord High Chancellor of England.

He was an eminent Christian :

An energetic and successful Statesman :

And a still more eminent and successful Judge.

During his three years' tenure of office

He abolished The time-honoured institution of the Insolvent

Court, The ancient mode of conveying land,

And

The eternity of punishment.

Towards the close of his earthly career,

In the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council,

He dismissed the Day of Judgment with costs,

And took away from evildoers

In The Church of England

Their dread Of everlasting torment.

LEONABD C. PBICE. Essex Lodge, Ewell.

'_ .EABTHQTJAKE IN PALESTINE, c. 810- 750 B.C. According to the evidence o Amos i. 1 and Zech. xiv. 5. there occurred a terrific earthquake in Palestine within th period mentioned above. Cheyne, followin, Pusey, discounts the historical and social im portance of that event ; but it must surelj have had considerable and disastrous conse quences thus to have impressed itself upon the hearts of the prophets. Is there Evidence as to the area thus affected by th Calamity ? M. L. R/BBESLAB.

VISCOUNT NELSON. (See ante, p. 361.) I would be interesting to know how it cam about that the son of Earl Nelson wa described as " Viscount Nelson " in the lis of persons receiving mourning rings after th funeral of Admiral Viscount Nelson. Ther was no Viscounty of Nelson in existence a the time, as the Barony of Nelson created in 1798 and the Viscounty created in 1801 botl

ecame extinct on the death of the Admiral, 'he barony of 1801 devolved (under a special emainder) on his elder brother, who was reated Earl Nelson and Viscount Merton of >afalgar. But even had a Viscounty of kelson been vested in the Earl, it would have >een entirely contrary to precedent for the on to have used it as a courtesy title. The onfusion between father and son that would lave been caused by such a practice is ~bvious. Is " Viscount Nelson " a mere hinder, or was the son of the first Earl actually so called ? F. W. READ.

GUIDOTT FAMILY. (11 S. xii. 258.)

["HE Guidotts were originally Florentines, and settled at Southampton in the time of rlenry VIII. Antonio Guidotti, the first f the family of whom we have notice, was a native of Florence, and

' was made * mayors-burgess ' of Southampton n 1537, but was crossed out later because he was i stranger and had been made a burgess by the mayor without the consent of his brethren, contrary to the orders of the town." Sylvester Davies, ' Hist: of South.,' p. 167.

In that year

the unhappy Anthony Guidotti as his English brother-in-law styled him anxious to please the King and at the* same time to extricate himself from a tangle of hopeless debt, made arrangements for settling Sicilian and Florentine silk-workers at Southampton, &c." ' Viet. County Hist.,' v. 484.

On 30 May, 1549, Anthony Guidotti, " merchant of Florence and of the town of Southampton," received letters of protection for two years, and no fewer than five aliases were assigned to him, of all of which the import is " that Anthony had been natura- lized and established as a merchant of Southampton " (Rymer's ' Fcedera,' &c., vol. xv. p. 185). His great achievement of bringing about the peace between England and France, in the year 1549, is twice noticed by King Edward VI. in his private Journal :

1. " Guidotty made divers harauntes (errands) from the constable of Fraunce, to make peace with us ; upon which were appointed," &c.

2. " April 10, 1550. Guidotti, the beginner of the talk for peax, recompensed with knightdom, a thousand crounes reward, a 1000 crounee pension, and his son with 250 crounes pencion."

On 1 April, 1550, the Privy Council issued

" a warrant for xlviijZt. to Mr. Perrot for a flaggon chaine bought of him, to be bestowed upon