Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/230

 186

NOTES AND QUERIES. in s. v. MAR 9, 1912.

country people ; the noise is as if a great number of whelps were barking and howling, and 'tis observed that if any see them, the persons that see them die shortly after; they are never heard but b3fore a great death or dearth."

See 1 S. v. 534, 596 ; xii. 470 ; 2 S. i. 80 ; 3 S. xii. 328 ; 4 S. vii. 299 ; 7 S. i. 206.

W. C. B.

HARLEIAN SOCIETY. Some of your genea- logical readers may be glad to make the following necessary correction. In vol. xii. of this Society's publications, ' Visitations of Cambridgeshire,' p. 83, John Chapman of Mardock is shown to have a son named " Francis Willm. Hastings of Delford in -com. Oxon." It does not need an acute eye to see that this is wrong. Fortunately vol. xv. of the same series gives us the right .statement, which might not otherwise have been easily found. Frances, daughter of John Chapman, was the wife of William Hastings of Elford in com. Oxon ( ' Visita- tion of London,' i. 362). W. C. B.

JOHN MILDENHALL. The Advocate of India of Bombay, in its issue of 26 October last, republished the letter of a correspondent of " an up-country paper," who had occasion to visit " the oldest Christian cemetery in India," which is close to the courts of Agra in the Civil Lines, and was painfully
 * surprised " to see the ruinous and neglected

condition of the graves of celebrated his- torical personages." The only tomb which appeared to be kept in proper order " was that of the Englishman, John Midden- hall [sic], a member of the embassy sent to the Emperor Akbar in 1614," which is a mistake, as Akbar died in 1605.

The grave in question is no doubt that of John Mildenhall, two of whose letters from the East have been printed by Purchas in his ' Pilgrimes ' (see vol. ii. of the modern xeprint), and who died at the King's Court at Ajmere in June, 1614, according to a letter dated Surat, 19 August of the same year. Numerous references to him can be found in the ' Calendar of State Papers. Colonial Series,' from the Court Minutes and other official papers of the East India Company, in which his name is corrupted to " John Mednoll " and " Midnall." The Calendar in one place prints " Mawgoule " between inverted commas, evidently as a place-name, but it was probably meant for " Mogul," the emperor's title.

Mildenhall's life has not been included in the ' D.N.B.' According to his own letters, he was Queen Elizabeth's envoy to the Great Mogul in 1603. L. L. K.

" BIRCH'S." (See 10 S. vii. 366 ; viii. 216.) The Evening News of 26 January contained an interesting article by Mr. G. H. F. Nichols upon this famous house, 15, Cornhill. Amongst much instructive information anent its history and business methods, we read that

" a few years ago a thorough cleaning of the shop-front revealed unexpected beauties of carving, and testified to its age. Some two hun- dred coats of paint were removed ; the whole layer was an inch thick."

The shop-front is certainly unique, with its small window panes and delicate border- ings upon the woodwork, as thus brought to light by the operations of the decorators, which were, I find, undertaken in the spring of 1907. There are few such specimens left in this vanishing London of ours. It is therefore pleasant to be able to chronicle that " Birch's " old face is still preserved amongst all the changes going on around in this part of the City. Westward we still have that curious shop-front of Messrs. Fribourg & Treyer's tobacco and snuff establishment, in the Haymarket a rival, perhaps, in antiquity, though it is of quite a different type. It is certainly a revela- tion to me, as it may be to others, to find in Mr. Nichols's account reference to steaks and chops as being supplied to customers at " Birch's." I have passed through its hospitable swing-doors many times, but have never yet seen a " point," " lo'n," or " chump " served therein, or even heard them asked for. Would not the whole character of the place be altered by such an innovation ? Anyway, there can be few who will not desire to say of " Birch's," " May you live long, and prosper ! "

CECIL, CLARKE.

TONBRIDGE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH : ITS REGISTERS. On making inquiries some time ago of the minister of the Congre- gational Church at Tonbridge, Kent, con- cerning the earlier registers of that church (which was formerly known as the " Inde- pendent Chapel "), I was informed that the whereabouts of the registers in question was not known, and that it was believed that they had been destroyed by fire.

I have now discovered that they are at Somerset House, having been deposited there some years ago. R. VAUGHAN GOWER.

EDINBURGH AND LONDON : HALF - WAY MARK. A pile of stones at Affetside, on the great Roman Road, a mile or two outside Bolton, marks the half-way distance between Edinburgh and London.

WILLIAM MACARTHUR.