Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/286

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. v. MAR. 23, 1912.

It may be of interest to record that a statue of the late George Palmer, of the firm of Huntley & Palmers, was unveiled in Broac Street, Reading, on 4 Nov., 1891, represent ing him holding, not indeed a " top - hat,' but a "billycock" hat and umbrella in oni hand. The umbrella seems quite unneces sary, and the statue has been condemnec generally as most inartistic.

ROLAND AUSTIN.

Near the York railway station is a figure of a former chairman I think Mr. Leeman of the N.E.R. Co., wearing frock-coat anc /pot-hat." R. B B

Some time ago, in a chatty column of The Daily News, a reference was made to this subject, and various correspondents gave a large number of instances. W. B. S.

Sir George Livesey's top-hat is, I think, certainly not the first to tempt the sculptor's chisel. Unless I am greatly mistaken, President Kriiger's statue at Pretoria was crowned with that wonderful old " tile " affected by the President. I cannot now recall whether I actually saw it in situ at Pretoria just after the war, or whether my memory is impressed by a picture of it. But I do remember either reading or being told on the spot that Mrs. Kriiger, in her laudable solicitude for the birds, had pleaded that the hat might be hollowed out at the top, to catch the rain and conserve it for the birds to drink at. DOUGLAS OWEN.

[MR. W. H. PEET also writes reminding us of this statue of Kriiger.]

CAPT. FBEENY (FBENEY) (11 S. v. 50, 156). I am surprised at not seeing some further particulars of this famous man, concerning whom all kinds of stories were told by the Kilkeany peasantry sixty years ago. It was not unusual to confer the title of " captain " on the chief of a gang of robbers in Ireland, and this was Freney's claim to the title, his gang being known as the Kellymount Gang. Whether his memoirs are genuine I cannot say, but there is no doubt that the Government of the day made a kind of compromise with him, by which, on retiring from business and giving them information which enabled them to break up the gang, he was appointed tide-waiter in New Ross an office where I believe he collected and accounted for the dues of the port. In this capacity his honesty was not questioned. He died in office, and the old sexton at Inistioge used to point out the corner of the churchyard where he was buried, but there was no headstone. He

had been born in the parish, his parents being servants to Mr. Roberts of Firgrove, and it was also the scene of many of his most famous exploits. J. T.

SPUBBIEB-GATE (11 S. v. 150). This is the name of an old street in York, running in a north-westerly direction from Ousegate to Coney Street, parallel to the river. It formerly held the ancient church of St. Michael, Spurrier-gate, the parish of which is now united to that of St. Mary, Castle- gate. In ' Eboracum,' 1788 (vol. i. p. 38), it is said that this thoroughfare took its name " from the spurriers, who were a great craft formerly, when our warriors wore spurs of a most extraordinary length and thickness."

WM. NOBMAN.

[MR. T. P. COOPER, MR. MATTHEW H. PEACOCK, and ST. Swrrnix also thanked for replies.]

Lucius (US. iv. 449, 534 ; v. 59, 138). My learned friend Dr. R. L. Poole, editor of The English Historical Review, has pointed out to me a review in that periodical (Oct., 1907, pp. 767-70) summarizing an article by Dr. Harnack in the Proceedings of the Prussian Academy of Sciences for 1904. It thence appears that the letter sent by Pope Eleutherus to King Lucius was really dispatched to a sovereign of that name who reigned at Edessa, and not in Britain ! The mistake arose from interpreting " Britio " as meaning " Britannia," and not the castle of the King of Fdessa the " Britium," or " Britio," " Edessenorum." It is therefore a simple misreading or mistake of transcription which has brought King Lucius to Britain and to Coire.

W. A. B. COOLIDGE.

The origin of these notes was a desire to learn something as to the original epistle of Eleutherus. As then stated, I had no wish to initiate a discussion on the subject I merely gave what Speed wrote as to where, at one time, the epistle was, and who the last known person was who had possession of it. Replies have been devoted to proving that no such genuine epistle ever existed.

That one or two recent writers say " the

tory may be pronounced fabulous " is not,

o my mind, any proof of its being factitious.

^or is it evidence to say that Beda and

tfennius " copied the Roman story." From

my reading, Lucius was a tributary prince, or

cing, of Rome ; if this is correct, it would

not be extraordinary if the " story " had

ts origin in Rome. There has not, however.

n produced any evidence that Beda copied the " Roman story," nor is it stated