Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/40

 28

NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. vi. JULY 13, 1912.

1681, the registers of St. Oswald's, Durham, record the burial of " Mr. David Constable, who died in the Javele," i.e., jail. See Rev. A. W. Headlam, ' Parish Registers of St. Oswald's, Durham ' (Durham, 1891), p. 153. JOHN B. WAINEWRIGHT.

WE must request correspondents desiring in- formation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that answers may be sent to them direct.

ANTONIO DE ULLOA, a man of great learning, but specially celebrated for his travels in South America and his unfortu- nate attempts to take possession of Louisiana for the Spanish Government, spent over a year in England, partly in 1743 and 1744. He arrived as a prisoner, having been captured in Louisburg on board a French ship. His high scientific attainments, his great reputation, and the influence of many prominent persons secured him his freedom and the return of his papers.

Through the friendship of Martin Folkes, the President of the Royal Society, he became a member of that 'institution, and contributed two papers to its Transactions. I have been unable to discover a.ny references relating to his stay in England. He had so many personal peculiarities that his presence in any assembly passing unnoticed seems extraordinary. He was very small, very inattentive to his personal appearance, and would probably be wearing a costume differing greatly from that of all other persons present. He probably spoke French fluently, but very little English. I should be obliged for any suggestions which would help me to discover some records of his presence in London. WILLIAM BEER.

Howard Memorial Library, New Orleans.

JOHN HOUGHTON'S LIST OF PAINTERS.

On p. 289 of Edward Edwards's ' Anecdotes of Painters,' 1808, there is a note relating to Henry Robert Morland which states : " This person is probably the same who is mentioned in John Houghton's List of Painters." Can any reader tell me if this list was printed and where a copy can be seen ? There does not appear to be one in the British Museum. I should like to have further particulars of John Houghton.

JOHN LANE. The Bodley Head, Vigo Street, W.

WILKES AND THE ACORN. I have recently seen a statuette of John Wilkes which has not, I believe, been reproduced. He is seated, and holds in his hand an acorn, at which he is squinting. Can any one tell me the significance of the acorn ?

E. V. LUCAS. Kingston, Lewes.

BRAND OF POLSTEAD, SUFFOLK. I should be obliged if I were put in communication, for historical purposes, with the representa- tives of Mrs. Brand of Polstead, Suffolk, who died in February, 1814 (she was the only sister of Sir Henry Smith, Bart.) ; and also of Charles Ellice, a kinsman.

DAVID Ross McCoRD, K.C.

Temple Grove. Montreal.

SHAKESPEARE ON THE PAIN OF DEATH. Will some one or more of your readers help me to an understanding of the logic in the well-known lines from ' Measure for Measure,' Act III. sc. i. ?

Dar'st thon die ?

The sense of death is most in apprehension ;

And the poor beetle, that we tread upon,

In corporal sufferance finds a pang as great

As when a giant dies.

Shakespeare was probably ignorant of the fact that the physical pain of a warm- blooded animal is infinitely greater than that of an insect, which will take food with a pin through its body ; but whatever may have been the state of knowledge of natural history, what bearing has a comparison of the corporal sufferance of a man and an insect on the allegation that death is nearly painless, except mentally ?

EDWARD CUTLER. Junior Carlton Club.

SIR JOSCELINE BLOUNT. He is said to> have been M.P. for Beeralston in 1597-8 (Parl. Return, confirmed by Browne Willis). This small Devonshire borough was con- trolled at that period by the Blounts, Lords Mount joy. In the Parliament preceding that of 1597 one of its members was the well-known Sir Charles Blount, afterwards Lord Deputy of Ireland and Earl of Devon- shire. It is thus reasonable to assume that Sir Josceline was of the same family. But so far I have failed to discover any further trace of his existence. He left no will in P.C.C. ; is not mentioned in the State Papers, nor in any Calendar of Knights; and no pedigree of the Blounts that I have seen names him. Is it probable that the Parliamentary Return has erred in his Christian name 2 W. D, PINK.