Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/69

 ii P. vi. JULY 20, i9iL>. j NOTES AND QUERIES.

53

to the House of Lords' (May. 1847) ther are offered " Smith's Patent Adhesiv Envelopes, Requiring neither Wax no Wafer." The text explains :

" These Envelopes are made perfectly safe in a instant ; the flap of the Envelope being preparec with a strong cement renders it more secure than those which are fastened in the usual manner, th cement only-requiring to be damped and the flap pressed down, after which it becomes dry and firm in a few seconds."

The patentee and vendor, J. Smith, 42 Rathbone Place, had no agents, anc cautioned the public against worthless imitations. ALECK ABRAHAMS.

Under this heading R. B. P. refers to an old-time envelope, the flap whereof retains no trace of any adhesive, which he imagines, may have perished in consequence of the lapse of years. I am under the impression that envelopes were originally unprovidec with adhesives, for the reason that the ancient practice prevailed of using sealing wax. The next development, curiously was that of an adhesive on detached labels which were affixed across the flaps 01 envelopes. I was recently shown a pre- served sheet of such gummed labels (in- tended to be cut off, as required, with scissors) issued by the firm of Isaac Pitman and inscribed with mottoes in shorthand.

A. S.

THE CAPTURE OF SPIRA (11 S. v. 429). The " Marishall de la Fors " is Jacques Nompar de Caumont (1558-1652), created Due de la Force in 1637 by Louis XIII. he had previously been Marquis de la Force. His ' Memoires ' (with those of his two sons) were published in 4 vols. in 1843 by the Marquis de la Grange. The true name of

Spira " would no doubt be found therein. The Latin name of Epinal is " Spinalium." The date of the campaign in Lorraine was 1634 - W. A. B. COOLIDGE.

Speyer (or Spire in French = Spira in Latin), the well-known historic town of the Bavarian Palatinate, was alternately be- sieged and captured during the Thirty Years' War, between 1632 and 1635, by different troops of the Swedish, Imperial, and French armies. H. K.

PIERRE LOTI : EASTER ISLAND (11 S. v. 469). Your correspondent L. L. K. will probably find the information he re- quires in 'Pecheur d'Islande,' by Julien Viaud, alias Pierre Loti, London. 1892, 12mo, Easter Island, to which L. L. K.

refers, is generally considered to be a sur- vival of the now submerged continent of Atlantis which formerly connected Africa and America. That this connexion existed is largely borne out by Kingsborough's ' Antiquities of Mexico.'

FREDERICK A. FLOYER.

AUTHORS OF QUOTATIONS WANTED (11 S* v. 449). The lines commencing

Though absence parts us for a while were enclosed in a letter from Alice Rhodes to her paramour Louis Stanton, and pro- duced in evidence in the Penge case at the Old Bailey in 1877, a full account of which, by Mr. J. B. Atlay, was published last year by Win. Hodge & Co. of Edinburgh. I was present myself at this trial, which was the first grjat case tried by the late Lord Brampton (Mr. Justice Hawkins), and though all four prisoners were sentenced to death, they were all respited. Alice Rhodes re- ceived a full pardon, and was immediately released. I am under the impression the verse was her own composition.

WlLLOUGHBY MAYCOCK.

CASANOVA AND THE ENGLISH RESIDENT AT VENICE (11 S. v. 207, 315, 376). I have received the following information from Mr. Aldo Rava of Venice, the editor of the recently published ' Lettere di Donne a Ciacomo Casanova ' :

" John Murray n'etait vraiment pas consul, mais secretaire resident, et beau-frere dn Consul Smith, le fameux collectionneur, protecteur de Canaletto. John Murray arriva a Venise le

14 Dec., 1754, fut rappete par une lettre du 26 Nov., 1765, mais ne quitta Venise que le;

15 May, 1766."

Mr. Rava is anxious for information about bnsul Smith, and wishes to know what 3ecame of his collection of Canalettos.

HORACE BLEACKLEY.

NAPOLEON'S EMBLEM OF THE BEE (11 S. v. 288, 436). Since Lindenschmit has made it quite clear that two corpses were entombed

n the royal grave at Tournai King Childeric and his Queen Basine we must admit that

he golden bees decorated the queen's mantle or robe, and had nothing to do with

he king's attire. So when Napoleon was advised to adopt the bee as an emblem of

he oldest French monarchy, he simply

ook a feminine ornament for a warrior's

iadge. Before Lindenschmit wrote, it was universally believed that Childeric had been " uried with one of his officers.

S. REI^ACH.

S. Germain-en-Laye.