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NOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. VIL JUNE 7, 1913.

AEROPLANES ON PARADE. Perhaps the J first appearance of aeroplanes, as a unit, at ^a review of troops in this country may be worth noting, it having occurred on 22 May on Salisbury Plain. The following is an extract from The Morning Post's special correspondent's letter of 23 May :

" Then came a new item, for the aeroplanes passed in flight in the air. One by one they came, ten in all, and rising gracefully they rocked in the strong wind that was blowing, but passed the Staff in complete order, Farmans, ' B.E.'s,' .and other types, one of which blew a salute to the inspecting General, gazing up at this new arm flying past has been introduced into a ceremonial, .and the 3rd Aeroplane Squadron and the craft from the Central Flying School at Upavon covered themselves with credit. The new order, signed by Major G. J. Farmar, D.A.A. and Q.M.G., was worded as follows : ' Aeroplanes of the Flying Squadron and Flying School will fly past.' "
 * flying past.' It was the first occasion on which

HAROLD MALET, Col.

PERSIAN JOURNALISM. Prof. E. G. Browne on Friday, May 23rd, delivered an address on ' Persian Journalism ' to the Persian Society. He stated that the total number of Persian newspapers recorded was between 350 and 360, but that could not be regarded as an exhaustive list. The first newspaper .published was in 1851, as a weekly, under a title the translation of which was Journal of Occasional Happenings. Being official, it was debarred from free speech and whole- some criticism. Its circulation was obtained by sending it to officials, from whose salaries the subscription was deducted.

Following the grant of the constitution in 1906 came a wonderful outburst of journal- istic activity of a very high order. After a spell of great brilliance the Persian Press 3iad suffered a complete eclipse, and, accord- ing to the Professor, there did not seem much chance of a revival w T hile Russia had such great influence in the country. S. C.

ACEMANNESCEASTER. This name for the city of Bath appears in the verses which make up annal 973 in the ' Saxon Chronicle,' p. 118. Mr. Plummer remarks : "Of the name Acemannesceaster, A, B, C, Ace- mannesburh, F, no satisfactory account has been given " (' Two Chronicles,' 1899, ii. 161).

Now in Bosworth-Toller's ' Anglo-Saxon Dictionary,' p. 8, we get the following : " aece, ace, -es ; m. an ake, pain ; dolor. Derivative] acan, to ake." On p. 238 we find the same meanings ascribed to " ece, ^ece, ace." There need be no question, therefore, about the first element in the

name Aceman. Three forms for one word certainly are puzzling, but if we will but turn to the section on ' Palatal Umlaut ' (47) in Dr. Joseph Wright's ' Old English Gram- mar,' 1908, p. 29, 1. 13, the problem will receive instant solution.

At the line indicated we are told that the palatal infection of accented a was represented in the oldest period of the language by ce, and by e in later times : " a > e (but se in the oldest period)." The chronological order of the three forms, therefore, is as follows : *aki > ace, without umlaut ; *aki > sece > ece, with umlaut.

The compound ace -f man simply means " invalid," and the whole word signifies " Invalid's City." ALFRED ANSCOMBE.

30, Albany Road, Stroud Green, N.

CHIEF JUSTICE TANEY AND THE DRED SCOTT CASE. (See 10 S. vii. 425.) May I add a further note ? On 14 Feb., 1860, Senator Hale of New Hampshire repeated the calumny regarding Judge Taney's deci- sion, and he was corrected by Mr. Judah P. Benjamin (Congressional Globe, p. 762). Five years later, 23 Feb., 1865, Mr. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, speaking in the U.S. Senate, first quoted the decision, and then deliberately misrepresented it. And many people even yet believe that Judge Taney said a black man had no rights which a white man was bound to respect, although the lie has been nailed to the counter many times. RICHARD H. THORNTON.

UNUSUAL CHRISTIAN NAMES. "Will Mr. Samuel Indomitable Bryer Baxter formerly of Holloway, kindly send his address to the Editor of the Mill Hill Register, Mr. E. Hamp- den-Cook, Oakdale, Crowboro', Sussex ? " The above appeared recently in The Times. I know of a father who named one of his sons " Earnest Appeal."

WM. H. PEET.

" SPOT." I have just come upon an interesting use of this word, in the Shake- spearian sense of " stain or besmirch," in the following lines, on a tablet in the church of Shipston-on-Stour, Worcestershire, to the memory of William Hyckes of Barston, who died in 1652 :

Here lyes entombed more men than Greece admired, More than Pythagoras' transient soul inspired ; Many in one, a man accumulate, Gentleman, Artist, Scholar, Church, World, State, Soe wise, soe just, that spot him no man could, Pity that I, with my weak prayses should. Goe then great spirit, obey thy suddaine call, W T ild fruit hangs long, the purer timely fall.

A. C. C.