Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 9.djvu/193

 ii s. ix. MAB. 7, i9H.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

187

Is this fact generally known ? It seems to point to his having been born at the residence of his maternal grandfather, William Shrimp ton, the Manor Farm, Whit- church. R. A. SHRIMPTON.

King's Inns Library, Dublin.

"NOT ROOM ENOUGH TO SWING A CAT."

Has any one ever been able to state definitely how much space was requisite for the per- formance of swinging a " cat-o'-nine-tails," to which this familiar phrase is supposed to refer ? Probably riot, for the space neces- sary for accomplishing this feat would depend both on the wielder of the said " cat " and the length thereof ; besides, the space utilized being more or less in an upward and downward as well as horizontal direction, it would leave plenty of room at all events, to the imagination for widely different estimates as to the extent of the flourish made by the " cat-o'-nine- tails."

But who has ever heard of swinging a whip when wielded or used in chastisement upon man or, beast ?

In return for having thus pulled the theory of the " cat-o' -nine-tails " to pieces, the following extract from an old letter, dated 3 Feb., 1814 (found 6 Feb., 1914), is given, as it is considered to contain the origin of the above well-known saying, particularly as therein a definite amount of the space is conveyed at once to the mind.

The said letter was written to the Admir- alty from Woolwich by Mr. Bradshaw, Commander of H.M store-ship Malabar, who stated that, as his own quarters on board were required for a certain Commis- sioner and his suite (going as passengers),

" the only cabin allotted to ray use is the mate's under the poop deck mid-ships, where the mizen mast comes through, being so confined, that there is nob space enough to swing a cotb."* Adm. Navy Board, in Letters No. 1310. Date ut supra.

E. H. FAIRBROTHER.

INDEXING OF NEWSPAPERS. In his short article 'Disraeli's Juvenilia' (ante, p. 125) COL. PRIDE AUX says : "I believe none of the great daily papers is indexed, with the exception of The Times." It may be worth putting on record in ' N. & Q.' that The Glasgow Herald has been indexed on a very complete scale since 1907, and that seven volumes have now been issued and are available to the public. G.

Cathcart.

to the beams " ( Annandale's ' Dictionary ').
 * "Cot, naut. A sort of bed-frame suspended

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

" TREASURE -TROVE." SIR JAMES MURRAY will be very glad to have copies of the original texts (with dates and full references) that are represented by the following entries in Nicholas Statham's ' Abridgement '* :

" Cesbuy a qui le proprete est auera tresoure troue quere sil de' [?deuie] deuaunt quil soit troue si ses executourz le auerront &c il semble que cy [sic] quia non competib regi nisi quando nemo sib quis abscondit thesaurum, &c., come appiert en vne cas direlonde &c Michaelis. xxii. H. VI." (leaf g viij).

" Thesaururn inuenbum competit domino meo regi et non domino libertatis nisi sit per verba specialia eb ces en presentemenb ou aubremenb prescripeioun &c Pasche xxii. E. III." (leaf h ij).

" Punysshement pur treasoure troue pris et emporte de vverk [sic] de meere e way sera per emprisonemenb et par fyne eb nemi de vie et de membre Michaelis. xxii. E. III." (leaf h ij b).

As Bohn's ' Lowndes' Bibliographer's Manual ' remarks, this book 44 conbains many original authorities nob exbanb in the Year Books of those times."

Some examination of the ordinary edition for the terms referred to has not resulted in the tracing of Statham's sources ; but the phrases may have been overlooked, and may possibly be found in one of the other abridge- ments. A search in MS. Year- Books would be practically impossible. Q. V.

ALTARS. 'N. & Q.' contains many refer- ences to altars, both Christian and pagan. Can any reader contribute information con- cerning altars of antiquarian interest of which little or no notice has yet appeared in the press ? The writer, who has a collec- tion of illustrations of altars belonging to many religions and ages, would be glad to add to it. A statement made in a recent lecture on London churches pointed to the altar at St. Bartholomew's the Great as the only pre-Reformation altar in the City. Is this so ? F. H. KEMP.

43, Fordwych Road, Hampstead, N.W.

JEREMIAH HORROCKS, ASTRONOMER, D. 1641. Is any portrait of this astronomer known to exist? The ' D.N.B.' mentions none. G. J. GRAY.

14, Church Street, Chesterton, Cambridge.

court-hand, probably in 1491. The printer's spell ing is somewhat errabic.
 * Printed for Pynson, ab Rouen, in imibabion of