Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 5.djvu/211

 2 S. V. AUG., 1919.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

205

MORESNET : ALLEGED SMALL REPUBLIC. ee 12 S. i. 42, 129, 195, 258.) At the first 'eren.ce I quoted a letter in The Standard June 2, 1896, in which the writer mentioned Dresnet as a "miniature republic." I ve an extract from The Times of Aug. 25, 03., which showed that it was not a public, but rather a small territory " under e condominion of Belgium and Prussia," subject to a joint administration, pending final settlement." This presumably final ttlement lias been arrived at by the eaty -of Peace, partiii., articles 32 and

'Germany recognizes the full sovereignty of Igium over the whole of the contested territory Moresnet (called Moresnet neutre)." ' Germany renounces in favour of Belgium all Dresnet situated on the west of the road from ege to Aix-la-Chapelle ; the road will belong to Igimn where it Ibounds this territory."
 * hts and title over the territory of Prussian

e Supplement oiThe Times, June 28, 1919. ROBERT PIERPOINT.

VINEGAR UPON NITRE. Compared in ov. -xxv. 20 to disturbing actions. The nitre " v here referred to is not saltpetre, on lich vinegar lias no effect, but carbonate soda, known as " washing soda," on licli vinegar produces a violent efferves- ace. R.V. gives " soda " as an alter- ,tive rendering, but that ought to be the .ly one. "Nitre," L. nitrum, Gr. virpov, sb. nether, used at first to denote native dium carbonate or natron, but since about 33 potassium nitrate or saltpetre. So

Jer. ii. 22, " though thou wash me with bre " (TLV. lye), " with soda " would be jht now, and be generally " understanded

the people." J. T. F.

iVinterton, 'Lraca.

PLANE TREES IN LONDON. Plane trees ,ve been iccused (without definite proof) being agents in spreading colds, &c. ; is said t r hat their minute spicules, which >at in tlie air in dry spring weather, act as itants of the nose and throat. The plane a native of a region of scorching summers, id the sun's heat in London is reflected Dm buildings and streets ; it is late in ifing, thus escaping the spring frosts ; .d its bark is shed periodically. For these isons it is an excellent tree for towns, lere are many fine examples in London, e best known being the one in the old urchyard of St. Peter in Chepe, at the rner of Wood Street, which probably ggested Wordsworth's ' Reverie of Poor isan.' Amy Levy's poem ' A London

Plane Tree ' must not be forgotten, and Dr. Manette had a fine example in his wonderful old echoing garden in Soho.

The April number of the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy contains an article entitled ' The History of the London Plane, Platanus acerijolia,' by Augustine Henry and Margaret G. Flood. The biblio- graphy of the subject is extensive (un- fortunately not included by Dr. Henry), and mention may be made of a paper by George Nicholson in ' Woods and Forests,' vol. i. p. 346, and an article by Henry English in The Daily News and Leader, Aug. 13, 1917. J. ARDAGH.

" LORRIBTJS," " LORRIBTJSES." The words " lorribus " and " lorribuses " have found their way into print this month (June), probably for the first time, and it may be useful to place this on record. Journalists have used these words in connection with the conversion of the large War Depaitment motor lorries into passenger-carrying vehi- cles. These are now plying for hire on the London streets, to relieve the congested condition of the tubes, trains, trams, and other public conveyances.

ARCHIBALD SPARKE.

ATTENTION OF A SOUL TO THE CORPSE. Fresh to me is the psychological fancy that as long as a corpse remains unburied the released soul pays it a visit once in ^ every twenty-four hours. This is what I pick up from p. 73 of Mrs. Romanes's ' The Story of an English Sister' :

" At one of our luncheon parties, Lord Halifax told us the following story. Two ladies (I think he knew them) had been hunting somewhere in Lincolnshire, and after the run they gave their horses to a groom and hired a gig. Presently they got to a bridge and saw a man looking very- tired, so they either offered him a lift or he asked for one. Presently they came to an inn, and without any thanks he got off the back seat and made his way into the inn, round which a small crowd had gathered. The landlord came out to them, and as he came out the man brushed close past him. So they, a little bit vexed at the roan's want of manners, asked who the man was. The landlord said he had seen no one. ' Oh, yes,' they said, ' you must have seen him, and they began to describe the man. The land- lord grew very puzzled and said : ' Please will you come into the house for a minute ? So they went into the inn, and the landlord took them into a room where on the bed lay the man whom they had seen dead. ' This is the body of a man who was drowned,' said the landlord. ' His body has just been found and we are await- ing the coroner.' But the cream of the story is yet to come. Lord Halifax was driving across a moor with only a servant, so he began talking to him and presently told him this story : where-