Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 6.djvu/20

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. vi. JAN., 1920.

GRAVE OF EMPEROR HONORIUS, A.D. 423. Rodolfo Lanciani in his book, ' Pagan and Christian Rome,' speaking of the Rotunda of St. Petronilla, called the chapel of the Kings of France, now covered by a part of the Basilica of St. Peter, mentions the discovery in 1544 of 'the tomb of Maria, daughter of Stilicho^and wife of Honorius ; and adds :

" A greater treasure of gems, gold, and precious objects has never been found in a single tomb." and later on he says :

" We know from Paul Diaconus that Honorius was laid to rest by the side of his empress ; his coffin, however, has never been found. It must still be concealed under the pavement at the southern end of transept, near the altar of the Crucifixion of St. Peter."

Why, then, are we told by some, that one of the beautiful sarcophagi in the mauso- leum of his half-sister, Galla Placidia, at Ravenna, contains the ashes of Honorius ? And why should a ChristianfEmperor have been cremated ? A. R. BAYLEY.

GISSING'S ' ON BATTERSEA BRIDGE.' Can any of your readers tell me the exact date when George Gissing's ' On Battersea Bridge ' appeared in the Pall Mall Gazette ? The year commonly given is 1882, but I have failed to find it in that year's files.

H. E. LEEDS.

The Nest, Croydon Road, Caterham, Surrey.

" BEAUTY is BUT SKIN DEEP." Who first used this expression ? Was it Sir Thomas Overbury, in his poem, ' A Wife ' ?

J. R. H.

URCHFONT. There is a village in Wilt- shire called Urchfont. Could any reader tell me the origin of the name ? J. R. H.

NEW ENGLAND. There is a hamlet of this name south of Bagshot, Surrey ; also a district at Peterborough ; and many villages or hamlets throughout England. Can any- one suggest the origin of this name ?

PRESCOTT Row.

PAGINATION. (See 10 S. viii. 386). At this reference I directed attention to what I termed " the vagaries of printers and pub- lishers in this matter," giving two modern instances thereof, viz. : inserting the numbers at the bottom of the page, and introducing them into the context. I have since learned that these vagaries are not entirely modern, for in my edition (1630) of the ' Adagia ' of Erasmus the leaves are only paged alternately, i.e., the first bears the first numeral, the second none, and the third

has the second numeral. What was the object in this deformity, and was it very general in the seventeenth century ? It is more annoying to the reader than pagination in calce. Can further examples of such idiosyncracies be adduced ?

J. B. McGovERN. St. Stephen's Rectory, C.-on-M., Manchester.

CHAIR c. 1786 : INFORMATION WANTED. We have lately had presented to the Pump Room by a visitor to Bath, a chair which he believes dates from abotit 1786, and marks a transition period between the sedan chair and the present Bath chair.

The body is wood, shaped much like a sedan chair, but with a small door at each side like a miniature brougham. There are small windows of the carriage type, with a deep rail underneath. I believe the whole carriage is known as the ' Barker ' type.

The vehicle has four wheels, two small wheels in front on a swivel carriage, to which is attached a handle for the man, while the rear wheels are much larger.

I forward a photograph, and should be glad if any reader could give me any infor- mation about this type of chair.

JOHN HATTON.

Hot Mineral Springs,

Grand Pump Room, Bath.

[We shall be glad to forward the photograph to any reader with special knowledge on this subject.]

" CATHOLIC." Tertullian used this in one of his writings, but at what date was it adopted by the Christian Church ?

W. T. TAYLOR.

DEAL AS A PLACE OF CALL. In the latter portion of ' Bleak House ' Dickens describes a homeward-bound East Indiaman at anchor in the .Downs, and the landing of some of the passengers in small boats at Deal. There was apparently a fog in the Channel when the vessel cast anchor, but it had cleared before the voyagers left the ship. Was this a usual practice at the period, or did the author draw on his fancy to provide a fresh oppor- tunity for Allan Woodcourt to meet Esther Summerson ? E. BASIL LUPTON.

10 Humboldt Street, Cambridge, Mass.

SHERIFFS IN SCOTLAND. Did sheriffs in Scotland, in the time of Sir Walter Scott, wear gold chains as a badge of office ? The appointment was permanent, not annual, like English sheriffs. I believe the duties were principally judicial. Mr. F. G. Kitto wrote several articles on the portraits of Sir Walter for The Magazine of Art in 1896. He described the third portrait by Raeburn as