Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/235

 S. NO 12., MAR. 22. '56.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

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t. e. the sponsors of the second boy. As she did so, she said to one of the sponsors by way of apology " It's a girl ; so it must be christened first ; " and christened first it was. But the pe- culiar manner in which this was brought about, showed that the woman was influenced by some peculiar feeling ; and, on the next day, an oppor- tunity was taken to discover her motive. This was her explanation : " You see, sir, the parson bain't a married man, and consequentially is dis- familiar with children, or he'd a never put the little girl to be christen'd after the boys. And though it sadly fluster'd me, sir, to put myself afore my betters in the way which I was fosed to do ; yet, sir, it was a doing of a kindness to them two little boys, in me a setting of my little girl afore 'em." " Why ? " " Well, sir ! I har astonished as you don't know. Why, sir, if them little boys had been christen'd afore the little girl, they'd have had her soft chin, and she'd have had their hairy beards, the poor little innocent ! But, thank goodness ! I've kep her from that mis- fortin ! " And the woman really believed that she had done so ; and the generality of her neighbours shared her belief.

Let this be a warning to clergymen (more es- pecially to bachelors) who would stand well in the opinions of their poorer parishioners !

CUTHBERT BEDE.

Fig-pie Wake. This is kept in the parish of Draycot-le-Moors, in Staffordshire, on Mid-Lent Sunday. The fig-pies are made of dry figs, sugar, treacle, spice, &c. ; they are rather too luscious for those who are not " to the manner born." But yet, on this Sunday, the friends of the parishioners come to visit them, and to eat the fig-pies. Is this wake kept in other parts of the country ? Mid-Lent Sunday is sometimes called Refresh- ment Sunday. In parts of Oxfordshire, figs are eaten on Palm Sunday, which is thence called Fig Sunday. This I suppose to be in remem- brance of the fig tree without fruit which was cursed for its barrenness.

WILLIAM FEASEE, B.C.L.

Alton, Staffordshire.

Weather Proverbs (2 nd S. i. p. 84.) The follow- ing cutting from one of the Glasgow " Penny Almanacs" for this year, will be found generally so true and useful in its observations, as not un- worthy of being transferred to the pages of " N. & Q," :

" WEATHER WISDOM.

A rainbow in the morning gives the shepherd warning. That is, if the wind be easterly ; because it shows that the rain cloud is approaching the observer.

A rainbow at night is the shepherd's delight. This is also a good sign, provided the wind be westerly, as it shows that the rain clouds are passirig away.

Evening red, and next morning grey, are certain signs of a beautiful day

When the glow-worm lights her lamp, the air is always

damp. If the cock goes crowing to bed, he'll certainly rise with

a watery head.

When you see gossamer flying, be ye sure the air is drying. When black snails cross your path, black clouds much

moisture hath. When the peacock loudly bawls, soon we'll have both rain

and squalls. When ducks are driving thro' the burn, that night the

weather takes a turn. If the moon shows like a silver shield, be not afraid to

reap your field ; But if she rises haloed round, soon we'll tread on deluged

ground. When rooks fly sporting high in the air, it shows that

windy storms are near.* If at the sun rising or setting, the clouds appear of a lurid

red colour, extending nearly to the zenith, it is a sure

sign of storms and gales of wind."

G. K

ENGLISH AND AUSTRIAN POPULATION.

Cardinal Wiseman is reported to have said, in a recent lecture on the Austrian Concordat, that

" The Emperor of Austria reigned over as large an empire as ours was, even including its distant dependencies. The population was far greater than ours, and included a far greater variety of races : ours only "including three, all of the same language (excluding India) ; while the Austrian empire embraced at least six, speaking different tongues all of which the youthful and accomplished sovereign spoke with ease."

Hitherto I have lived on in the undisturbed belief that the sun never sets upon British rule ; and that while the British empire is the most widely spread, so too it counts many more sub- jects, not only than Austria, but than any other kingdom or government on the earth, saving, per- haps, the fabulous millions in China. Till now, I have always thought that our beloved Qu.een, to talk to the many peoples under her sway in their own tongue, would have to speak not merely six, but even more than sixteen languages : English, Welsh, Erse or Irish, Gaelic or Scotch ; Manks, in the Isle of Man ; Ferroe, Shetlandish, Ork- neyan, in their respective islands ; Danish in Heligoland ; French to the Canadians and in the Mauritius ; Spanish at Gibraltar, and some of our West Indian Islands ; Maltese and Italian at Malta ; Romaic in the Greek Islands ; Dutch in parts of the Cape ; several of those numerous languages of Africa for our various settlements

about the middle of January last, when the barometer rapidly fell to below 29 degrees, I observed two immense bodies of crows on their flight from east to north-west, so as to produce a temporary diminution of light in the atmosphere.
 * Immediately before a furious storm of wind and rain,