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NOTES AND QUERIES.

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in use for a considerable period in the last century. In the Act 7 George II. c. 11), a portion of the land given in lieu of the Pest Field, near Soho, which is now known as Craven Hill, was described as "two messuages, part of the manor of Tyburn, called Bayard's Watering Place, situate in the parish of Paddington in the County of Middlesex." See Gent. Mag., vol. cci. (1856), p. 79, and Mrs. B. Holmes's ' London Burial-Grounds,' p. 129, which requires correction.

W. F. PRIDEAUX.

PEOF. SKEAT'S remarks on Bayard as a common name for horse recall the fact that of recent years the French have been in the habit of calling a large proportion of their dogs black, without regard to the real colour of the dog's skin. PALAMEDES.

THE LAST LETTER OF MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS (9 th S. i. 64). The letter which MR. PICKFORD quotes is, of course, familiar to all who have interested themselves in the un- fortunate queen. It is printed by Labanoff in his collection of the queen's letters, and it is also to be found in Mrs. Maxwell Scott's ' Tragedy of Fotheringay ' (Black). There is one sentence in it which interested me con- siderably when I first read the letter, and which appears to be wrongly translated in the version which MR. PICKFORD sends. In the original the queen writes : " J'ay pris la hardiesse de vous envoyer deux pierres rares, pour la sante, vous la desirant parfaite avec heureuse et longue vie " (Labanoff, tome vi. p. 493). In the Standard cutting this is translated, " I have been so bold as to send you two rare stones, desiring for you perfect health with a happy and long life." I make no pretence to French scholarship, but the translation in Mrs. Maxwell Scott's book seems much more accurate: "I venture to send you two rare stones, valuable for health, the which I desire you to have in perfection, as also I wish you a long and happy life." The interesting point is that the queen avows herself a believer in the medicinal virtues of precious stones, a belief which existed long after her time. For example, in 'Pharma- copoeia Londinensis,' of which the eighth edition was issued in 1716, by "William Salmond, Professor of Physick, At the Great House near Black-Fryars Stairs," there is a section devoted to precious stones, from which the following sentences may be quoted : " The Diamond is never given inwardly, but only worn, as in Kings, &c. So its said to take away Fears, Melancholy, and to strengthen the Heart." The amethyst "causeth Quiet- ness by way of Amulet, and so its said to

make fruitful." The jacynth "is a present remedy against Poison, Plague, and pesti- lential Infection, for which it is both taken inwardly, and worn as an Amulet upon the Heart- it is also a specific against the Cramp, and Convulsions, causes Ilest, and stops Fluxes of Blood." Of the pearl, " Aldrovandus saith they are cold and dry, consume moisture, strengthen and comfort the Heart, revive the

Spirits, and refresh all the principal parts

Schroder saith they are so famous, that Men in the greatest Agonies are refreshed thereby. From my own experience this I can affirm, that they are one of the best of Remedies against all sorts of Fevers, chiefly violent Burning and Pestilential Fevers, cure Heart-burning beyond other Medicines, and are the chief of all cordial medicaments," &c. It would be interesting to know what kind of stones the queen did send to Henri III. ; for all the jewels in her possession do not seem to have brought peace to her troubled and unhappy life.

W. E. WILSON. 25, Buccleuch Street, Hawick, Roxburghshire.

It may not be generally known that Dudley Castle was very nearly becoming the scene of the final episode in the career of Mary, Queen of Scots. The following is an extract from Dr. Willmore's ' History of Walsall,' p. 265 :

" In November, 1585, Sir Amyas Powlett came on a visit to Rushall, then the abode of Edward Leigh, who was grandfather to the illustrious author of the ' Critica Sacra.' The visit of Sir Amyas was for the purpose of inspecting and reporting upon Dud- ley Castle as a prospective prison for Mary, Queen of Scots, who was then in confinement at Tutbury. His report, addressed from Rushall to Sir Francis Walsingham, Her Majesty's Secretary, was un- favourable, and the captive queen was thereupon removed to Chartley ('State Papers'). See also Twamley's Hist, of Dudley Castle,' p. 36."

WILLIAM LOCKE RADFORD.

I find no allusion in Schiller's play to Mary's supposed concealment of a wafer for her last sacrament. On the contrary, in the last act (sc. vii.) Melvil declares himself a priest, and produces a host in a golden vessel. This, pro- bably, is what MR. PICKFORD was thinking of.

C. C. B.

LARKS IN AUGUST (9 th S. i. 65). Although I am no naturalist, I am a confirmed wor- shipper of the skylark, and it seems to me bhat its carol is less frequently heard in the iatter end of July, during August, and through the early weeks of September than at any other time. In Lincolnshire it trills blithely till the end of June, or later ; and it will sing, though with less strength and verve, in October, November, and throughout the months of winter, if the weather be mild.