Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/294

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NOTES AND QUERIES.

[9 th S. I. APRIL 9,

in making every one who converses with your lordship prefer you to himself, without thinking the less meanly of his own talents." The editorial foot-note in the edition of Sharpe and Hailes (London, 1811) is, "This must certainly be an error ; and for ' less ' we should read more,"

For the; edification, or otherwise, of future owners, I have made the following marginal note :

"It sometimes happens that a conversationalist who gives the impression of superior ability finds it necessary, in order to be pleasing, to employ a subtle flattery which soothes the wounded vanity of his hearer, but such was Lord Somers's sur- prising influence that, without using the artifice of causing his listener to think less meanly of his own talents, he yet compelled that listener to prefer his lordship to himself."

EDWARD MERTON DEY.

St. Louis.

THE " SCOURING " OF LAND. Most readers of * N. & Q.' will have heard of the scouring of the White Horse in Berkshire, or, at all events, of the book by the late Judge Hughes which bears that title. Penalties for not scouring ditches are common in old court rolls or in records of Courts Leet. But I think the field-name Scouring is not very frequent. At Birley Common, near Beighton, in North Derbyshire, are five fields or enclosures known as The Long Scouring, The Lower Scouring, The Nether Scouring, The Great Scouring, and The Under Scouring. Here the meaning is evidently "clearing" or " ridding." The word seems to be identical with the Icel. skyring, an explanation or making clear. According to vigfusson, the Gothic skeirjan, to interpret, shows that skyra, to interpret, and sklra, to cleanse, are identical. The word still exists in the dialect of South Yorkshire, as when one tells another to skeer the ashes out of the fire- grate.

It appears from Hales's ' Domesday of St. Paul's' that in 1222 there was land at Beau- champ in Essex known in Latin documents as Sciringa. I take this to be equivalent to " scouring," or ridded land. S. O. ADDY.

CAPT. ALEXANDER HAMILTON. As very little appears to be known of the author of the ' New Account of the East Indies ' beyond what he himself has recorded in that entertaining work, I may mention that I have come upon some references to him in the ' Press List of Ancient Records in Fort St. George,' recently printed by the Madras Government. From this it seems that at a public consultation held at Fort St. George on 29 May, 1707, was read a petition from one John Maxwell, pray-

ing for an attachment of the ship George and all the effects therein belonging to Capt. Alexander Hamilton and Mulpa. the Dutch broker at Cochin, towards the discharge of their debt to him. The consideration of this matter was deferred until 3 June, when authority was given to Mr. Maxwell to attach the ship George. Hamilton himself does not mention this matter; but in chap. xxiv. of his book, after describing a visit which he paid in January, 1703, to " Balanore Bur- garie, a formidable Prince," at "Burgara" (Badagara in Malabar), he adds :

"In 1707 he built a new ship, which I had a Mind to buy. 1 was then at Uouchin, and sent

him Word, that I designed him a Visit About

ten Days after I came in a small Boat, to a Place belonging to him, called Meodie"

Hamilton did not, however, succeed in his mission, as the Prince informed him

" that his Religion forbad him to sell any Ship that he either built or bought, till he had first employed her in one Voyage himself."

So, after a short stay there, during which he was hospitably treated, our author returned in his boat to Cochin apparently. From chap. xxx. we find that in 1708 Hamilton was at v izagapatam

in a small Dutch-bmlt Ship, that I had bought from the French, on my Credit, at Fort St. Oeorge."

Returning to the ' Press List,' &c., we find, in a letter from Fort St. George, dated 11 January, 1710, to the Governor and Council of Bengal, reference is made to "advices from Captain Hamilton regarding his affairs." And in another letter to the same persons, dated 17 May, 1710, there is mentioned "the ground on which Captain Hamilton required pay- ment from Governor Pitt of the Dutch ship bought from the French," apparently the one referred to by him in the extract quoted above. At a consultation held in Fort St. George on 12 April, 1711, there was considered, among other matters, a petition from Capf A. Hamilton to the Governor and Couni submitting a statement of accounts bet Mulpapoy, the Dutch broker at Cochin, a; Mr. John Maxwell, of Cochin, deceased, ai praying to be reimbursed from the estate of the latter the amount overpaid by him. Again, at a consultation held on 14 May, 1711, a letter From Capt. Hamilton to the Governor and Council was considered, " re demand on the state of John Maxwell, deceased, by Mai- pappy"; and that is the last reference to the subject, and also to Capt. Hamilton, that I can find in the * Press List ' down to the end of 1714. In the 'Press List' for 1715-19, however,