Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/455

 9 th S. .JUNE 4, '98.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

447

loticeable in St. Matt. vi. 7, where our Lord quotes Ecclus. vii. 14; and the following are examples : Kom. ix. 21, ref. to Wisd. xv. 7 ; ib., xi. 34, to Wisd. ix. 13 ; 2 Cor. ix. 7, to Ecclus. xxxv. 9. There may be others. They should be restored. W. E. B.

MADOC AP OWEN GWYNEDD AND THE DIS- COVERY OF AMERICA. Upon reading, some time since, Herbert's ' Travels in Africa and Asia ' I found, at the end of the volume (folio, London, 1634), a statement with the follow- ing heading : " A Discourse and proofe that Madoc ap Owen Gwynedd first found out that Continent now calPd America." In the pages of * N. & Q.' we have had repeated articles respecting the discovery of America by Columbus, Cabot, and Amerigo Vespucci, but I do not find any allusion made to its discovery by Madoc in the twelfth century. Herbert is enthusiastic in reference to the tradition respecting him. He briefly mentions that there were in his days some Indians in America who used the Welsh lan- guage for the names of various things, animals, <KC., among which were the following : Bara, bread; Mam, mother- Tate, father; Dowr, water ; Bryd, time ; Bu, or Buch, a cow ; Clugar, a heath-cock ; Llwynog, a fox ; Wy, an egg ; Calaf, a quill ; Trwyn, a nose ; Nef, heaven ; &c. As I think this tradition of Madoc's supposed discovery is little known at the present day, although many Welshmen cling to it most tenaciously, I wrote to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, and requested some information upon the subject, and how the tradition had been generally received in America. His reply to my letter was as follows :

Washington, June 2, 1897.

Sin, In reply to your communication of May 17 respecting the supposed discovery of America by a Welshman, I am authorized by the Secretary to say that this is an old tradition which has given rise to considerable discussion. One of the recent publications on the subject is entitled ' Madoc : Essay on the Discovery of America by Madoc ap Owen Gwynedd,' by Thos. Stephens (Longmans, 1893). By consulting Harrisse's ' Bibliography ' or any similar work, or by inquiring at the British Museum, you will find other works on this subject.

Upon receipt of the above letter I applied to Messrs. Longman for the book, and I was not a little surprised to receive a handsome octavo volume of two hundred and thirty- eight pages. Although I think that Mr. Stephens was disposed to be somewhat un- favourable to the tradition, yet he gives the results of a very exhaustive inquiry into the tentative, affirmative, and negative view of it. My object in asking you to allow the above brief remarks to appear in the pages

of ' N. & Q.' is to assure those of your readers who are interested in this great historical question that the volume written by Mr. Stephens, and lately edited by Llywarch Reynolds, B.A.Oxon., is well worthy of a careful perusal, more particularly at this time, when the Florentines are once more bringing the name of Amerigo Vespucci rather prominently before the public. Re- specting the supposition that the name America was derived from him, I would refer your readers to the report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 1888. C. LEESON PRINCE.

The Observatory, Crowborough Hill.

[Of. ' N. & Q.,' 7 th S. i. 267, 411, 473.]

WE must request correspondents desiring infor- mation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that the answers may be addressed to them direct.

" DODGILL REEPAN." The following sen- tence is to be found in Walford's 'Dick Netherby,' ch. vii. p. 91 :

" It 's Meg he thinks to gie a drink o' the Dodgill Reepan to, is't?"

Is the expression " Dodgill Reepan " used in the folk-speech in any part of Scotland ? What is the precise meaning of the term ? A. L. MAYHEW.

REV. PETER VALLAVINE. He was rector of Reculver 1726-9, Monkton with Birch- ington 1729-67, Preston next Wingham 1743-67, and a minor canon of Canterbury. Probably of a Huguenot family ; he sug- gested the letters on coins being placed close to the edge, so as to prevent coins being clipped, and in 1739 received a reward of 1001. from Government. Died 11 January, 1767, and was buried in Preston Church. Any particulars about his parentage, wife, or children would be acceptable. A daughter Deborah married Sir Charles Hudson, Bart., and a son, Charles Valla vine, was baptized at Preston, 24 September, 1754. Did they have any other children ; and where was the husband buried? Deborah, Lady Hudson, was buried at Eltham, Kent, 8 January, 1780/1. ARTHUR HUSSEY.

Wingham, Kent.

CORONATION PLATE. I should be glad of information as to the old custom now, I believe, obsolete that the Lord Chancellor and the Speaker for the time being divided between them the plate used at the royal table at a coronation banquet. Supposing