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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. x. AUG. so, 1902.

this there exists in Portuguese (not in Span ish or Catalan) another and less elegani pronunciation, in which the second elemenl of the digraph is changed from u to i, so that ou becomes oi. Thus Douro and Ouro Preto become in familiar language Doiro anc Giro Preto. Some even prefer to write Giro Preto, but on the whole this perversion is not to be recommended. I do not know how the surname Sousa or Souza is sounded by the American composer who recently visiteo London. Englishmen generally called it Sooza, but in the country of its origin, Portugal, it is always either Soza (riming with Rosa), or more colloquially Soiza (rim- ing with Poyser). JAS. PLATT, Jun.

EIGHTEENTH - CENTURY INDEXES (9 th S. x. 109). So far as deaths are concerned, those (from 1711 to 1740) recorded in the works previously mentioned, together with those in the Gentleman's Magazine, London Magazine, Scots Magazine, and other works (down to about 1796), are indexed in 'Musgrave's Obit- uary prior to 1800,' published (1899-1901) by the Harleian Society in six volumes, a truly valuable work. This, so far as the date (1796 ?) extends, includes (1) ' The Biographi- cal and Obituary Notices in the "Gentleman's Magazine," 1731-1780,' indexed by Henry Farrar, and published (one vol., 1891) by the British Record Society ; (2) the general index (five vols.) to the Gentleman's Magazine, which includes a very inaccurate, though copious index to the obituary therein from 1731 to 1818 in this, however, the surname only is given, so that the time spent in making the search renders it, for any save an unusual surname, practically useless; (3) the (much less copious) obituary from 1759 to 1819 in the Annual Register, to which there is a good index.

As to marriages, births, promotions, &c., those from 1731 to 1818, and from 1759 to 1819, are indexed as above ; the marriages, however, in the Annual Register are, unfor- tunately, few, and those* in the Gentle- man's Magazine are, as above stated, very inaccessible. As to Irish marriages, an index by H. Farrar to those (a considerable number) contained "in Walker's Hibernian Magazine, 1771 to 1812," was issued (two vols., 1897) by Philhmore & Co. ,36, Essex Street, London. It would indeed be a great boon to gene- alogists if an index to marriages from 1711 to 1800 or later (on the same system as ' Mus- graves Obituary') were compiled.

G. E. C.

FRANCIS SPIERA'S DESPAIR (9 th S. ix. 389, 491). lo the information about Francesco

Spiera which will, I presume, have been supplied by other correspondents, may I add the following two extracts?

" There is a most memorable example of Francis Spira an Advocate of Padua, Ann. 1545, that being desperate, by no counsel of learned men could be comforted ; he felt (as he said) the pains of hell in his soul, in all other things he discoursed aright, but in this most mad. Frismelica, Bullovat, and some other excellent Physicians, could neither make him eat, drink, or sleep, no persuasion could ease him. Never pleaded any man so well for himself, as this man did against himself, and so he des- perately died. Springer a Lawyer hath written his life." Burton's 'Anatomy of Melancholy,' Parti- tion III. sect. iv. mem. ii. subs. iv.

To "Francis Spira" Burton has a marginal note, "Goulart" (Simon Goulart, 1543-1628). " I have given a full account of this tragedy in au appendix to my (German) book on the ' Sin against the Holy Ghost' (Halle, 1841), pp. 173-210, from a rare publication of 191 pages (then in possession of Dr. Hengstenberg in Berlin) : ' Francisci Spierae qui, quod susceptam semel evangelicse veritatis

Srofessionem abnegasset damnassetque, in horren- am incidit desperationem, Historia, a quatuor summis viris summa fide conscripta, cum clariss. virorum prsefationibus, Cdlii S C. et lo. Calvini et Petri Pauli Vergerii Apologia : in quibus multa hoc

tempore scitu digna gravissime tractantur Basil.

1550.' It was reprinted at Tubingen, 1558. Ver- gerio first published an account in his ' Apologia,' 1548 (not 1549), which is contained in that book, and informed Calvin of it in a letter. Sixt gives large extracts, pp. 125-160. See Comba, ' Francesco Spiera,' Firenze, 1883." Foot-note on p. 150, vol. i. of Dr. Philip SchafFs 'The Swiss Reformation,' being the sixth "Division" of his 'History of the Christian Church.'

One's thoughts naturally turn to Peter Williams and the tale of the Pechod Ysprydd Glan in George Borrow's ' Lavengro.'

EDWARD BENSLY.

The University, Adelaide, South Australia.

NOTES ON BOOKS, &c.

The New Volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannia.

Vol. IV., being Vol. XXVIII. of the Complete

^ Work. (A. & C. Black and the Time*.)

CHE fourth of the new volumes of the ' Encyclopaedia

Britannica ' contains many articles of high and one

r two of paramount interest. With a small section

nly of these can we concern ourselves. ' Electricity,'

vhich comes second in the volume, the first being

Elections,' is beyond our ken. It is by three dif-

erent writers, Prof. J. A. Fleming, Mr. W. C. D.

Whetham, F.R.S., and Prof. J. J. Thomson, and,

with kindred subjects, such as electrical supply,

3lectro-chemistry, &c., occupies one hundred and

i<wenty-five pages, or more than a sixth of the

volume. Important advance in knowledge has been

made since the original articles on electricity ap-

leared, Rontgen's discoveries with regard to the

cathode rays belonging to 1895. As regards electric

-raction, treated under electricity supply, it is only