Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/182

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [*- s. in. MAR. *, m

the French consul and his wife, who, with their seven charming daughters, reside on the spot, and never remember hearing the cir- cumstance mentioned. A very fine marble bust of the emperor stands upon the spot where he died, *'. e., in an ante-room a rather draughty apartment with two doors leading from the entrance hall to his bed- room, which latter was on the right (the residence is only one story high).

That the house was at one time allowed to fall into a very woeful state of decay may be gleaned from a 'Guide to St. Helena,' written by Mr. Joseph Lockwood in 1851. He says : _.

" Passing through the gate, there "before us stand the empty and deserted halls where Napoleon lingered out his last years. The front entrance......

is ascended by one or two dilapidated steps. Passing the door, we enter a room of moderate size...... fast

crumbling into irretrievable ruin, ceiling, floors, and walls all alike time-shattered and miserably decayed ; huge cobwebs hang in thick and heavy festoons in every corner, and dirt and dust obscure the light that struggles to glimmer in through the windows. From the dreary billiard-room we pass into a small and miserably dark room, in a state of utter and hope- less ruin Part of the roof has fallen in indeed,

that portion over the very spot where Napoleon breathed his last for this wretched den is the room in which he died. In this half-roofless room, amidst the wild contentions of the elements, the ' spoilt child of destiny' lay stretched in mortal agony

upon the bed of death We next entered a little

lobby, as dark and ruinous as are all the rooms around. On the left is a little cabinet now occupied by one or two farm-servants like the rest sadly dilapidated. Turning suddenly again to the right, we enter what was once the bedroom of Napoleon, now a stable strewed with litter, racks and mangers.

The gardens are all gone, but a lawn of parched

and stunted grass is all around."

It is only fair to add that, probably due to M. Morilleau's care and energy, Long- wood House is now, internally and externally, in an excellent state of repair. It is certainly as well kept as is our own Hampton Court. Of course a death mask, although useful to sculptors for giving the proportions generally, is never absolutely followed in modelling for the bronze or marble. An exact replica, in either or any material, from a post-mortem casting would be a very distressing pro- duction indeed. HARRY HEMS.

Fair Park, Exeter.

SURNAMES IN -SON (9 th S. iii. 90). Sur- names in -son were undoubtedly introduced by the Danes, and this will mark the period of their origin. Surnames in -son (and MR. GILSON'S is no exception) are as certain a sign of Scandinavian descent as towns and villages in -by are of Danish occupation. The here- ditary love of the sea which we attribute to

our Danish ancestors appears to be most prevalent where the Danish occupation was most extensive. It would be interesting to note the proportion of names ending in -son in the navy as compared with those in the army and other professions. The greatest naval commander of the century showed the traces of Danish blood in his name and his birthplace as well as in his seamanship.

J. FOSTER PALMER. 8, Royal Avenue, S.W.

MUSE PLOTS (9 fch S. iii. 88). Can "muse plots" be the same as "marsh plots," now existing in the parish of Preston Candover, Hants J I had a query concerning them in ' N. & Q.' many years ago, but received no answer. In 1711 there were sixty-two, for which the churchwardens received one penny the marsh plot, while the vicar received the great and small tithes still paid to him. The fact that " muse " and " marsh " plots in two adjacent counties have the same arrangement connected with the tithes is an inference that the two words originally were identical. Which is nearer in present spelling to the name as used in earlier days ? " Marsh " here suggests low-lying pastures in a valley, not, as now, drained by the provision of a large lake in the lower part of the Candover valley. These plots are found in the centre of the village mostly, where cottages probably were first put up by copyhold tenure, under the several manors existing in the village. Has "muse" any connexion with water? The river Meuse, in France, is a case in point, the etymology of which is doubtful, I suppose. I should still be glad to know of any other parishes where " muse " or " marsh " plots are still in existence under similar circumstances.

VICAR.

WALTON (9 th S. iii. 107). MR. DUIGNAN asks if any one can tell him the meaning of this place-name, and then proceeds to give the three possible answers. MR. DUIGNAN'S authority on place-names is so great that it re- quires more courage than I possess to question his opinions. I would only point out that his precise views have already been propounded on pp. 291, 373 of * Names and their Histories,' a book which I believe he will discover on his shelves. A few illustrations of his prin- ciples may, however, be useful. Walton, Surrey, was a tun on the defensive dyke or wall which stretched from the Thames to the camp on St. George's Hill. Wallscombe, near Wells, was on the dyke or wall which guarded Somerset against the Welsh. Walton-on-the- Naze, Essex, is believed to take its name from a sea-wall. The reclaimed land between Wis-