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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. m. JUNE 10, m

year. The practice of visiting ' wishing wells ' has descended from father to son, and despite the fact that many ministers point out that it is not con- ducive to keeping the Sabbath holy, and is only fit for superstitious barbarians, still the numbers who go to the well never diminish. Not only was the practice observed in parts of Inverness-shire, but in Ross shire also numbers of people visited the famous healing well of Craigie Howe, deposited their coins, and returned apparently satisfied that trouble and sickness had effectually been guarded against in the coming year."

CELER ET AUDAX.

MUSCAT. A brush with pirates on the way to Muscat appears to have been my grand- father's only notable feat of arms in the course of upwards of forty years' service. This bears out the comparison which Capt. Marryat takes occasion to draw in the course of one of his novels as to the relative means, merits, and opportunities of the officers of the Indian and Koyal Navies. The incident is recorded in the ' History of the Indian Navy (1613-1863),' by Charles Eath- bone Low, Lieut, (late) I.N., F.R.G.S., &c. (London, Bentley, 1877, 2 vols.), vol. i. pp. 340-1 :

" In this same month of January [1816] they [the Joasmi pirates] attempted to cut off a large baghalah laden with treasure, in tow of the Aurora, fourteen guns, Capt. Jeakes, upon which the cruiser wore round and fired into them. After a smart action, during which Capt. Jeakes exhibited sea- manlike skill of a high order in manoeuvring his ship so as to prevent the pirates from capturing his convoy, the enemy were beaten off and made sail. In this affair the Joasmi fleet consisted of about fifteen dhows and trankies, and the fire of the Aurora was so sustained and accurate that she sank many of them, the remainder making their escape under cover of night. Capt. Richard Kinchant, who was Acting Lieutenant on board tho Aurora, writes to us of this action: 'At Bushire we received orders from the Political Resident of the Persian Gulf, Capt. Bruce, formerly of the Bombay Marine, to convoy to Muscat, on our way to Bombay, a large baghalah containing a considerable amount of trea- sure for the Iruaum of Muscat. On our passage down the Gulf, one evening a little before sunset, we fell in with about fifteen dhows and trankies, and they looked to me like a forest of masts ahead with all sails down. We looked well to the baghalah astern, in tow of us, knowing that their object in laying in wait for us was to cut her off. The Aurora stood on her course with a light nor'wester, steering right through the fleet, and as we approached we gave them both broadsides, shotted with grape or canister, which told well. During the action that ensued we sank many and disabled others. We had to pay great attention to our convoy to prevent their cutting her tow-rope, and some of the smaller craft, pulling twenty oars, ventured near at times for that purpose. Capt. Jeakes directed me to superintend the management of the baghalah, so I was on the poop of the Aurora the whole time, and had no very easy task in keeping so towering a vessel close to the Aurora without great risk, and

small shot came fast and thick among us on the pooi. W G continued to pepper them with grape and canister, and if we could only have had two hours' more daylight, we should have given a better account of them. At dusk the chief of Ras-ul- Kymah, who was in command, burnt a blue light and stood over to the Arabian coast with the re- mainder of his fleet. Capt. Jeakes thanked me on the quarterdeck for my management of the baghalah, which would have been a great prize to them. On our arrival at Muscat the Imauni pre- sented Capt. Jeakes with a valuable sword and Arab horse, which became a great favourite with the sailors.'"

I suppose it may have been upon this occasion that, as my father used often to tell me, my grandfather dispersed the pirates, who were attacking him on the quarters, where he was unarmed, by having two of his broadside guns hoisted on to the poop. ] know nothing of the " valuable sword "; but I have a rather trumpery Eastern battle-axe with a dagger screwing into the handle (I saw a similar one at the 1895 Earl's Court India Exhibition), which may possibly have been the article in question. I have, however, besides his epaulets and a uniform coat, two of the commodore's sword-belts and slings ; one | is of blue velvet and the other of a sort of violet silk and gold brocade. Capt. Kinchanl was, I believe, the father-in-law of Lieut. Low, and at the publication of the 'History' he, then aged, living in the south of London, and complaining of the fogs from the river, wrote to my father, offering him the work.

THOMAS J. JEAKES.

"INDEX." I was cogitating how to describe the very insufficient manner in which our dictionaries treat some words, when MR. JAMES PLATT happily supplied me with a word. In his note on 'Jalap' (ante, p. 269) he observes that the dictionaries treat it in what seems to be a very cavalier 1 manner. This exactly applies to the word " index "- as regards books.

I have always considered that the entries in an " index " must be in alphabetical order, and that a "contents" follows the order of the pages. But it appears from Mr. Henry B. Wheatley's most useful work ' What is an Index?' 1879 (p. 9), that in the seventeenth century the alphabetical order was not neces- sary, and that "index" was often used for "contents." Mr. Wheatley goes on to show that this was "the old meaning of the word," and that

"by the present English usage, according to which the word fabfr. is reserved for the summary of the contents as they occur in the book, and the word iwlw. for the arranged analysis of the contents, we obtain an advantage not 'enjoyed in other lan- guages, for the French Table is used for both kinds, as is Indie f. in Italian and Spanish."