Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/474

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9- s. m. JUNE 17,

a strong light, is stripped to the waist, back toward the spectator, head bald, turned toward the approaching couple. Paris, hold- ing Helen's right hand lightly, leads her to the boat. Her breasts are bare, her bodice is laced loosely in front, and her left hand holds up her skirt, which reaches a little below the knee. The sandals and leggings of both are ornamented. In the right-hand upper corner of the picture, over Helen's shoulder, is seen a semi-nude goddess in a chariot ; her right arm and hand, extended like that of Paris, points to two vessels in the offing and just visible through the gloom. Paris and Helen are in rapid motion, and occupy the right-hand moiety of the picture. From the strong con- trast of light and shade it seems that the figures are lighted up by a beacon, outside, on the left of the picture. L. E. DAVIS. 43, St. George's Avenue, Tufnell Park, N.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH BRANCH ESTABLISH- MENTS. Which, if any, of the English or Scotch public schools have branch establish- ments in other countries 1 I know that at least one Scotch school started a house at some place on the Continent, but my impression is that it was eventually given up. The experi- ment probably did not succeed ; and it is an example of the indifference of Britishers to the cultivation of languages. One can under- stand the value of even a little learning in such as Latin ; but with modern languages like French and German is it not aimless that boys should spend so much of their time struggling through phrases and verbs that, in the great majority of cases, prove abso- lutely useless to them unless their education in these branches is continued to a practical conclusion 1 ? If these languages are studied merely as a discipline for the mind, it would seem more sensible to adopt instead some subject that would prove more useful to the scholar in after life. PRO BONO PUBLICO.

KIPLING'S ' WHITE MAN'S BURDEN.' I shall be much obliged if any one will kindly inform me in which paper Mr. Kipling's poem ap- peared entitled 'The White Man's Burden,' and the date the paper was published. M.

" PER PRO." I was consulted the other day as to the proper use of this prefix in a double signature. I replied that it was not a single expression, but that the proxy's signature should come after per, and the principal's after pro. I added that I was ignorant of commercial practice, but that this was the only grammatical use of the words. Since then I have discovered from two independent sources that it is regarded as a single ex-

pression per procuratorem or per procura- tionem. But my father says that he always understood it as I did, and never heard any other explanation. Which is right? is pro a preposition or an abbreviation ? W. E. B.

[We have always understood pro to be an abbre- viation.]

' WAVERLEY.' In chap. xxix. Waverley novels, forty-eight-volume edition, 1860, also in the "Handy-Volume Edition," no date, there is an error, or a misprint, which pos- sessors of these editions may like to correct :

" Callum unbuttoned his coat, raised his left arm, and, with an emphatic nod, pointed to the hilt of a small dirk snugly deposited under it in the lining of his jacket. Waverley thought he had understood his meaning," &c.

In the "Border Edition" (one vol., 1898) the last words read, " Waverley thought he had misunderstood his meaning," which is un- doubtedly correct.

May I ask if your readers generally pro- nounce the baron's name Bradwardine or

Bradwardine ?

JONATHAN BOUCHIER.

ENGRAVING OF CHATHAM'S MONUMENT. I have a large engraving of Chatham's monu- ment in Westminster Abbey, by Valentine Green. Could any one tell me if it is scarce 1 ? I think from his catalogue it is the largest he ever engraved. It is not named in Smith's 'Mezzotint Engravers,' which mentions his smaller works. It is a very fine impression. W. E. HORWOOD.

THE DEATH-RATE IN DUBLIN. ' Whitaker's Almanack' for 1899 (p. 407), in the vital statistics of large cities, shows that the death-rate of Dublin (26'2) is higher than in any other city in the United Kingdom enormously higher than in London, Edin- burgh, Glasgow, or Manchester. Not only this, but it is also much higher than the death-rate of such insanitary places as Rome, Venice, Hamburg, and Munich, and actually falls not far short of the rate recorded in that white man's grave Calcutta. Can any satis- factory explanation be given of this remark- able fact ? Is it due to the moist climate- not moister, by the way, than that of Glas- gowor to municipal neglect, or what ?

CRITO.

MAXIMILIAN COULT. In the year 1602 Maximilian Coult (or Poul train) erected a monument in the church of St. John, Chester, the contract and design for which remain. He was a native of Arras, and between the years 1600 and 1620 erected many monuments" in London and elsewhere, amongst them that to Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey