Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 4.djvu/234

 306 NOTES AND QUERIES. [9" s. iv. OCT. M, -99. the fact that 1800 was not a leap year, the official birthday ought to be shifted forward another day to 5 June. An incidental ques- tion arises whether in cases other than those of royalty the birthday was passed along in this fashion, so as to make up for the omitted eleven days ; but the main point is the coincidence—previously, I believe, un- noted—that George III. and his grand- daughter Victoria, who alone among English monarchs reached the sixtieth year of their sovereignty, were born upon a similar date eighty-one years removed. That there may be no question raised upon the fact that 24 May was the actual date in the case of George III., I take the following account of his birth from the London Daily Post and General Advertiser of Thursday, 25 May, 1738:— " Yesterday, between the Hours of Six and Seven in the Morning her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales was happily delivered of a Prince, at Norfolk House in St. James's Square, the Archbishop of Canterbury being present." And in the London Gazette the event was thus announced :— " Whitehall. May 26.—On Wednesday lastat Half an Hour past Seven in the Morning, her Royal High- ness the Princess of Wales was safely delivered of a Prince, who was immediately christened by the name of George, which was occasioned by some dangerous Symptoms that appeared at first, though they are now happily over ; and the Princess likewise is in a very good way." Surely, in face of this official statement, the usual works of reference should correctly show George III. to have been born on 24 May and not 4 June. ALFRED F. ROBBINS. FOOT OUTLINES AS RECORDS OF A PILGRIM- AGE OR VISIT.—On the roof of the tower of Goudhurst Church, in Kent, numerous out- lines of men's and women's feet have been scratched on the lead. They are, for the most part, simply outlined by a plain line, but in a few instances by a narrow zigzag, such as would be produced by a bradawl pushed forward, whose right and left edges cut alternately. The inside of the outlines is in some examples partly filled by a series of lines representing the metal toe and heel caps or other structural markings of the sole. Some of the outlines have names or initials only as well as the date added, which in two cases is 1823, while the latest instance seems to be 1884. The custom of recording a visit to a place by means of a foot outline seems to be very widespread ; similar foot outlines may be seen in Egypt. There are several drawn on the sandstone pavement surrounding the small Temple of Amenhotep III. at El Kab, near Edfu ; two or three were uncovered on one qf the stones at the north-east gate of the town wall by Mr. Quibell in 1897-8. I have observed other foot outlines on the top of a small sandstone hill in the country between the Nile and the town of Kosser. The Egyptian examples seem to be com- paratively recent; at any rate, there is no evidence that they are of great antiquity or belong to the Ancient Egyptian period. The example at the north-east gate of El Kab affords no evidence as to its date. I forward these notes in the hope that other correspondents may be induced to give more information of a similar character, such as on the footprints of prophets and saints, and the legend that Muhammed's footprint may be seen on a stone in the mosque of Omr at Jerusalem, and that of his camel or donkey at Sinai. Notes on the models of footprints of Indian divinities in our museums would also be of interest. On the north side of the west door of Goudhurst Church are several deep scratches or cuts, as if tools had been sharpened upon the stones. Similar marks are found on all the ancient buildings in Egypt. They are attributed to the women, who consider that rubbing any building or object which is kafry, or belonging to the "infidels," is a charm against sterility. Is the. trace of any such idea to bo found in our own folk-lore ? The prevalence of such customs need not imply any real connexion other than the general similarity of primitive ideas. F. W. GREEN. SHEPHERDESS WALK. —In all likelihood when this note appears thelastcircumstantial. traces of my hypothesis will have been swept away. We are told on excellent authority that our legislature is invested with extra- ordinary powers which only stop short of sex conversion. It would seem, however, that the wiseacres of St. Leonard s, Shoreditch, are adepts in that miraculous art—at least, so far as applies to place-names. For if the inscrip- tion " Shepherd's Walk " cut into the archi- trave of the famous old Grecian Theatre, abutting on City Road, and now in process of demolition, is at all trustworthy, it looks as if some modern parish official has blundered. Moreover, it would seem as if succeeding members of that Progressive vestry, deter- mined to uphold the reputation of their pre- decessors' erring servant, have scattered their tin indicators of " Shepherdess Walk" all over this very unpleasing thoroughfare, with wearisome iteration and with seemingly brazen callousness to the truth. Whether