Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/175

 g»B. vi. AUG. 25,1900.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 141 LONDON, SATVRDAr, AUGUST «. 1900. CONTENTS. —No. 139. ROTES:—A Swiss Eifle Club, HI—Catalogues of English Book Sales, 142 — Shakespeare's Books, 144 — Modern Zodiacs, 145 — Longest English Words — Pagination — Psalm dlx. 6-13, 147—Origin of the Laager—Ilmlnster and Ilchester—Rifle Ranges, 148. QUERIES :-Longworth t>. Yelverton — Negro Nicknames, 146—Rev. H. Howe— " Domlnabus "—" Loviot"—Adam— Akera — Chartulary of Friston —J. G. Nichols-Donald Walker—Marshal Brune — Thackeray's Contributions to • Punch,' 149-Croes Enydd—Mitres—Plantagenet Chair— 8t. Christopher—Valance—Joseph Inchbald, 150—Authors of Books —Margery —Argyle and Montrose — Cardinal Newman—Richard Savage, 151. REPLIES:—May Road Well, Accrington, 151-Sir Oliver Cromwell — Watch Candle — " Pastophoria " — Crypto- graphy— Edgett, 153 — "Chink"—Hulsh—Twyford Yew Tree — " Pineapple " — Shakespeare and Cicero, 154 — Largest First Issue of a Book—Lamb Family—Midwives' Epitaphs — Horse Equipment —Samuel Clarke, M.P.— "Traffic" —"Blenkard," 155—Defoe—• Tom Bowling'— Catalogue of First Book Auction, 158 —" Nimmet "—Simon Fraser—Daniel Quare — Woore — 'John Bull,' 157 —In- fectious Disease among Cattle, 158. NOTES Off BOOKS:—Matthews's 'Cardiff Records' — Watt's ' Aberdeen and Banff'—' Folk-Lore.' Notices to Correspondents. ftolw. A SWISS RIFLE CLUB. ON 26 May last I happened to be a •witness of the annual celebration of the fete of one of the numerous rifle clubs which every canton of Switzerland possesses. The question of the institution of village rifle clubs in England is one that has recently assumed considerable prominence, and a short account of the one dealt with may therefore possess some interest. The Swiss, like the wise people they are, are well aware that no public movement has much chance of success unless the sympathy and support of the more influential sex are enlisted in its favour, and it may be useful for the pro- moters of these institutions to know that the presence of the female element added greatly to the interest of the celebration. From a professional point of view it seemed to me that a man did not shoot the worse because a picturesque girl took an interest in his proceedings. The society in question, which is known as " L'Abbaye des Echarpes Blanches," is one of .the oldest in Switzerland, having been founded on 27 March, 1626. The district oi Vaud was then under the authority of Berne, and amongst the original registers and pro- tocols of the society is the requisition sub- mitted to their Excellencies the Seigneurie for permission to establish a shooting club, as we should call it nowadays, coupled with the promise to behave "en toutte vertu, civilite, et temperence." The Seigneurie gave the required permission to its "chers et feaux sujets " to establish among themselves an association and fraternity under the title which it bears to the present day, " ne ten- dant a autre but que d'apprendre a manier es armes et s'exercer en 1 exercice militaire." A humble request to be allowed to make up a new flag, "vue que celle de Chillon est mtierement gatee, comme leur magnifique Seigneur Baillif en attestera," was also jranted, with the stipulation that the Avoyer and Town Council of Berne reserved to themselves, "quantes que 1'occasion le requerra et bon nous semblera," the right to augment, diminish, alter, or entirely revoke the concession and the regulations under which it was worked. Some of. these regulations, which are entitled " Etablissemeut et projet articulaire de 1'ordre et police des confreres de 1'Abbaye des Echarpes Blanches de Monstruz et Chastellaro," are worth quoting, as indi- cating the orderly spirit in which these institutions were conducted nearly three centuries ago. The most important are given below :— "Art. 5.—Chaque Confrere se pourvoira d'une Echarpe blanche, de Mousquet, et de Fourniments de Gibe, et de Guerre: Qu'il leur soit permis de s'assembler, s'exercer aux Armes, et promener parmi la paroisse, avec leur Enseigne, a chaque dernier Dimanche d'Avril, auz fins qu'i la Dimanche s^cutive, qu'on tire le Boy," Iceux soient mieux prepares, a lui faire 1'honneur et exercice ordinaire. "Art. 6.—Us pourront et devront faire telle Assembled, non pas seulement une foia I'anne'e au jour ey-dessua mentionn<5, mais le plus souvent que faire se ppurra toujours avec permiasion du Seigneur Baillif, et ce non pour faire des parades,, mais pour a'exercer et dresser au maniement dea Armes, et en 1'exercice militaire, & la fagon ot maniere du Pays Baa, sous 1'adresse et instruction d'un president, et gens a ce capables et entendus ; ne faiaant point de difficult^, d'admettre a tela exercices, ceux qui y auront 1 affection et le deair de s'exercer aveo eux, et les en requerraut encore qu'ils ne fussent du norabre des Confreres pour n'avoir le moyen de contribuer, sans touttes foia participer au reate de 1'Ordre de la ditte Confrairie. " Art. 8.—Celui qui d^mentira, frappera, mc'i iri • aera ou injuriera son Confrere en rAssemble'e, payera pour chaqu'un des dits Vices, et a chaque Fois, six sols. " Art. 9.—Et celui qui outre ce, aera trouvfS des- honn@te en son devis, exercices d'Armes, gestes, emportements, et fa^on de faire, sera chatie par argent, eelon son merite, sana le prejudice d'autruy-