Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/321

 se s. VL om. 6, 1900.1 NOTES AND QUERIES. 263 additions and alterations, it may be connected with the folk-lore about the river Sambation. This is often sought, but rarely found. During the week it casts rocks up to the sky, but the roar of its waters ceases on the Sabbath. Beyond the river in this mystic country live the Red Jews. (Prof. Leo Wiener mentions some of the literature of the Sambation in his ‘History of Yiddish Literature.’) In the fifteenth century we hear of the Bene Israel living there, who say that they are the children of Moses: “They are pure as ang$als, and never transgress the law. From r. A. Neubauer’s interesting articles ‘ Where are the Ten Tribes 'I' whic appeared in the first volume of the Jewish Quarterly Review, we learn that it was believed that a part of the exiled Israelites were hidden by a cloud which descended upon them (pp. 20, 106). Yagel places the Rechabites, with part of the ten tribes, on the other side of the river Sambation (p. 406). The story of Zozimus bears internal evidence of having been freely treated by successive editors, and in places suggests a gatchwork made from different versions. he characteristics of the Rechabim, those sturdy protesters against the luxury of the Hebrews, are not very evident in the picture of these impossible dwellers in the Fortunate Isles. WILLIAM E. A. Axon. Moss Side. Manchester. ‘ DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY’: SUPPLEMENTARY CORRECTIONS. (See 6" S. xi. 105; ante, l65.) IN concluding my series of humble anno- tations upon the sixty-three volumes of that great work the ‘Dictlonar of National Bio- graphy,’ 1885-1900, I may he permitted a few words of needful explanation. Those anno- tations (which have, perhaps, received too much courtesy from the Editor of ‘ N. & gf) are not the result of an attempt to search or or parade new materials. They are nothin more than a reproduction of scattered memoranda of very varying value, the out- come of much unregulated reading, almost entirely confined to m own small collection of books. If s ace andy time had been at my command I could, indeed, have made one large set of additions. But my accumulation of notes relating to persons connected with the city of Hull and the East Riding of York- shire was too large to be used in this way. I lgave a solitary specimen, viz., E. H. Barker, ‘. & Q.,’ 6” S. xii. 443-5. I take this oppor- tunity of making some final and general criticisms, ' 'P The unevenness of treatment shows that the assistance of specialists in subjects and in districts shou d have been obtained throughout. All the natives of the county of A are included, because an enthusiastic collector for that county was on the staff ; county B is almost unrepresented, simpl because no such specialist was employedl The same remark is true also of subjects. If proofs had been sent to experts in local topography the many whimsica disguisings and hope ess misreadings of place-names with which the columns of the dictionary swarm would have been avoided. There should have been an editorial committee to add to every article precise genealogical and bibliographical details, which are perhaps the most valuable feature in the work, and yet are entirely neglected by some of the contributors. he writers of the biographies of scientific men have taken care that none but scientific men shall read them. Instead (e.g.) of the life of a chemist they give us a history of chemistry. Vol. I. P. 325 b, 1. 12. “First edition, 1702,” should be 1675. (See vol. lxii. p. 400 a.) P. 348 b, l. 7 from foot. For “ 1771, when ” read 1761 ; in 1771. (See vol. ii. p. 7 a.) P. 384 a. For “Somervile” read Somerville (liii. 256). P. 439 b. Under ‘James I.’ Mr. Gardiner says Queen Anne was a Roman Catholic Vol. II. P. 7 a, l. 10 from foot. His grandfather was Richard not James. (See p. 6 bi) P. 7 b. He was not created iscount Valentia in 1621 (see p. 4 a), and did not succeed to that title until 1642 (p. 5 a). P. 234 a, 1.12 from foot. The alppointment was by popular election, not by t e bishop. (xxix. 169, 175). Vol. III. P. 55 b, l. 8 from foot. For “ 1808 ” read 1828. P. 297, a. For “ Cosins” read Casin. Vol. IV. P. 109 a. The reference “ Plantagenet ” should be Jo/m. P. 109 b, l. 7 from foot. For “ 1741 ” read 1730. P. 142 b. For “ Forster” read Foster. P. 144 a. The heraldry is wrongly punctu- ated. P. 145 b. For “ Serbergham ” read Seberg- /Iam. P. 177 a, 1. 19 from foot. The year is omitted, ` ` _