as entertaining. The volume is a goodly 12mo. of 

 269 pages, and its full title is as follows : — 



" The Law and Lawyers laid Open, in Twelve Visions. 

 To which is added, Plain Truth, in Three Dialogues be- 

 tween Truman, Skinall, Dryboots, three Attorneys, and 

 Season, a Bencher. London, 1737." 



It is dedicated to Lord Hardwicke, Chief Jus- 

 tice of the King's Bench, and the Visions carry 

 the author to the judgment-seat of Minos, ^acus, 

 and Ilhadamanthus, before whom are brought 

 lawyers of all degrees, and their deeds in the flesh 

 canvassed. Out of the thousands that appear, 

 comprehending judges, Serjeants, barristers, at- 

 tornies, solicitors, and bailitfs, the author shows 

 his charity by not recording the acquittal of more 

 than one attorney and two barristers ; a result 

 which leaves but little hope for us, the members 

 of the profession at the present day. 



Without discussing the fairness of his verdict, 

 it is evident that the author, in many of bis pic- 

 tures, has represented real portraits, though dis- 

 torted in the painting. My question therefore is, 

 whether any of your correspondents, who know 

 the book, can identify any of the persons ? and 

 tell who is the writer that thus defiles his own 

 nest ? Causibicus. 



HowelVs Familiar Letters ; Cabala, or Mysteries 

 of State ; Scrinia Sacra, a Supplement of the Ca- 

 bala. — Can any correspondent of " N. & Q." im- 

 part information respecting the authors, or rather 

 compilers, of these volumes, and suggest from 

 what sources the letters were derived ? S. M. S. 



Gipsey Surnames. — Permit me through your 

 pages to inquire whether the surnames adopted by 

 various gipsey clans have passed under Mr. 

 Lower's attention ? At p. 165. of Hoyland's work 

 on the gipsies, he states from reports received in 

 answer to his inquiries through various counties : 

 " The most common names among the gipsies are 

 Smith, Cooper, Draper, Taylor,' Bosswel, Lee, Lovell, 

 Loversedge, Allen, Mansfield, Glover, Williams, Carew, 

 Martin, Stanley, Buckley, Plunkett, Corrie." 



It seems an interesting inquiry how, and when, 

 these names, some of them associated with our 

 noble families, were adopted by this peculiar race. 

 It has been considered such originally designated 

 the various clans or bodies frequenting the estates 

 of individuals of these names. S. M. S. 



Madame de la Motte. — Madame de la Motte, 

 who was implicated in the " affaire du Collier," 

 lived for a long time in London, and was killed by 

 a fall out of a window in trying to escape an arrest 

 for debt. Can any of your readers inform me — 

 1. In what street she lived and died? 2. What 

 has become of her papers? 3. The titles of some 

 works giving particulars about her ? I have her 

 Memoires and her life written by herself. She 

 died Aug. 23, 1791. Henri van Laun. 



King William's College, 

 Isle of Man. 



General Vallanceys " Green Sook,^' oi 

 Historical Library. — In the Catalogue of ( 

 Vallancey's sale, after his death, this book 

 described : — 



" This curious and invaluable MS. contains an 

 of every book or tract that has been discovered rel 

 Ireland, printed or otherwise ; also a variety of m 

 ecclesiastical affairs, and the ancient records ; it 

 the General's handwriting, engaged him consta 

 eight years, and he was adding to it to the las 

 alphabetically arranged, and through it is a vast 

 Irish, where necessary. It is one of the most ■ 

 MSS. on Irish affairs extant." 



At the sale this work was bought by the 

 tary to the Commissioners of Public Reco: 

 the use of the Board, at an outlay of 11 

 Has it ever been printed ? 



Heir of John Saliol. — Blackstone, in hi 

 mentaries (vol. i. p. 208.), observes thai 

 James I. " united in his person every \ 

 claim by hereditary right to the English as 

 Scottish throne, being the heir both of Egbi 

 William the Conqueror." I apprehend this 

 down flxr too broadly; for, however true it 

 that James was the heir of William thi 

 queror, it would be hard to show that » 

 ancestor, Robert Bruce, had a better titl 

 John Baliol, Bruce's competitor for the S 

 throne, to be considered the heir of Egbert 

 any of your readers point out who would 

 titled to claim as Baliol's representative, 

 right of succession were an open questior 

 present day ? 



Siege of Basing House. — The following 

 ment occurs in Peters' Letter to the Pari 

 relating the taking of Basing House by 

 well. The letter is quoted in Sprigg's Ert 

 Recovery : — 



" But amopg those that were slain, one of their 

 lying on the ground, seeming so exceeding t 

 measured, and from his great toe to his crown \ 

 feet in length." 



E. F 



Tax on Advertisements. — In 1712 a ts 

 first imposed on advertisements : what \ 

 amount at that date, and when was it incre 

 3s. 6rf. ? Adve] 



What is Gooff — The word occurs in T) 

 Sickness, London, 1795. The constitution 

 given over by the regular practitioners, the 

 are called in : 



" While P. and W. trembling stand aloof, 

 Inflated Berke stands up with pills of goof 

 Pellets of dirty paper to the eye. 

 But certiu cures for all but those who die." 



A note says "goof," see Kampher. H 



Thomas Pike, Sheriff of London. — The 

 of St. Bartholomew in the City of London, 

 was pulled down to enlarge the avenues 



