Mar. 6. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



235 



Old Scots March (Vol. v., p. 104.). — The fol- 

 lowing quotation from a "Dissertation on Scottish 

 Music," by Mr. Tytler, of Woodhouselee (ihe 

 grandfather of the historian), contained in the 

 Transactions of the Society of Scottish Antiquaries, 

 vol. i. p. 486., although not an answer to his 

 Query, may perhaps prove interesting to J. M. : — 



" To the wandering harpers we are certainly in- 

 debted for that species of music which is now scarcely 

 known, I mean the Port. Almost every <;reat familv 

 had a Port that went by the name of the family. Of 

 the few that are still preserved are. Port Lennox, Port 

 Gordon, Port Seton, and Port Atho'e, whicli are all of 

 them excellent in their kind. The Port is not of the 

 martial strain of the march, as some have conjectured ; 

 those above named being all in the plaintive strain, and 

 modulated for the harp. 



" The pibroch, the march or battle-tune of the 

 Highland chins, with the different strains introduced of 

 the coronich, &c., is fitted for the bagpipe only . its 

 measure, in thepas grave of the Highland piper, equipped 

 with his flag and military ensigns, when marching up 

 to battle, is stately and animating, rising often to a 

 degree of fury," 



Although anxious to do so, I have never yet 

 been able to meet with any of the ports here re- 

 ferred to. E. N. 



Elizabeth, Equestrian Figure of (Vol. iv., 

 p. 231.). — The " unnatural gait" which Mr. Law- 

 rence inquires about, is known in Spain as the 

 "paso Castiliano;" and supplies the place of the 

 more familiar trot, which the Spanish horses are 

 rarely broken into. 



I did not see the piece of plate alluded to, but 

 probably the horse was a Spanish (Andalusian) 

 jennet, which would account for the peculiarity of 

 the pace. I cannot explain how this step is taught, 

 but Spanish horses fall into it at once on being 

 touched with the spur, and simultaneously curbed; 

 and they perform long journeys thus, at the rate 

 of five miles an hour, with little fatigue to them- 

 selves or their riders. Does not the dromedary 

 abo pace in the same way ? G. W. T. 



Meaning of Stickle (Vol. iv., p. 209.). — Mr. 

 Helton's supposition that the word stickle is used 

 for a pool, is at variance with the common usage 

 of the word in Devonshire, where only I have met 

 with it. It is there used to describe the shallow 

 swift running water immediately below a pool. 

 It is thus equivalent to the word rapids. It is by 

 no means obsolete, or a mere technical term of 

 the "patient anglers." The oppositi(m in the line 

 quoted, " Near to some stickle or deep bay," would 

 alone have been a good reason to doubt whether 

 it could be the same as pool. G. W. T. 



Latin Names of Towns (Vol. i., pp. 287. 402. 474 ). 

 — There is a class of persons who ought to be con- 

 tributors to *? (I like the idea of a recent corre- 



spondent better than " N. & Q." with its marks of 

 quotation) to a much larger extent than is the 

 case. I mean those who having asked questions, 

 and pi'ofited by the answer, find additional answer, 

 or better answer, by their subsequent researches. 

 As one of these, in reference to my Query about 

 Latin names of towns in Vol. i., I mention the list 

 given in lliccioli's Geographia et Hydrographia 

 Ttefonnntas, of which the first edition was licensed 

 in 1658 (I don't know where it was printed), and 

 the record is of Venice, folio, 1672. This work 

 contains, from more than 250 authors whose names 

 are given, more than 8500 Latin names re-ndered 

 into vernacular, and a much larger number re- 

 versely given. M. 



Llandudno, on the Great Orme's Head (Vol. v., 

 p. 175.). — L. G. T. will find, in Wanderings in 

 North Wales, by William Cathrall, published by 

 W. S. Orr and Co., the following answer to his 

 Query : — 



" There are several copper mines conducted here 

 with great success. In October, 1849, the miners in 

 the course of their labours, broke into an immense 

 cavern, the roof of which, being one mass of stalactite, 

 retlected back their lights with dazzling splendour. 

 On examination the work turned out to be an ancient 

 work, probably Roman, the benches, stone hammers, &c., 

 used by that ancient people, having been found entire, 

 together with many bones of mutton. The bones 

 were to all appearance as fresh, though impregnated 

 with copper, as they were when denuded of their fleshy 

 covering, after remaining, as they must have done, 

 nearly 2003 years in the bowels of the earth. The 

 cavern is about forty yards long." 

 The date of the cavern is, therefore, long anterior 

 to the Catholic times. Wm. Dorkant Cooper. 



Brozier (Vol, ii., p. 44.). — An Essex clergy- 

 man, who agrees with Mr. Gatty in deriving the 

 word from the Greek verb BpoitrKco, to devour, or 

 eat like a beast, observes, that we still describe 

 that act when we speak of " the browsing cattle." 

 He also mentions that when he was at Westmin- 

 ster, the word was there used in the same sense as 

 at Eton, and he well recollects one of his school- 

 fellows broziered to such an extent that his life 

 was despaired of. Braybrooke. 



Passage in Troilus and Cressida (Vol. v., p. 178.). 

 — In reply to your correspondent W. S. D. I have 

 only to say, that my folio of 1632, with early 

 manuscript emendations, does not contain any 

 alteration of the line in Troilus and Cressida, 

 Act L Sc. 3. : 



" Peaceful commerce from dividable shores;" 

 which seems to me quite intelligible without any 

 change. In the next line it reads "primogeniture" 

 for " pr'imogenUive,'" and as I apprehend rightly, 

 the concluding syllable live having been caught 

 by the compositor from " prerogative," the first 

 word in the line immediately below it. 



