428 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 131. 



Finch, or Stormy Petrel, the Procellaria pellagica 

 of Linnteus, in every part of the ocean, diving, 

 running on foot, or skimming over the highest 

 waves with the greatest ease. It seems to foresee 

 the coming storm long ere the seamen can discover 

 any signs of its approach ; and they make this 

 known by congregating together under the wake 

 of the vessel, as if to shelter themselves from it, 

 and they thus warn the mariner to guard against 

 the coming danger. At night they set up a pierc- 

 ing cry. This usefulness to the sailor is the obvious 

 cause of the latter having such an objection to their 

 being killed. I am unable to say who Mother 

 Carey was ; but I might venture a conjecture why 

 the bird who guards the seaman with such care 

 bears its familiar name. Unicorn. 



The name of "Mother Carey's Chickens" is said 

 to have been originally bestowed upon Stormy Pe- 

 trels by Captain Carteret's sailors, probably from 

 some celebrated ideal hag of that name. As these 

 birds are supposed to be seen only before stormy 

 weather, they are not welcome visitors. 



Wm. Yaekell. 



Burnomania (Vol. v., p. 127.). — Your corre- 

 spondent Elginensis has got the "Burnomania" 

 of Dr. William Peebles, the minister of Newton- 

 upon-Ayr, himself one of the minor poets of Scot- 

 land by virtue of his Crisis, or the Progress of 

 Revolutionary Principles, Edinburgh, 1803 and 

 1 804 ; and Poems, consisting of Odes and Elegies, 

 Glasgow, 1810 ; all in my collection. 



Like the transcendent powers of a living vocalist, 

 the genius of Burns could brook no rival, and for 

 a long period, notwithstanding the futile attempts 

 of the smaller poetical /ry to arrest its progress by 

 their Lilliputian shafts, the "Ayrshire Ploughman" 

 maintained a species of monopoly of the public 

 mind and attention. 



Dr. Peebles, as a candidate for poetical fame, no 

 doubt found this "Burnomania" sufficiently an- 

 noying ; he therefore put forth his puny arm, in 

 the publication alluded to by Elginensis, to stem 

 it, and, considering that the poetry of Burns was 

 then in the zenith of its popularity, we need not 

 add that the worthy Doctor's work proved but a 

 turf to the cataract, and is only now known as a 

 curiosity. 



I may however notice, that Dr. Peebles had a 

 deeper grudge than rivalry to settle with Burns, 

 the satirical poet having aimed at him in the 

 "Holy Fair" and the "Kirk's Alarm ;" and should 

 your correspondent seek to know more of the 

 author of his book, he will find him noticed in 

 Paterson's Contemporaries of Bums, Edinburgh, 

 1830. 



While upon the subject I may further note, that 

 among many other carpers at the "Burnomania" 

 was James Maxwell, better known as the " Poet 

 in Paisley," who attacked Burns and his friend 



Lapralk In a brochure, entitled '■^ Animadversions 

 on some Poets and Poetasters of the present Age, 



especially R 1 B s and J n L -k, 



with a Contrast of some of the former Age : Pais- 

 ley, Neilson, for the Author, 1788. In this curious 

 piece, which was unknown to Motherwell, — our 

 pair of poets, with all their patrons and friends, — 

 among whom Maxwell is shocked to find both 

 ministers and elders, — 



" For some of our clergy his poems esteem. 

 And some of our elders think no man like him," — 



all these, and such like, are severely censured by 

 the moral poet for admiring " this stupid block- 

 head," besides being menaced with a certain place, 

 to which their favourites are certainly doomed, 

 should they continue to support such arch-enemies 

 of the Kirk and order. How appropriate, then, is 

 the remark of the Rev. Hamilton Paul, one of 

 Burns' warmest admirers and editors, when, lump- 

 ing all these envious spirits together, he says, — 



" Some weak attempts have been made by narrow- 

 minded men to expose to ridicule this ' Burnomania," 

 as they term it ; but like self-love converted by the 

 plastic power of the poet into social affection, it is 

 spreading wider and wider every day." 

 " Friends' kindred, neighbour, first it doth embrace ; 

 Our country next, and next all human race." 



J. o. 



Cagots (Vol. iv., pp. 190. 331. 387.). — Theo- 

 PHYLACT will find an account of the Cagots in the 

 Magasin Pittoresque for 1838, where they are 

 stated to be descended from the Goths, their 

 name of Cagots being derived from caas Goth 

 (chien de Goth), which corresponds with the deri- 

 vation given by Scaliger. 



In Brittany they were known under the name 

 of Cacous and Caqueux : in Guienne and Gascony 

 under that of Cahets ; In Navarre, Caffos ; in the 

 mountains of Beam, &c., as Cagots or Capots. 



The same work for 1840 contains an account of 

 the Cretins; also noticed by Kohl in his Alpen- 

 Reisen (reviewed in Westminster Review, July, 

 1849). PniLir S. King. 



Chantreys Sleeping Children (Vol. II., pp. 70. 

 94.). — There is, in Ashbourne Church in Derby- 

 shire, a beautiful figure of a sleeping child by 

 Thomas Banks, R.A., from which it is generally 

 said that Chantrey took the idea of his celebrated 

 monument in Lichfield Cathedral. It is a tradition 

 in Ashbourne, that Chantrey drew the sketch for 

 his sleeping children at an inn In the place. Imme- 

 diately after having seen Banks' sculpture in the 

 parish church. The monument at Ashbourne is 

 to Penelope, daughter of Sir Brooke Boothby, 

 born April 11th, 1785, died Nov. 12th, 1791, and 

 on It there are inscriptions in four languages, 

 English, French, Latin, and Italian. The follow- 

 ino- description of it, taken from The History and 



