May 1. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



429 



Topography of Ashbourne, may be acceptable to 

 some of your readers, who may compare it with 

 their recollections of Chantrey's figures : — 



" It represents a child of delicate and amiable fea- 

 tures, who has long suffered from slow and incurable 

 disease, lightly, but rather carelessly, reclining on fier 

 right side. Tfie position of the meek and lovely suf- 

 ferer shows that she has just assumed it in order to 

 seek temporary relief from pain, or from the weariness 

 that a protracted repose, even on the softest materials, 

 eventually causes. The little patient is extended, in 

 the position just described, on a marble mattress and 

 pillow, to which the hand of the sculptor has commu- 

 nicated the apparent texture of the softest down. The 

 expression of the countenance is slightly indicative of 

 pain, felt even in the intervals of slumber ; and the 

 little hands, lifted towards the countenance, plainly 

 show that the sufferer has so placed them, in order that 

 they and the arms may be in some measure a support 

 to the body, and relieve it from the aching tenderness 

 caused by long contact with the couch on which it 

 rests. Around the head is hound, in loose folds, a 

 handkerchief, which allows the artist greater scope to 

 exhibit the child's features. The body-costume is a 

 low-fronted frock with short sleeves, most gracefully 

 sculptured. The whole of the drapery is in the most 

 finished style, and the ease and softness of the folds are 

 an admirable proof of the delicate chiselling of the 

 artist. He has shown his natural and pure taste in 

 the manner in which he has placed the feet. The 

 entire position of the figure is faultless ; and it repre- 

 sents, with refined fidelity to nature, the female infant 

 form, patiently and slowly perishing beneath the steady 

 undermining progress of irresistible decay." 



W. Feaser. 



Arkwright (Vol. v., p. 3-20.), — This surname 

 Would originally denote the fabricator of such arks, 

 or large chests made of strong oaken planks, as are 

 still to be found under that name in most old 

 farmhouses, at least in this neighbourhood, where 

 they are chiefly used for storing meal or flour. 

 The fact of our translators of the Bible having 

 called the sacred chest in the Holy of Holies by 

 this term seems to point to a more general use of 

 the word in their days than at present obtains. 

 Mr. Hunter {Hallamsh. Gloss., p. 5.) says that the 

 strong boxes in which the Jews kept their valu- 

 ables were anciently called their arks (archas), 

 and that the word is so found in the Foedera, 

 45 Hen. HI. It occurs twice in the Church 

 Accounts of this parish. 



♦' 1527. Minatus e. pd. Willmus browne archas et 

 cistas difFrigere. 

 1744. pd. Wm. Yates for setting up ark." 



Cf. also Lower's Eng. Surnames, 2nd ed., p. 92. ; 

 and the Latin area, a chest, coffer, or box. 



J. Eastwood. 

 Ecclesfield, Sheffield. 



It is rather curious that the word wright for 

 carpmter is still commonly used in Scotland, but 



that Sievewright is the only surname in which it 

 appears in that country ; while in England it is 

 found in several, although the word itself is there 

 obsolete, unless it is still to be found in the 

 northern counties. C. E. D. 



Pilgrimages to the Holif Land (Vol. v., pp. 289, 

 290.). — Seeing a notice in " N. & Q." of Breyden- 

 bach's Opv^ Transmarinum, and a suggestion of 

 Dr. Kitto that this work was written by Felix 

 Faber, I am induced to call attention to another 

 work written by the latter, which is still extant in 

 his own MS., in the library at Ulm, bearing the 

 following title : Fratris Felicis Fabri Evagatorium, 

 in Terrce Sanctce, Arabice et JEJgypti Peregrina- 

 tionem, and which was printed for the first time 

 for the Literarische Verein at Stuttgart, a society 

 established there about ten years since, with objects 

 somewhat similar to our Camden Society. This 

 was one of its earliest publications, and as the 

 number of copies printed was very small, the 

 volumes are now rarely to be met with. The 

 author informs his brethren of the monastery of 

 Ulm, for whose especial benefit he professes to 

 have written his book, that he composed it soon 

 after his return from his second journey, the inter- 

 val between the first and second journey having 

 been occupied in reading and making notes from 

 all the existing books on the same subject which 

 he could meet with (it is to be regretted that he 

 has not given us a list of these), " de quibus om- 

 nibus," he adds, " tuli quidquid deserviebat pro- 

 posito meo, ex qua collectura grande volumen 

 comportavi." With this collection of notes he 

 appears to have set forth on his second expedition, 

 " quia post hcec omnia in multis dubius remansi et 

 iTwertus, quia mtdta legeram et pauca videram." 

 Traversing Jerusalem, Arabia, and .^gypt, " con- 

 ferens ea, qua prius legeram et collegeram ad ipsa 

 loca, et concordantias sanctarum scripturarum cum 

 locis, et loca cum scripturis quantum potui, investigavi 

 et signavi. Inter hac nonnunquam de locis Sanctis 

 etiam, in quibus nonfui, exactam diligentiam feci, ut 

 earum dispositionem conscriberem, sed non nisi illo 

 addito : ibi nonfui, sed auditu aut lectione didici." 

 [The MS. is dated 1484.] F. N". 



"Merchant Adventurers" (Vol. v., p. 276.). — 

 C. I. P. will find an account in Mortimer under 

 the head " Of Commerce," &c., vol. ii. p. 164. ei 

 seq. It refers to Cabot's scheme, as also Chancel- 

 lor's : the first charter of incorporation was granted 

 2 Phil. & Ma. (Feb. 6, 1554) by the name of 

 " The Merchants Adventurers for the Discoveries 

 of Lands, Countries, Isles, &c. not before known 

 or frequented by the English," &c. In the year 

 1560, 2 Eliz., her charter confirmed all former 

 charters and privileges to " the Company of Mer- 

 chant Adventurers of England," and likewise 

 granted them two ample charters, one in the sixth, 

 the other in the twenty-eighth of her reign. In 



