26 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



C2nd S. X. JULT 14. '60. 



will befall them. ll seems to be a species of worship to 

 the spirit of the mountain, and they say the custom is 

 very ancient. I stopped to see if mj' coolies observed 

 the tradition, and lo, each one as he passed stooped down, 

 and picked up a stone, and threw it on." — P. 218. 



s. s. s. 



French Puzzles. — A mother gives hei* child 

 a cup of tea to cure a cough. She then, in the 

 following words, inquires if the tea has produced 

 the desired effect. Of course the child is tutoye: — 



" Ton the t'a-t-il ote ta toux ?." 

 • I have never yet found a person, however pro- 

 ficient in the French language, who, hearing this 

 for the first time rapidly pronounced, could tell 

 the meaning. 



In consequence of final consonants being gene- 

 rally not pronounced, the French language has 

 more words than any other which, being spelt dif- 

 ferently, are alike in sound : thus affording great 

 scope for the lover of calembourgs, or puns. For 

 instance : — 



Sain, sound. 



Saint, holy. 



Sein, bosom. 



Ceint, girt. 



Seing, seal or signature. 



Cinq, five. 



Sin, one of the Arabic letters. 

 And I suspect there is another, but it does not 

 at present occur to me. Thus again, the sound of 

 Say, a proper name, is identical or nearly so with 

 that of many words of different meaning. The 

 following may exemplify this, though it is not ele- 

 gant French : — 



" Je sais que c'est sur ces sept sales que Say 

 Cessait ses essais." 



These are trifles, but — 



" Dulce est desipere in loco." 



John Williams. 



Arno's Court. 



Population of our Chief Cities and Towns 



AT THE LATTER PaRT OF THE 18tH CeNTCRT.^ 



In The General Evening Post of March 20, 1781, 

 the following is given as the 



" Nuiriber of Houses in certain Towns, laid before the 

 House of Commons by the Tax Office, by Order of the 

 House, viz. : 

 " Exeter, 1474 ; Norwich, 2302 ; Cambridge, 1925 ; 

 Plymouth, 1510; Lynn, 602; Oxford, 2316; York, 2285; 

 Yarmouth, G82 ; Ipswich, 1246; Hull, 1370; Newcastle, 

 2239; Dover, 1193; Sheffield, 2022 ; Bristol, 3947 ; Not- 

 tingham, 1583; Liverpool, 3974; Bath, 1173; North- 

 ampton, 706; Manchester, 2519; Birmingham, 2291; 

 Shrewsbury, 904." 



This statement, having been laid at the time 

 before the House of Commons, must be presumed 

 to be correct ; and on that account is worth re- 

 newed pVeservation in the pages of " N. & Q." 

 . A return of the increase in each city and town 

 to the present time, would, no doubt, form a 



striking memorandum ; not only as to population, 

 but in regard to the increase of our national 

 prosperity. Y. S. 



NISBET'S CiESAR'S DIALOGUE: GOD AND 

 THE KING. 



Amongst the very many curious books whicli 

 belonged to the late Principal Lee, and wliich 

 were sold by Mr. Thomas Nisbet last winter, was 

 a little volume containing three separate works, 

 viz. : — 



1. " Manuductions to the Pallace of Trueth, by F. B. 

 Observant, Mackline, 1610." 



2. " Caesar's Dialogue, or a Familiar Communication 

 containing the first institution of a Subject in Allegiance 

 to his Soveraigne. London, Purfoot, 1601." Black letter, 

 with beautiful portraiture of Elizabeth cut in wood on 

 back of title. 



3. " God and the King, or a Dialogue shewing that 

 our Soveraigne Lord King James being immediate under 

 God within his Dominions doth rightfully claim what- 

 soever is required by the Oath of Allegiance. Cambridge, 

 imprinted by his Majesties speciall privilege and com- 

 mand, 1616." Black letter. 



It is in reference to the second work that I am 

 anxious for information, for the address to "all 

 sound members of that bodie whereof her sacred 

 Majestic is supreme head," Is subscribed " E. N.," 

 and has been filled up in an old hand Nisbet. 



On the boards of the volume is written in pale 

 ink "R. Nesbit, May 1, 1649." Below, in a some- 

 what darker ink, a sort of pedigree occurs : — 

 " Sir Patrick Nisbet, Lord Eastbank. 



Robert Nisbet. 



ReyJ John Nisbet or Nesbit, 1660. 



D' Robert Nesbitt vel Nisbet, M.D., 1700. 



John Nisbitt, Barister, 1732-3. 



James Nisbit vel Nisbet, 1778." 



Then follows this notandum : — 



" The pedigree of my family for 6 generations, whose 

 portraits are in possession of the writer hereof. 



" J. Nisbet, 1794." 



There are several curious matters connected 

 with this genealogy, 1. As to the writer of Cce- 

 sar's Dialogue. The insertion of the name of 

 Nisbet as author in an old hand, connected as it 

 is with the fact of the book having belonged to 

 a family of that name, affords a reasooable pre- 

 sumption of the correctness of the assertion. 2. 

 -Lord Eastbank, a paper lord, as the Scotch used to 

 call their judges, was the father of the celebrated 

 Sir John Nisbet of Dirleton, whose Doubts on the 

 law of Scotland are deservedly held, even at this 

 date, In great estimation. Now was Robert Nis- 

 bet a brother of Sir John's ? The MS. pedigree 

 would indicate he was. 3. The spelling of the 

 naine shows, if farther proof were requisite, that 

 there was not any fixed rule, and that the names 

 of persons might be spelt differently In the same 

 document. 4. What has become of the " por« 



