2°a S. X. July 7. '60.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



19 



Submerged Bells (P' S. x. 204.; xi. 176. 

 274.) — The traditions of submerged bells, and, 

 in fact, of submerged churches, cloisters, and even 

 cities, is by no means an uncommon one._ Might 

 not the musical noises, which, at stated times, are 

 said to be heard over the places where the ill- 

 fated buildings and doomed towns went down,_ in 

 some instances proceed from those musical in- 

 habitants of the water, whether oysters or fishes, 

 whose vibrating seolus-harp-tones were observed 

 by Tennent in the lake near Batticaloa in Ceylon ? 

 If we accept of this hypothesis, many spectral 

 bell- and organ-sounds come within the limits of 

 probability. Put, that the supposed animal by 

 preference fixes upon under-water-ruins as most 

 congenial to its wants and tastes— that it is a kind 

 of antiquarian fish — and the hypothesis almost 

 becomes a certainty. I will not hint at the pos- 

 sibility of legends as the above having originated 

 in such a crustaceous or testaceous music as that 

 described by Tennent, because a supposition like 

 this would completely spoil the poetry of my late 

 inference. J. H. van Lennep. 



Zeyst, near Utrecht. 



The Judas Tree, Cercis siliquastrum (2°"^ S. 

 ix. 386. 414. 443.) — In reply to your correspon- 

 dent D.'s Query on this subject, I beg to inform 

 him that, during my residence in Somersetshire 

 some fifteen years ago, a very fine Judas tree 

 covered the whole south gable of the rectory 

 cottage at West Monkton, near Taunton. It 

 flowered in great profusion every spi-ing, and the 

 seeds, I think, generally ripened ; that they did so 

 occasionally I am certain, as I raised some plants 

 from seed. The colour of the blossom corre- 

 sponded with J. P. O.'s description, being a kind 

 of purplish pink. I do not remember ever having 

 seen, either in this country, in Italy, or in the 

 East, a tree of this kind bearing scarlet flowers. 

 The Cercis Canadensis, a kindred plant, may 

 perhaps do so ; but as I am not acquainted with 

 it I cannot say. 



I have somewhere seen it stated that the Eng- 

 lish specific name arises from a tradition that it 

 was a tree of this kind on which the traitor Judas 

 hanged himself ; and as it is a very common tree 

 in the Levant, this may be the case. C M. O. 



The Rev. John IIutton (2"** S. ix. 444.) was 

 educated at Sedbergh School, and became fellow 

 and tutor of S. John's College, Cambridge; B.A. 

 1763 ; M.A. 1766 ; Moderator and Taxor, 1769; 

 B.D. 1774. His family had pi'operty at Burton in 

 Kendal, co. Westmorland, and he was nominated 

 vicar before 1777 (see Nicolson and Burn, vol. i. 

 p. 236.). He died at Burton in August, 1806, set. 

 sixty-six. 



. I am not aware of the title, size, &c. of his 



Tour to the Cai'es in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 



I have in my possession a MS. " Treatise on the 



Etymology of Words in the English Language 

 derived from that of the Greek, divided into several 

 Classes according to their distinguishing Circum- 

 stances," by John Hutton, B.D. 4to. 



He was the friend and correspondent of the 

 Rev. Thomas Wilson, B.D., rector of Claughton, 

 and -Head Master of Clitheroe School, whose Life 

 and Miscellanies have been recently edited for the 

 Chetham Society ; but the editor did not consider 

 Mr. Hutton's letters of sufficient interest to merit 

 printing. P. R. R. 



Colonel Hooke (2°* S. ix. 466.) — Your cor- 

 respondent N. H. T., alluding to the signature 

 " Hoocke " in the Secret History, does not suffi- 

 ciently make allowance for errors of the press so 

 numerous at the period (1760) when that work 

 was printed. The title of the book is The Secret 

 History of Colonel Hooke's Negociations, §'c., and 

 although the signature to the letter to M. Chamil- 

 lard is printed " Hoocke," yet, in the body of the 

 work the name is spelt both ways, and in pages 

 69. 84, 85. 90. 95, and 96. the proper mode of 

 spelling is adopted — "Hooke." It appears that 

 this work was originally published in French, 

 and the translator, whoever he was, says : — 



"The extreme incorrectness of the French edition 

 which we were obliged to make use of, particularly with 

 regard to the proper names, will, we are persuaded, give 

 this translation a great advantage over the original in 

 the opinion of every reader, because we have attempted to 

 rectify those mistakes, and we hope we have succeeded 

 tolerably well in the attempt." 



I have been unable to meet with this French 

 edition. In the MS. work in the British Museum, 

 giving an account of Hooke's negotiations in 1705, 

 he always signs his name " Hooke," and the work 

 appears to have been revised by himself. 



The Roman Historian also signed his surname 

 only, — a common custom among the heads of old 

 families during the last and preceding century. 



Noel Hooke Robinson. 



Britain 1116 b.c. (2"* S. ix. 494.) — Thanks to 

 Mr. Buckton for his Note ; it tends to an eluci- 

 dation of my Query. Still, does it not suggest 

 itself that correlative evidence of the matter 

 quoted from Capgrave must have formerly ex- 

 isted ? It is not probable that such 'a careful 

 and learned man as Capgrave could have inserted 

 it in the midst of his chronologically arranged and 

 undisputed facts, without a conviction of its truth. 

 He does not even hint a doubt of its veracity. 



James Gilbert. 



John Wythers (2"'* S. ix. 388.)— The name on 

 the tombstone at Battle is Wy thine. A notice of 

 his life, with remarks on the difiiculty arising from 

 a presumed inaccuracy of description in the in- 

 scription will be found in Hastings Past and 

 Pi-esent, p. 185., and Appendix, pp. xliii.-iv. His 

 will may possibly be in the archives of the Bishop's 

 Court at Chichester. E. M. 



