2nd s. X. Oct. 13. '60.] 



KOTES AND QUERIES. 



291 



Baptismal Names. — Your former numbers 

 have recorded some remarkable instances in which 

 baptismal names, generally regarded as apper- 

 taining to the female sex, have been given to 

 males. With regard to the two names, Mary and 

 Joseph, I have noticed on the Continent an actual 

 exchange, " Mary " being assigned to the male 

 member of a family, "Joseph" to the female. 

 Can this be explained ? M. T. 



Cintra. 

 ' [In replying we must remark, in the firat place, that in 

 the Roman Catholic countries of southern Europe "Mary" 

 and "Joseph "being the names, respectively, of our Lord's 

 blessed Mother and of his reputed fathei", are, though of 

 course in different degrees, held in high honour, and on 

 that account are very commonlj' bestowed in baptism. 

 In the next place, our correspondent may possibly have 

 remarked that loth these names are sometimes borne by 

 two individuals of the same familj', yet not M'ithout a 

 diflference. Thus, suppose the case of a brother and sister. 

 The brother is Jose Maria (Joseph Mary), the sister is 

 Maria Jose (Mary Joseph), sex, in each instance, deter- 

 miniyig the precedence. There sometimes occurs a com- 

 bination of "Mary" and "John." Of this a distinguished 

 instance is afforded by a personage of not merely European 

 but world-wide celebrity; no other than the renowned 

 producer and vendor of the only double best genuine Eau 

 de Cologne, Jean Marie Farina.] 



GHOST IN THE TOWER. 



(2"* S. X. 145. 192. 236.) 



Up to a certain point there is a striking resem- 

 blance in the apparition recorded by Mr. Edmund 

 Lenthal Svvifte as having been witnessed by 

 himself in the Tower in the year 1817, and one 

 recorded in that curious volume, Footfalls on the 

 Soundartj of another World, a collection of au- 

 thenticated ghost stories by Mr. Robert Dale 

 Owen. It is to be found at p. 282. of the English 

 edition of the above-named work, and is entitled 

 *' Apparition of a Stranger." I will transcribe as 

 much of the story as will serve to show the like- 

 ness to Mr. Swifte's preternatural visitant : — 



" In March of the year 1854, the Baron de Gulden - 

 stubb^ was residing alone in apartments, at No. 23, Rue 

 St. Lazare, Paris. 



" On the 16th of that month, returning thither from an 

 evening party, after midnight, he retired to rest; but 

 finding himself unable to sleep, he lit a candle and be- 

 gan to read. Very soon his attention was drawn from 

 the book, b5' experiencing first one electric shock, then 

 another, until the sensation was eight or ten times re- 

 peated. This greatly surprised him, and eflfectually pre- 

 cluded all disposition to sleep : he rose, donned a'warm 

 dressing-gown, and lit a fire in the adjoining saloon. 

 Returning a few minutes afterwards, without a candle, he 

 observed, by light coming through the door of the saloon, 

 just before the chimney (which was situated in a corner 

 of the room, at the opposite diagonal from the entrance 

 door), what seemed like a dim column of greyish vapour, 

 slightly luminous. It attracted his attention for a mo- 

 ment; but deeming it merely some effect of reflected 



light from the lamps in the courtyard, he thought no 

 more of it, and re-entered the parlour. After a time, as 

 the fire burned badly, he returned to the bedchamber to 

 procure a faggot. This time the appearance in front of 

 the fireplace arrested his attention. It reached nearly to 

 the ceiling of the apartment, which was fully twelve feet 

 high. Its cofcur had changed from grej-- to blue, — that 

 shade of blue which shows itself when spirits of wine are 

 burned. It was also more distinctly marked, and some- 

 what more luminous than at first. As the baron gazed 

 at it, there gradually grew into sight, within it, the figure 

 of a man. The outlines at first were vague, and the 

 colour blue, like the column, only of a darker shade. The 

 baron looked upon it as an hallucination, but continued 

 to examine it steadily from a distance of some thirteen or 

 fourteen feet. Graduallj', the outlines of the figure be- 

 came marked, the features began to assume exact form, 

 and the whole to take the colours of the human flesh and 

 dress. Finally, there stood within the column, and reach- 

 ing about half way to the top, the figure of a tall, portly 

 old man, with a fresh colour, blue ej'es, snow-white hair, 

 thin Avhite whiskers, but without beard or moustache . . . 

 He appeared to lean on a heavy white cane. After a few 

 minutes, the figure detached itself from the column, and 

 advanced, seeming to float slowly through the room . . . 

 It returned to the fireplace. After facing the baron, it 

 remained stationary there. Bj' slow degi-ees, the outlines 

 lost their distinctness ; and as the figure faded, the blue 

 column gradually reformed itself, inclosing it as before. 

 This time, however, it was much more luminous, the light 

 being sufficient to enable the baron to distinguish small 

 print, as he ascertained by picking up a Bible that lay 

 on his dressing table, and reading a verse or two. He 

 showed me the copy ; it was in minion type. Very gra- 

 duallj' the light faded, seeming to flicker up at intervals, 

 like a lamp dying out." 



For the remainder of this remarkable story, 

 which was related to the author by the Baron de 

 Guldenstubbe himself, I must refer the reader to 

 Mr. Owen's book. Its marked resemblance, in. 

 some respects, to Me. Swifte's narrative, induced 

 me to " make a note of it." 



John Pavin Phillips. 



Haverfordwest. • 



Until now I have been very sceptical in 

 matters of this kind, but I must confess this 

 strange account by Mr. Swifte has impressed me 

 with considerable interest. It was too circum- 

 stantial to attribute the appearance to optical de- 

 lusion, and the depth of the window recesses, and 

 the closed dark cloth curtains, forbid the possi- 

 bility of the action of a magic lantern or phan- 

 tasmagoria. Will Mr. Swifte oblige me, and 

 through me several interested friends, with farther 

 information ? 



1st. Was Mr. Swifte's son old enough to 

 understand the vision, or to be impressed by the 

 circumstance ? 



2nd. What was the impression of the sister-in- 

 law respecting the affair, as evidenced by the 

 horror and expressions of Mr. and Mrs. Swifte ? 



3rd. How did the phantom disappear, and did 

 it assume any other form ? 



It must truly have made a profound impression 



