2"« S. No 33„ Aug. 16. '56.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



125 



This note is extracted from a letter by Nicolaus 

 Triibner on Central American archaeology, in The 

 Athenmum of Saturday, May 31, 1856 (p. 684,). 

 The Quiche migrated to Guatemala, and founded 

 their state about the twelfth century ; if they 

 came from Mexico, it is likely this legend came 

 thence. The holy city of Tula, in Mexico, was 

 founded 558 a. d. If this is the farthest back 

 point ascertainable, then we may suppose that at 

 the beginning of the Christian era the custom of 

 smoking tobacco, and using it in the shape of the 

 cigar, was common ; and had been perhaps known 

 and used time immemorial. If this be too great 

 an assumption, at the building of Mexico in 1141 

 A.D. this was true ; and it certainly was so in 1200 

 A.D., when the Quiche founded their empire. In 

 any case, this, even the last date, is the farthest 

 back-period to which this custom can be traced 

 as yet. And this note is well worth preservation, 

 as an addition to the existing stock in " N. & Q." 

 Mr. Triibner says of the Chronicle, that the 

 legends are the work of Indian priests ; and are, 

 upon the whole, to be looked upon as genuine. 

 If the mixture of astronomy with the Brahmanical 

 religion, and of the compass with that of China, 

 be considered the most undeniable proofs of the 

 very remote period at which the study of astro- 

 nomy was first begun in India, and of that at 

 which the polarity of the magnetic needle was 

 first discovered in China, the existence of this 

 tobacco-legend in the sacred books of the Central 

 American Indians must impress on us the very 

 remote period at which this "Indian weed" was 

 first gathered and consumed by the American 

 tribes. C. D. L. 



ILIiUStEATIONS OF MACAULAT. 



Prince of Orange^ Circular. — The following 



are extracted from the Wells Records, and may 



prove of some interest to the readers of " N. & 



Q.," in further illustration of Macaulay. Ina. 



" Wells Civitas she Surgus. 



" Convocaco. generalii tent' undecimo die Januarii, 

 1688. 



« Mr. Nicholas Paynter, Mayor. 

 Mr. Coward, Recorder. 

 Mr. Salmon, Justice. 

 Mr. Jno Davis. 

 Mr. Rob'tus Thomas. 

 Mr. Watts. 

 Mr. jMerefield. 

 Mr. Broadbeard. 

 Mr. Jeale. 

 Mr. Hole. 

 Mr. Cooke. 

 Mr. Baron. 

 Mr. Phil. Evans. 

 Mr. Cupper. 

 Mr. Hill. 



Mr. Nich= Thomas. 

 Mr. Brown, } „ . „ 

 Mr.Hippisley,]*^""*'"'^^''-: 



" This day Mr. Mayor produced a letter by him re- 

 ceived from His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange, 

 directing the choosing (according to antient custom) two 

 sufficient Burgesses of the City to represent the same at 

 the general Convocation to be held at Westminster the 

 22nd instant (which letter being publiquely read), This 

 Convocation in obedience thereto proceeded to an elec- 

 tion, and accordingly elected Edward Berkeley and 

 Thomas Wj'ndham, Esquires, two of the discreetest Bur- 

 gesses of this said City, to represent this City at the said 

 Convocation. 



"A true Coppij of the Circular Letter from the Prince 

 of Orange. 



"Whereas the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, the 

 Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses heretofore Members of 

 the Commons House of Parliament during the reigne of 

 King Charles the Second, residing in and about the Citty 

 of London, together with the Aldermen and divers of the 

 Comon Councill of the said Citty, at this extraordinary 

 juncture, at ourTequest severally assembled to advise Us 

 the best manner how to attain the ends of our Declaration 

 in calling a free Parliament for the preservation of the 

 Protestant religion, and restoring the rights and liberties 

 of the Kingdom, and settling the same, that they may 

 not be in danger of being again subverted; — Have ad- 

 vised and desired us to cause our letters to be written 

 and directed for the Counties, to the Coroners of the re- 

 spective Counties or any one of them, And in default of 

 the Coroners, to any one of the Clerks of the Peace of the 

 respective Counties ; And for the Universities, to the 

 respective Vice-Chancellors ; And for the Citties, Bo- 

 roughs, and Cinque Ports, to the chief Magistrate of such 

 Citty, Borough, or Cinque Port, conteyninge directions 

 for the choosing, in all such Counties, Citties, Universi- 

 ties, Boroughs, and Cinque Ports within ten days after 

 the said respective Letters, such a number of persons to 

 represent them as from every such place is or are of right 

 to be sent to Parliament, of which election, and the time 

 and place thereof, the respective officers shall give notice : 

 The Notice for the intended election for the Counties to 

 be published in the Markett Towns within the respective 

 Counties by the space of five days at the least before the 

 said election ; And for the Universities, Citties, Boroughs, 

 and Cinque Ports, in every of them respectivel}', by the 

 space of three days at the least before the said election : 

 The said letters and the execution thereof to be returned 

 by such officer or officers who shall execute the same to 

 the Clerk of the Crown in the Court of Chancery, so as 

 the person so to be chosen may meet and sit at Westmin- 

 ster on the 22nd day of January next. 



" We, heartily desiring the performance of what we 

 have in our said Declaration represented, in pursuance of 

 the said advice and desire have caused this our Letter to 

 be written to you, to the intent that you truly and right- 

 fully, without favour or affection to any person or indirect 

 practice or proceeding, do and execute what of your part 

 ought to be done, according to the said advice, for the 

 due execution thereof; — The elections to be made by 

 such persons only as, according to the antient laws and 

 customs, of right ought to choose Members for Parliament. 

 And that you cause a Return to be made by Certificate 

 under your seal of the names of the persons elected, an- 

 nexed to this our Letter, to the said Clerk of the Crown 

 before the 22nd day of January. 



" Given at St. James's, the 29th day of December, 1688, 

 « Will" Okangb. 



" To the Chief Magistrate or such others 

 of the Citty of Wells, in the County of 

 Soinerset, who have right to make re- 

 turns of Members to serve in Pailla- 



