112 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[Aug. 11. 1855. 



trough, and then soaks it in a solution of cyanide of potas- 

 sium of 2 per cent., or hyposulphite of soda of 50 per cent. 

 As soon as all the iodide of silver, -which has not been 

 acted on by the light, is dissolved, it is carefully washed 

 ■with plenty of water. It is then dried bj' stretching it 

 with a pin at each of the four corners upon a piece of 

 cardboard, and afterwards varnished. The negatives can 

 be preserved between sheets of blotting-paper. M. Festeau 

 stated that the softness and finish of the pictures ob- 

 tained in this way is admirable, that they are quite as 

 quick as collodion, and that whilst the collodion is very 

 apt to become detached from the glass during the wash- 

 ing, on the waxed paper it will stand a considerable 

 washing without any alteration. 



^splits ta Minax dhutvitS. 



Lord Byron and the Hippopotamus (Vol. xii., 

 p. 28.). — Will Mr. Warden be kind enough to 

 inform me where I can find the Journal of the 

 late Lord Byron, in which he mentions his having 

 seen an " Hippopotamus at Exeter Change in 

 1813?" 



Supposing Mr. Warden's statement to be cor- 

 rect, 1 have reason to think that Lord Byron 

 wrote by mistake " Hippopotamus " for " Bonas- 

 sus." And I shall be happy to give Mr.- Warden 

 my reasons for thinking so. J. T. C. 



"Ffoss" and '' Peth" (Vol. xi., pp. 425. 495.; 

 Vol. xii., p. 74.). — Both words appear to be of 

 immediate Roman extraction : the wordy?ass being 

 a corruption of vallis, as Roncesvalles, in Navarre, 

 meaning " valley of briars ; " as Vallambrosa = 

 shady valley, or Valparaiso = valley of Paradise. 

 The word petJi, I conceive, is a corruption of the 

 Latin pedestris, English path^ and means a foot- 

 way — ^'' semiia pedestris ;" path being a compara- 

 tively modern innovation upon the old word/»e?/i, 

 as path is still pronounced in some parts of the 

 country. The words ^ass, vallis, valley, and their 

 congeners in the European tongues, are from the 

 same root as the Sanscrit val and vall-=to cover, 

 to hold or support ; which is also the root of the 

 word "wall," vallan, vallas meaning mass, wall. 

 The Sanscrit valitas, fast, is almost identical with 

 the Latin validus, all from the same root. The 

 other word peth, path, German Pfad, is of kin to 

 the Sanscrit pad, to go, to stride or walk. The 

 Sanscrit padas, foot, is the German Fuss, Greek 

 irovs, Latin j9es, Gothic fotus, &c. T. J. Buckton. 



A key to the etymology of this word seems to 

 be supplied in the article on " Asca or Aska " 

 (Vol. ix., p. 488.). A. C. M. of Exeter, in alongish 

 article, shows that the word asca, in all parts of 

 the world, has reference to water, and is endlessly 

 modified. In Great Britain we have rivers and 

 lakes called severally, Esk, Exe, Axe, and Usk. 

 JEasc (Irish) is water ; and ease or esc (Gael.) is 

 water. Flask, a vessel to contain water, must be 

 derived from the same root. 



No. 302.] 



The village Flass, about five miles from Durham, 

 lies on low ground on the north side of the Dear- 

 ness, at a point where the river divides into two 

 streams running N. W. and S. W. Below the 

 point of confluence, and opposite the village, the 

 river, which runs from W. to E., makes a sweeping 

 curve. Hence the name Flass is probably derived 

 from its situation on the bank of the river. In 

 Camden's map of the county, Flass is written 

 " Flask." Ceyrep. 



Belgic Version of the Gospels (Vol. xii., p. 41.). 

 — In reply to the Query of Mr. George Stephens 

 respecting the Belgic version of the Gospels, I beg 

 to inclose the description of a perfect manuscript 

 from my Catalogue of 1 840, and am sorry I cannot 

 trace to whom it was sold : 



" 7437. Testamentum Novum. Die Vier Evangelisten, 

 seer eierlj'k op Perkement geschreven, met blauwe en 

 roode voorletters, omtrent den Jare 1300. Evangelisti iv. 

 nitidissime supra membr. MS. ; Litteris Initialibus vivis 

 Coloribus ornati ; Saeculo xiii. Belgice donati ; folio, a 

 very early Dutch Version of the Four Evangelists, MS. 

 on vellum, said to be written about the year 1300, bound 

 in old red morocco, gilt edges, from the collection of the 

 celebrated Le Long, who considered it one of the principal 

 gems in his library." 



At p. 2. of Le Long's own Catalogue, if I re- 

 member rightly, there is a full account of the 

 merits of the version. James Bohn. 



" Christchurch Bells" (Vol. xii., p. 28.).— The 

 following are the Greek words to the above catch,, 

 as used many years ago by one, now an octogen- 

 arian, who delighted, and still delights, to deve- 

 lope musical talent in youth. Old pupils of the 

 C. O. S., and of the Fhil. Sch., amongst whom 

 numbers of readers of "N. & Q." may probably 

 be found (and who will readily recognise the in- 

 stitutions indicated), will remember, like J. T. C, 

 to have " heard it sung many years ago," and will 

 be glad of the reminiscence which J. T. C. has^ 

 called forth. 



" 'Ev T<a va<o XpioTov ef- 



riKovcn Kta&uivti, igicov<r* 



'Os riSetoi, toy ^Se<os, 



Kai KpOTOVcriu iKapoi^ Ikapiot, 

 " 0a<ri irpiaTOi Seurepo? re 



Ais Kad' iKadTifv T]ixipav, 



Eicrepxou, ipxov eis euxrjv, 



Kai vjrrjpenjs v<}>r)yeTa.i, 

 " TlVVL TtVl't Tl TO KioSioviov KaKsi 



Eis oiKOv <|)iAo7rorous, 



'AAA' ovSeLS to Kav Aeti^ei €<tfs av 



Tov riKoiSri aKOVtrr) TOM." 



S. H. H. 



St. John's Wood, 



" Times" Advertisements (Vol. xii., p, 42,), — 

 If W. T. M. judge of the impossibility of invent- 

 ing a method of inscrutable secret writing by the 

 specimens of the advertisements in The Timesy 

 which he has deciphered, he is very much mis- 

 taken. The ciphers he mentions are of the most 

 simple class, as they consist merely of an assign- 



