430 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd s. N" 100., Nov. 28. '57. 



" As for the rest, he says, that upon their first arrival 

 into the Malabar country they were civilly entertained. 

 That at length they became masters of the little If ingdom of 

 Cranganore, and were governed by two sons of a certain 

 powerful family, chosen by their elders, and who reigned 

 jointly till they quarrelled and were both killed. That 

 then the state fell into a Democracj"-, which hath hitherto 

 continued, but the lands have for many ages recurred 

 back into the hands of the Malabars." 



Thus, we have two histories of a distinct Jewish 

 tribe, that oi Manasseh^ in Malabar — one, by ex- 

 tract, agreeably to the mandate of Mr. van Reede, 

 of the year 1695 ; and one, in Hebrew, containing 

 the translation of printed records concerning the 

 Malabar Jews, of about the year 1781. It is 

 strange that of these histories, one in print, so 

 little should be known. We, hope that Mr. Todd 

 will cause a translation to be published of the 

 MS. under his care. As to the earliest — Mr. van 

 Reede's — extract of 1695, a question has been put 

 to the Naoorscher. J. H. van Lennep. 



Mampaat House, near Haarlem. 



NOTES ON BELLS. 



Bells at Ripon Minster. — I copy from Gent's 

 History of Ripon, now a scarce book, his account 

 of the ancient bells hanging in the Minster Towers 

 in his day (1733). 



In the south tower : 



" The diameter of the first bell is two feet nine inches, 

 the motto, ' Omnis Spiritus laudet Dominura. Hallelujah. 

 Johannes Drake, Ecclesiae collegiatae de Ripon Subdecanus. 

 1673.' On the outside of this bell are several shillings of 

 King Charles the Second's coin, put in the mold, and so 

 mixed with the other metal, when the bell was cast. 

 The second bell is three feet and a quarter of an inch the 

 diameter, having this petitionary motto, ' Sancte Wilfride, 

 era pro nobis.' The third, three feet and half an inch 

 diameter, — 



' Pisticus et Nardus dicor, vocor et Leonardus, 

 Et terno numero Ecclesiae sumus Ordine vero.' 



The fourth bell, three feet two inches and a half diameter, 

 « Gloria in altissimis Deo. 1663.' The fifth is three feet 

 six inches and a half: ' Jacobus Smith Eboracensis fecit, 

 1663.' " 



In the north tower : 



" The sixth or great bell, used in tolling for the dead 

 (diameter four feet three inches), seems to have these 

 letters, ' J.H.S. Ora mente pia pro nobis Virgo Maria. — 

 Alexander, Episcopus Ebor. Dei Gratia.' " 



This bell is said to have been brought from 

 Fountains Abbey. The only Archbishop of York 

 whose name was Alexander, was Alexander Ne- 

 ville, who filled the see from 1374 to 1388, and 

 died an exile in Brabant, in May, 1392. 



" The prayer bell on St. Wilfrid's steeple ; its diameter 

 two feet one inch, and the motto, ' Voco, veni precare.' " 



The large bells were taken down in the year 

 1762, and were recast by Messrs. Listor and 

 Pack, of London, into a peal of eight. The ex- 



pense of recasting and hanging them was 

 557^. lis. lid., which was discharged by a public 

 subscription. Patonce. 



Bell Inscriptions from the Tower of Plumstead 

 Magna Church, Norfolk. — Campanology possesses 

 few more remarkable devices than those appended 

 to the lettering in the following sentence. Not 

 having seen It In print, or being aware it has ever 

 appeared before the public, It is forwarded to you 

 under the impression it will prove an acceptable 

 addition to the collections of your readers in- 

 terested in the history of bells, as well as to those 

 who are in search of the varied dedicatory in- 

 scriptions. Numerous and quaint as the devices 

 are in mediaeval architecture, there are few that 

 could not be read and comprehended at that pe- 

 riod with the same facility as knowledge is now- 

 conveyed by letters. It Is probably true that much 

 that was then figuratively taught*, and meant 

 to be permanent and Impressive, has in the great 

 change of things lost all fitness for the present 

 state of Intellectual society. To what extent the 

 meaning of the strangely Illuminated lettering, or 

 rather the devices, may be developed, must be . 

 left to those versed in such characters, or to others 

 who may be enabled to penetrate the obscurities 

 of monkish lore. 



The positive wording, as well as meaning, of 

 the sentence Is not veiled in thorough obscurity, 

 althougli liable to different readings. The fol- 

 lowing is proposed as suggestive, certainly not 

 positive — " pango " being chiefly used metaphor- 

 ically; but the original meaning is "to strike," 

 and therefore very appropriately employed in the 

 sentence, 



" Sanctorum maritis pangamus cantica laudis." 



Each letter and device is raised upon a quad- 

 rangular tablet inserted In a hollowed groove be- 

 tween fillets encompassing the bell. The execu- 

 tion is exceedingly good and perfect, and without 

 bearing the slightest signs of injury or wear from 

 age. 



The tower of Plumstead Church is of the 

 eighteenth century, and built of brick. On 

 another bell is inscribed the alphabet in old Eng- 

 lish characters divided In two sections each, in a 

 groove, and containing thirteen letters : this is 

 certainly singular, but probably significant. ^ 



On the third and only remaining bell is the 

 date 1579. Henrt D'Aveney. 



Straiige Coincidences in National Customs.— 

 The following customs of the Bechuana tribes of 



* By graven images or rude mural paintings. 



