462 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2"* S. No 101., Dec. 5. '57. 



lately seen in a family in that neighbourhood a 

 tame animal, resembling a squirrel, but small 

 enough to lie in a large walnut-shell. The pea- 

 sants there call it " lerot," and it is often found 

 in that part of Italy and in Provence. He thinks 

 it must be the same animal that Buffon describes 

 under the name of " Muscadin," and calls " jolie 

 miniature de I'ecureuil." * It is clearly, according 

 to my correspondent, a squirrel, and not a mouse, 

 its tail being bushy. It feeds itself and cleans its 

 face with its fore-paws, sitting upright. 



The animal described by P. P. as " larger than 

 a dormouse " I take to be the " loir," of which 

 this " lerot " is a diminutive species. Sttlites. 



Rood-lofts (2""^ S. iv. 409.)— Very good coloured 

 and gilt specimens are to be seen at Besford and 

 Leigh in Worcestershire, the staircase to the latter 

 being quite perfect. A good specimen also at 

 Glatton, Huntingdonshire. Cuthbekt Bbse. 



Captain Ously (2°* S. iii. 449.) — This person 

 is, I presume, the same as Colonel Wolseley, of 

 whose courage and gallantry Macaulay makes 

 mention in his History of England, vol. iii. p. 242. 

 The same page rec(5rds his ordering the Mayor of 

 Scarborough to be tossed in a blanket. 



" He was a staunch Protestant, had distinguished him- 

 self among the Yorkshiremen, who rose up for the Prince 

 of Orange and a free Parliament, and had, before- the 

 landing of the Prince of Orange, proved his zeal for li- 

 berty and pure religion by causing the Mayor of Scar- 

 borough, who had made a speech in favour of King 

 James, to be brought into the market-place, and well 

 tossed there in a blanket." 



OxONIENSIS. 



Branding of Criminals (2"^ S. iv. 69. 98.)— Your 

 correspondent Henki, as far as he goes, has given 

 a correct answer to the inquiries of A. B. E. 

 Branding was originally introduced in this coun- 

 try in order to mark those who, without being in 

 holy orders, received the benefit of clergy, and 

 thus escaped hanging, which in cases of felony 

 was the general punishment of the Common Law. 

 Till the 5th of Queen Anne a layman could not 

 have the benefit of clergy unless he could read. 

 In order to give a striking view of the state of the 

 law before the passing of this statute it may not 

 be uninteresting to lay before the reader the form 

 of the judgment, as set forth in Hale's Pleas of 

 the Crown, vol. ii. pp. 395, 396. : 



" The Judgment in case of allowance of Clergy is thus : 

 — * Super quo adhinc et ibidem qucBsitum est per Curiam 

 Domini Regis de eodem Johanne, si quid pro se haheat vel 

 dicere sciat, quare Curia Domini Regis hie ad judicium et 

 executionem de eo super veredictum pradictum procedere nan 

 debeat ; idem Johannes dicdt, quod ipse est Clericus, et petit 

 beneficium clericale sibi in ed parte allocari, et tradito eidem 

 Johanni libro, idem Johannes legit ut Clericus, super 

 quo consideratum est per Curiam hie, quod idem Johannes in 

 manu sua lava cautekizetur et deUberetur,' and the exe- 

 cution is accordingly entered : — ' Et instanter crematur in 

 manu sua lava, etdeliberatur juxta for mam statuti." 



"And so if he prays his clerg}', and cannot read: — ' Et 

 tradito ei per Curiam libro, idem J. S. non legit ut Clic- 

 RICUS, ideo consideratum est, quod SUSPENDATUR VKV. 

 COLLUM, quousque mortuus fuerit.' " 



In the course of the eighteenth century several 

 Acts of Parliament were passed by which trans- 

 portation and other secondary punishments were 

 inflicted in lieu of the branding. 



In France branding, la marque, was originally 

 one of the punishments of the Code Penal. (See 

 Art. 7.) The cases in which it was inflicted were 

 specified in Art. 20. 



No alteration was made in this respect till after 

 the accession of Louis Philippe. But by a law of 

 April 28, 1832, branding was omitted from the 

 list of punishments. Meletes. 



Neglected Biography (2"'^ S. iv. 328.) — 



John Davidson. — John Davidson of Halltiee, 

 Writer to the Signet, and Deputy Keeper of the 

 Signet, died at Edinburgh on Dec. 29, 1797. 



Rev. David Irving. — The Rev. David Irving 

 is still living, residing at Meadow Place, Edin- 

 burgh. 



Prof. Richards. — Richards mitst he a mistake 

 for Richardson. T. G. S. 



Edinburgh. 



I am able to answer one of Mb. Nichols' 

 queries. The Rev. George Somers Clarke died 

 in the year 1837. I think there is a biographical 

 notice of him in the Annual Register for 1837. 



R. Inglig. 



The Rainbow (2"'^ S. iii. 440.) — I used to be 

 told when a child, if I walked to the spot where 

 the rainbow touched the earth, I would find a 

 pair of golden slippers. S. Wmson. 



The Peafowl (2"* S. iv. 157.)— I certainly have 

 not had so long an observation of the habits of 

 this animal that P. P. has had. Mine extends to 

 ten years daily, and twenty occasionally, and I 

 can indorse every syllable of the remarks of P. P. 

 regarding the habits of the peafowl. S. Wmson. 



The Prefix Wall (2°o S. iv. 365.) —Walnut, 

 German, Wallnuss, i. e. Walsche nuss, Anglice, 

 foreign ; more particularly Italian nut. H. F. B. 



Frysley, Halsende, Sheytye (2"^ S.ii. 211.) — I 

 beg to inform R. of Macclesfield, who inquires 

 where these places are, that there is a place called 

 now Fresley or Freesley, and another called Hall- 

 End, in Warwickshire. 



I had been endeavouring to discover where 

 these places are situated before R. (Macclesfield) 

 made his Query. And I would feel obliged to 

 him if he would communicate with me on the 

 subject of his inquiry, through the publisher of 

 "N. &Q." E. G. R. 



Coffin Plates in Churches (2""^ S. iv. 158.) — 

 Coffin-plates, serving for tablets, against the 



