Dec. 9. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



465 



printed in one language or system, one book is 

 printed in six languages. This is downright rob- 

 bery of the blind. Who will favour the public 

 with an account of the various systems, giving 

 their merits and demerits ? A. M. 



Portrait at Shotesham Parh, Norwich. — In- 

 formation is desired respecting a curious portrait 

 of a gentleman which is now at Shotesham Park. 

 He is represented in a velvet cap, black suit, with 

 ruffs, &c. His left hand rests on a skull, on which 

 are the words " Kesplce finem." Pen, ink, paper, 

 and wax are on the table; gloves in his right 

 hand. On the forefinger of his left hand is a 

 sif^net ring with a coat of arms, viz. : Or (perhaps 

 arg.), on a bend sable, three feet coupes of the 

 first. On the right of the head are the dates, 

 "An". 1578, aetat. suae 39." On the left of the 

 head are the following verses : 



" Stat sua cuique dies ; breve et irreparabile tempus 

 Omnibus est vitae ; sed famam extendere factis 

 Hoc virtutis opus — vivit post funera virtus." 

 " Integra dum res est, seram reminiscere finem ; 

 Praemeditare mori — flagitiosa cave : 

 Mors ibi falce metet qua vitae industria sevit ; 

 Vitaque succrescet, mors ubi falce raetit." 



c. s. 



Shotesham Park, Norwich. 



Baptist Vincent Lavall. — As there are, I doubt 

 not, readers of " N. & Q." in the custom-houses 

 of London, Liverpool, Bristol, Hull, and other 

 commercial cities of England, I would earnestly 

 ask their assistance in procuring the information 

 for Tvhich I sought last year (Vol. vii., p. 130.), 

 namely, whether the schooner " Sea Otter," a 

 vessel of about 200 tons. Captain Niles, sailed 

 from England in 1809 for the Pacific Ocean, on a 

 voyage ^ter furs. An affirmative answer would 

 go far to settle the genuineness of the Tour in my 

 possession, the publication of which would throw 

 much light upon the manners of our aborigines. 



William Duane. 



Philadelphia. 



" F. S. Ar or " F. A. S." — All our old anti- 

 quaries write their names with F. A. S., but 

 modern Fellows style themselves F. S. A. I 

 should be glad of an explanation which is the 

 more correct. In a work printed some fifty or 

 sixty years since, I have read, " F. A. S., Frater- 

 nitatis Antiquariorum Socius," and " F. S. A., 

 Frater Societatis Artium." You will perceive 

 the first claims the " Socius," which is not allow- 

 able to the Society of Arts. 



F. A. S., OR F. S. A., AS THE CASE MAT BE. 



Lord Sandwich. — Mr. Hayward, in his paper 

 on " Selwyn," lately republished from the Edin- 

 hurgh Review, mentions (p. 66.) that Lord Sand- 

 wich was a member of the notorious Medenham 

 Abbey Society. Will he be so obliging as to state 

 his authority ? S. L. 



Minax <h\xttxti Jutt|) ^nSiatti, 



" Royal Recollections." — Is it known who wrote 

 Royal Recollections on a Tour to Cheltenham, Sfc, 

 in the Year 1788 ? It was published by Ridgway, 

 and went through eleven editions (at least) within 

 the twelvemonth. The Ridgways have been the 

 great Whig pamphlet publishers for more than 

 two-thirds of a century ; and a reference to their 

 accounts would throw a light on many literary 

 obscurities. It is not too late, and let us hope 

 the opportunity will not be lost. R. R- 



[This work is attributed to David Williams, the founder 

 of the Literary Fund. See Watt's Bibliotheca, s. v., and 

 the entry in the British Museum Catalogue.] 



Irish Archa:ological Society. — Perhaps you can 

 inform me how soon the members of the Irish 

 Archasological Society may expect to receive 

 something in return for their money ? I have 

 paid up my subscription to the present time ; 

 but I have not received a book for (I believe) 

 the last two years. Surely the blame lies with 

 the public, who, I regret to say, are allowing a 

 most valuable Society to languish for want of 

 funds. As stated in a circular issued some time 

 ago by the council — 



" The rule of the Society requires that all subscriptions 

 shall be paid in advance, — a rule which the members will 

 see to be perfectly fair and reasonable. The council give 

 their time and labour gratuitously to the service of the 

 Society, but it cannot be expected that they should make 

 themselves liable for the expenses of publication before- 

 hand. They can only publish in proportion to the funds 

 actually paid, and in their hands." 



Abhba. 



[It appears from the Society's last report, that "The 

 Book of Ogham, with an Introduction on the ancient 

 Ogham Writing of the Irish," by the Kev. Dr. Graves, is 

 still due to the members for 1853. It is nearly printed, 

 but the ill health of the editor has occasioned delay in 

 the publication. The book for 1854 is the " Liber Hym- 

 norum, or Hymnarium of the ancient Irish Church," 

 edited by the Rev. Dr. Todd. The first fasciculus, which 

 is all that the funds of the Society enable them to give as 

 an equivalent for the subscriptions of 1854, will be ready 

 before the end of the year, and will be delivered to the 

 members early in January. 1 



" Plurality of Worlds :" its Author. — 



" The author of that unique work, as we announced 

 once before, has issued a second edition in England, which 

 is preceded by a dialogue, wherein he replies to the nu- 

 merous objectors to his theory. 



" His identification as Professor Wliewell seems almost 

 clear from the following answer made to one of his ob- 

 jectors, who tries repeatedly to connect his speculations 

 with those of the Vestiges of Creation. 



" If, says the author of the Plurality of Worlds, the 

 objector 'were to try to connect me with an answer to 

 that book, which went through two editions under the 

 title of Indications of the Creator, he would be nearer ike 

 mark. At least, I adopt the sentiments of this latter 

 book, and they agree with those of the essay, as the ob- 

 jector may satisfy himself by looking. In both works, 

 the placing man on the earth is regarded as an event out 

 of the ordinary course of nature.' " 



