July 17. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



53 



of any other information than that contained in the 

 Chronicle of Man, Torfa3US, Snorro, in Johnson's 

 Scandinavian Antiquities, Girahlus' Canibrensis, 

 and Dr. Ilanmer. If he had any ancient Danish 

 maps of this neighbourhood, doubtless they would 

 be of vast importance on this subject. I should 

 say that a very hurried and imperfect report of 

 the lecture appeared in the columns of our local 

 paper, extending through four successive numbers. 

 1 should feel much gratification in forwarding you 

 or M. WoRSAAE such portions thereof as I can 

 now lay my hands on, particularly that relating to 

 King Magnus, should any desire to that effect be 

 expressed. John W. IIanna. 



fc'aul Street, Downpatiick, Ireland. 



CURFEW. 



(Vol. iv., p. 240.) 



In Noake's Worcestei- in Olden Times, London, 

 1849, p. 121., under the head of "Bells," I find 

 the following passage : 



" The popular notion of the curfew having originated 

 in the odious tyranny of the Conqueror has been nega- 

 tived by modern research. Du Cange says that the 

 ringing of the couvre-feu prevailed generally in Europe 

 during the middle ages as a precaution against fire. 

 Voltaire also takes the same view of the custom. 

 Henry I. abolished his father's enactment, but the 

 custom has survived to the present day, probably as 

 one of general convenience. So late as about 150 

 years ago a fire-bell was rung every evening at Vienna, 

 as a signal to the inhabitants to extinguish their fires, 

 and to hang up lanterns in front of their houses. A 

 few specimens of the couvre-feu are still in existence, 

 some of them bearing marks of having covered the fire." 



Upon this passage I would ask permission to 

 put two Queries: 



1. What historical notices are there of a curfew 

 prior to the Conquest ? 



2. At what places on the continent of Europe, 

 besides Vienna, has the custom been ascertained 

 to prevail ? Your correspondent H. H. B. (Vol. 

 iv., p. 240.) produces an instance of the curfew- 

 bell being rung at Charlestown, South Carolina, 

 where, however, it is manifestly a custom intro- 

 duced from the " mother-country." J. Sanson. 



Oxford. 



Fishing ly Electricity. — It is a well-known 

 fact that the discharge of gunpowder under water 

 is more powerful in its effects than when it is ex- 

 ploded in the atmosphere, and that a small dis- 

 charge will kill all the fish in the vicinity. I have 

 a curiosity to ascertain whether it is possible to 

 make practical use of this fact in deep sea fishing. 

 By means of the gutta percha wire and the electric 

 fluid, it is extremely easy to convey and discharge 



gunpowder at any depth, and I cannot help think- 

 ing that in some kinds of fishing a moderate quan- 

 tity of powder exploded in the vicinity of the bait, 

 which might be at a small distance from it, would 

 "astonish the natives" of the deep, and bring 

 them to the surface much more rapidly than could 

 be accomplished by any method now in use. 



Llewillah. 



As salt as Fire. — Whence this saying ? R. H. 



" There were three ladies," Sfc. — ^ly paternal 

 grandmother, who was a native of county Kerry 

 in Ireland, was in the habit of singing a song set 

 to a sweet and plaintive air, which thus com- 

 menced : 



" There were three ladies playing at ball, 

 Farin-dan-dan and farin-dan-dee ; 

 There came a white knight, and he wooed them all, 

 With adieu, sweet honey, wherever you be. 



He courted the eldest with golden rings, 



Farin, &c. &c. 

 And the others with many fine things, 



And adieu," &c. &c. 

 The rest has been forgotten. Can any of your 

 readers furnish the remaining words ? Ukeda. 

 Philadelphia. 



Prophecies ftdflled. — A very interesting col- 

 lection might be made of apparently well authen- 

 ticated prophecies fulfilled, concerning modern 

 kingdoms and families of rank. That quoted by 

 your correspondent in Vol. iii., p. 194., wants 

 dates and details. Some curious instances might 

 be gathered from a true believer — Sir W. Scott 

 in his Worhs, and in Lockhart's Life of him. Has 

 any collection of this kind ever been published ? 



J. P. 



The Chase Family. — Having observed in " N". 

 & Q." various requests concerning families, I 

 would like to ask some information respecting the 

 "Chase" family, three brothers of which emigrated 

 to America about the year 1630, and settled in 

 the vicinity of Newbury port, in Massachusetts ; 

 their names were Aquila, Thomas, and William. 

 Tradition says they came from Cornwall, and also 

 that the name was originally spelled " La Chasse," 

 and that they were of Norman extraction, having 

 settled in England about the time of the Conquest. 

 As their descendants in the United States now 

 number about 30,000 individuals, if those who 

 remained in England have been equally prolific, 

 there must be many of the same name who per- 

 haps can give their trans-Atlantic cousins some 

 knowledge of their ancestry. Quascacukquen. 



Philadelphia, June 14. 



Mummies of Ecclesiastics in Germany. — I re- 

 member having some conversation with a friend a 

 few years ago respecting some bodies which he 

 had seen preserved in the church of some town, 



