Oct. 22. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



399 



constructed at Baltimore. They were veiy sharp, 

 long, low ; and their masts were inclined at a 

 much greater angle than usual with those in other 

 vessels. Fast sailing pilot boats and scliooners 

 were thus rigged ; and in the last war with Eng- 

 land, privateers of the Baltimore build were uni- 

 versally famed for their swiftness and superior 

 sailing qualities. " A Baltimore clipper" became 

 the expression among shipbuilders for a vessel of 

 peculiar make ; in the construction of which, fleet- 

 ness was considered of more importance than a 

 carrying capacity. When the attention of naval 

 architects was directed to the construction of swift 

 sailing ships, they were compelled to adopt the 

 clipper shape. lience the title " Clipper Ship," 

 which has now extended from America to England. 



Philadelphia. 



Passage in Tennyson (Vol. vlii., p. 244.). — In 

 the third edition of In Memoriam, lxxxix., 1850, 

 the last line mentioned by W. T. M. is " Flits by 

 the sea-blue bird of March," instead of " blue sea- 

 bird." This reading appears to be a better one. 

 I would suggest that the bird meant by Tennyson 

 was the Tom-tit, who, from his restlessness, may 

 be said to flit among the bushes. 



F. M. MiDDLETON. 



Huefs Navigations of Solomon (Vol. vii., p. 381.). 

 — This work of the learned Bishop of Avranches 

 was written in Latin, and translated into French 

 by J. B. Desrockes de Parthenay. It forms part 

 of the second volume of a collection of treatises 

 edited by Bruzen de la Martiniere, under the title 

 of Traites Geographiques et Historiques pour faci- 

 liter VintelUgence de VEcriture Sainte, par divers 

 auteurs celebres, 1730, 2 vols. 12mo. 



I am unable to reply to Edina's second Query, 

 as to the result of Huet's assertions. 



Henrx H. Bb££N. 



St. Lucia. 



Sincere (Vol. viii., pp. 195. 328.). — The deriva- 

 tion of this word from sine cerd appears very fanci- 

 ful. If this were the correct derivation, we should 

 expect to find sinecere, for the e would scarcely be 

 dropped ; just as we have the English word sine- 

 cure, which is the only compound of the preposi- 

 tion sine I know ; and is itself 7iot a Latin word, 

 but of a later coinage. Some give as the deriv- 

 ation semel and Kepdu — that is, once mixed, with- 

 out adulteration ; the e being lengthened, as the 

 Greek an-nparos. The proper spelling would then 

 be simcenis, and euphonically sincerm : thus we 

 have sim-plex, which does not mean without a 

 fold, but (semel plico, TrAe/cco) once folded. So 

 also singnlus, semel and termination. The proper 

 meaning may be from tablets, cerafa; tabellce, 

 which were "once smeared with wax" and then 

 written upon ; they were then sincerce, without 



forgery or deception. If they were in certain 

 places covered with wax again, for the purpose of 

 adding something secretly and deceptively, they 

 cease to be sincere. J. T. jBFrcocK. 



n. B. asks me for some authority for the 

 alleged practice of Roman potters (or crock- 

 vendors) to rub wax into the flaws of their un- 

 sound vessels. This was the very burden of my 

 Query ! I am no proficient in the Latin classics : 

 yet I think I know enough to predicate that n. B. 

 is wrong in his version of the line — 

 " Sincerum est nisi vas, quodcunque infundis acescit." 



I understand this line as referring to the noto- 

 rious fact, that some liquors turn sour if the air 

 gets to them from without. " Sincerum vas" is a 

 sound or air-tight vessel. In another place (Sat, 

 lib. i. 8.), Horace employs the same figure, where 

 he says that we " call evil good, and good evil," 

 figuring the sentiment thus : 



" At nos virtutes ipsas invertimus, atque 

 Sincerum cupimus vas incrustare" — 



meaning, of course, that we bring the vessel into 

 suspicion, by treating It as If It were flawed. 

 Dryden, no doubt, knew the radical meaning of 

 sincere when he wrote the lines cited by Johnson : 



" He try'd a tough well-chosen spear ; 

 Th' inviolable body stood sincere." 



C. Mansfield Inglebt. 

 Birmingham. 



The Saltpetre Man (Vol. viii., p. 225.). — la 

 addition to the curious particulars of this ofiice, 

 I send you an extract-from Abp. Laud's Diary : 



" December 13, Monday. I received letters from 

 Brecknock ; that the saltpeter man was dead and buried 

 the Sunday before the messenger came. This saltpeter 

 man had digged in the Colledge Church for his work, 

 bearing too bold upon his commission. The news of 

 it came to me to London about November 26. I went 

 to my Lord Keeper, and had a messenger sent to 

 bring him up to answer that sacrilegious abuse. He 

 prevented his punishment by death." 



John S. Burn. 



Major Andre (Vol. viii., p. 174.). — There is 

 In the picture gallery of Yule College, New Haven, 

 Conn., an original sketch of Major Andre, ex- 

 ecuted by himself with pen and ink, and without 

 the aid of a glass. It was drawn In his guard- 

 room on the morning of the day first fixed for his 

 execution, J- E. 



Longevity (Vol. viii., p. 182.). — A Doubtee is 

 informed that the National Intelligencer (published 

 at Washington, and edited by Messrs. Gales and 

 Seaton) Is the authority for my statement re- 

 specting Mrs. Singleton, and her advanced age. 

 If A Doubter is desirous of satisfying himself 

 more fully respecting Its correctness, he has but 



