452 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 293. 



other systems, which have also their advantages, according 

 to the colour wished to be obtained, and the quality of 

 the paper — particularl}' in relation to positives. 



The ammonia acts on the size of the paper. But this 

 action of the ammonia is injured if the paper is weakly or 

 badly sized, which is the case with several French papers. 

 The Saxony paper will perfectly stand the fixing by 

 ammonia, remains very fine, and takes superb tones in 

 the gold bath. M. Belloe also stated, that having during 

 seven years worked at this subject, and after having 

 studied the individual properties of a great number of 

 fixing agents, he had definitively decided in favour of 

 hyposulphite, ammonia, and chloride of gold; and he 

 was quite persuaded that, as regards the question of the 

 duration of photographs, the most important thing was 

 the washing, to remove the fixing agents which would 

 otherwise remain in the size of the paper. 



H^jiItciS to i^tnor &\ttviti. 



Fourth Estate (Vol. xi., p. 384.). — I believe 

 Lord Brougham to be the author of the phrase ; 

 I heard him use it in the House of Commons 

 several years ago — perhaps in 1823 or 1824. It 

 attracted immediate attention, and was at that 

 time treated as original. C. Ross. 



Laureate Epigram (Vol. xi., pp. 263. 412.). — 

 I send you another version of these lines, which 

 differ from those that have appeared in your 

 columns, besides containing an additional stanza. 

 I almost fancy they have been printed, and 

 ascribed to Canning, whose style they resemble 

 more than Porson's. But as I am quoting from 

 memory, after an interval of above fifty years, I 

 cannot feel confident as to my version being im- 

 plicitly correct : 



" Poetis nos laetamur tribus. 

 Si vis amice scire quibus, 

 Pve, Petro Pindar, parvo* Pybus, 

 Si ulterius ire pergis 

 Addatur Sir James Bland Burges. 



" The rule in grammar if you try. 

 You there will find the pronoun qui 



Declining down to quibus. 

 To poets the same laws apply. 

 So, if the first is Laureate Pye, 



The last is surely Pybus." 



I am tempted to add another epigram of about 

 the same date, very popular at the time. It was 

 written to ridicule Addington's inefficient Cabinet, 

 who had entertained the absurd project of sinking 

 block-ships across the entrance of the Thames, to 

 impede the progress of the enemy's fleet. The 

 lines were as follow : 



" If blocks can from danger deliver, 

 Two places are safe from the French ; 

 The first is the mouth of the river, 

 The second the Treasury Bench." 



Bbatbrooke. 



* He was named Charles Small Pybus." 



Hospitallers in Ireland (Vol. xi., p. 407.). — I 

 regret that I cannot furnish your correspondent 

 W. R. G. with any information as to the Hospital- 

 lers' estates in Ireland. There is no allusion what- 

 ever to them in the Extent, which I have just 

 seen through the press for the Camden Society ; 

 nor, during my sojourn at Malta, did I discover 

 any other survey in which they are included. 



As soon as " N. & Q." reaches the island, I am 

 sure that Mb. Winthrop and Dr. Vella, the 

 talented and learned keeper of the Records at 

 Valetta, will do their utmost to furnish a satis- 

 factory reply ; from my own experience I can 

 promise this, and am glad of the opportunity of 

 bearing grateful testimony to the zeal and courtesy 

 which literary inquirers are sure to meet at the 

 hands of these gentlemen. 



Lambert B. Larking. 



On Stocking Marine Aquaria (Vol. xi., pp. 365. 

 410.). — I have to acquaint naturalists and 

 others that I not only furnish loose stock for ma- 

 rine aquaria, but that I arrange glass jars and 

 vases of various sizes, as cabinet aquaria fitted up 

 attractively with various kinds of sea-weeds, 

 zoophytes, annelides, moUusks, and other marine 

 productions ; and that I sell such jars and vases, 

 so arranged, as they stand, at moderate prices. 

 The advantage to purchasers of having such in- 

 teresting little collections ready made, settled 

 down, and domesticated as it were, must be ob- 

 vious. I shall be happy to show a series of such 

 aquaria to any one favouring me with a call. 



I wish also to impress upon aquarium keepers 

 that the former great objection felt in inland 

 places, I mean the difficulty and uncertainty of 

 obtaining sea-water from the ocean, is now com- 

 pletely overcome by the fact that artificial sea- 

 water answers every purpose, even for the most 

 delicate organisations. Mr. W. Bolton, of 146. 

 Holborn Bars, keeps the saline ingredients for its 

 instantaneous formation. 



William ALroRU Llotd. 

 164. St. John Street Eoad, Clerkenwell. 



Wild Cabbages (Vol. xi., p. 414.). — Can there 

 be a stronger instance of Toland's theory, that the 

 ancient Celtic language is the origin of most of 

 the languages of the western part of the world, 

 coming originally from the far East and cognate 

 with the Sanscrit? Here is the Latin word 

 Brassica, evidently derived from the Celtic word 

 Bresych, still used to denote the same species of 

 plant in the existing Welsh language. J. S. 8. 



"■That Swinney" (Vol. viii., p. 213.). —Your 

 correspondent T. S. J., in endeavouring to prove 

 that the person alluded to by Junius was Dr. 

 Sidney Swinney, says, — 



" Some reports say that he [i. e. ' that Swinney'] was 

 a collector of news for the Public Advertiser, and subse- 



