June 23. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



493 



of a British subject, within the United Kingdom, 

 except a seat in the legislature or the privy 

 council. The secretary requires that the applicant 

 should present a memorial praying for the grant, 

 and stating of what friendly state he Is a subject ; 

 ui." ao;e, profession, whether married and has any 

 children, and whether he intends to continue to 

 reside in the United Kingdom. He must verify 

 the meino"'^^ ^J affidavit, and by the declaration 

 of four houseiiV.'''^^''^ vouching also for the re- 

 spectability and lovh^V of the memorialist. 



The whble expense neeJ "ot exceed six pounds ; 

 and there is no difficulty wha.'ever attendmg the 

 application, as I know irom having" "'stained nearly 

 a hundred certificates for various alieiij'- 



Eden Vv'^^Rwick. 



Birmingham. 



Man in the Moon (Vol. v., p. 468.), — See h! 

 New Zealand version of this superstition (quoted 

 from D'Urville, tom. ii. p. 515.) in De Kouge- 

 mont's new work, Le Peuple Primitif (tom. ii. 

 p. 245.). It is in substance as follows : 



Before the moon gave light, a New Zealander 

 named Rona went out in the night to fetch some 

 water from the well. But he stumbled and un- 

 . fortunately sprained his ankle, and was unable to 

 return home. All at once, as he cried out for 

 very anguish, he beheld with fear and horror that 

 the moon, suddenly becoming visible, descended 

 towards him. He seized hold of a tree, and clung 

 to it for safety ; but it gave way, and fell with 

 Rona upon the moon ; and he remains there to 

 this day. 



According to another version, Rona fell into 

 the well, or was falling, and laid hold upon a tree, 

 which was afterwards removed with him to the 

 moon ; where, to this day, he is visible. This 

 looks like an antediluvian tradition. B. H. C. 



" Bel-child" (Vol. xi., p. 36, &c.). — The follow- 

 ing may serve as a study for some of your readers : 



Beldame, a grandmother. 



Belsire, a grandfather. 



Beau Jils, son-in-law, stepson ; also, an endearing ap- 

 pellation. 



Beau frere, brother-in-law. 



Bi-au pere, father-in-law, stepfather, godfather. 



Belle Jille, son's wife, daughter-in-law, step-daughter. 



Belle mere., husband's or wife's mother, step-mother, 

 mother-in-law. 



Bdle saeur, husband's or wife's sister, sister-in-law, step- 

 sister. 



Analogy leaves it uncertain whether hel-child is 

 grandson, son-in-law, step-son, or godchild: it 

 does not even point out the sex. Surely words 

 were given to man to conceal his thoughts. 



B. H. C. 



^^Ryptmry"' (Vol. xi., p. 465.). — The word 



ruptura is explained by Ducange, in his Qlosmrrj, 



AS "ftger receos pro5cissus,'" also as "census qui 



ex rupturls his percipitur ;" and lastly as "tene- 

 turse species. Gall, roture, vox quae feudo oppo- 

 nitur." "Rumpere" is explained as " terram, 

 agrum proscindere, arare ; " and " rupturarius " 

 as " colonus qui agrum seu terram rumpit, colit." 

 The form of the word roturier adopted by Mr, 

 Chenevix is therefore etymologically correct, but, 

 as an English word, it is probably peculiar to 

 himself. L. 



Verses on Loss of the Blenheim (Vol. xi., p. 465.). 



— The author of verses on the above subject was- 

 the late James Montgomery. There are eleven 

 more stanzas besides the one quoted by E. D. : 

 the poem is entitled " The Castaway Ship," and 

 may be found at p. 222. of the first vol. of the new 

 edition of the poet's Works, in 4 vols., recently 

 issued by Longman & Co. It was originally pub- 

 lished among the miscellaneous pieces appended 

 to his West Indies, &c. There is a sequel of two- 

 stanzas, relating to the lost admiral's son after- 

 ward;! making a voyage, without success, in search 

 ofhisfftther. N. L. T. 



Notices of Ancient Libraries (Vol x]., p. 337.).. 



— Your learned corresponde.-:? may probably look 

 for the formation of public libraries earlier than, 

 the deposit of the Theograph copy of the law in 

 the Ark. It is certain that the Tables engraved 

 by the finger of God (Exod. xxxi. 18., xxxii. 16.)> 

 were not the first example of writing, as has been 

 hastily concluded ; since the sin and discomfiture 

 of Amalek were commanded to be " written in a 

 book," before Israel had yet approached Sinai 

 (Exod. xvii. 14.) ; and Job, whose era there seems 

 no reason to doubt, was prior to that of Moses, 

 speaks familiarly of books : ■' O that mine adver- 

 sary had written a book !" (Job xxxi. 35.) 



But there is an allusion which seems to imply 

 that the Canaanitish nations — those illustrious- 

 rivals of the ancient Egyptians in arts and arms — 

 not only used books, but collected them in public 

 libraries, long before the Hebrew conquest. For 

 Caleb, after expelling the Anakim from Arba 

 (= Hebron), " went up thence to the inhabitants 

 of Debir, and the name of Debir before was Kir- 

 jath-sepher" (Josh. xv. 15., Judg. i. 11.). 



Now Kirjath-sepher was evidently the ancient 

 Canaanitish name, but this signifies " the city of 

 books." Debir signifies " an oracle ;" and whether 

 this latter appellation was bestowed on the city on 

 its conquest by the Hebrews, or had been used by 

 the Canaanites themselves in displacement of the 

 more ancient title, there appears in the double- 

 nomenclature sufficient warrant to conclude that 

 this city was a renowned seat of learning, a col- 

 lege or university. Of what nature the literature 

 and science of those days were, we can scarcely 

 conjecture ; and the Egyptian papyri have as yet 

 thrown little light on the inquiry ; but they may 



