135 



iii Regis: A. D. 1195— A. D. 1214. Edente Josepho Hun- 

 ter. Vol. i. 



Excerpta a Rotulis Finiuni in Turri Londinensi asservatis, Henri- 

 co Tertio Rege, A. D. 1216 — 1272. Cura Caroli Roberts. 

 Vol. i. A. D. 1214—1240. 



Rotull Normannise in Turri Londinensi asservati, Jolianne et Hen- 

 rico Quinto Anplia; Regibns. Accurante Tiionia Hardy, S.A.S. 



Proceedings and Ordinances of tlie Privy Council of England. Edi- 

 ted by Sir Harris Nicolas. 10 Richard II. 1.30G to 21 Hen- 

 ry VI. 1443. 3 vols. 



General Introduction to Domesday Book, by Sir Henry Ellis, 

 K. H., r . R. S. 



Presented by tlie Commissioners' on Public Records. 



Transactions of the Society instituted at London for the Encourage- 

 ment of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. Vol. 1. part 2. 

 By the Society. 



The Third Annual Report of tlie Royal Cornwall Polytechnic So- 

 ciety. By the Society. 



The followinff Communications were read : 



1. On the Origin of the Adjective. By Professor Pillans. 



The principal object of this paper was to exhibit the manner in 

 which, in the early stages of the history of language, the adjective 

 may be supposed to have originated from the noun Before stat- 

 ing his views of this subject, the author dwelt at some length on 

 the universal principle which influences the formation of all lan- 

 guages, according to which man, when he has once acquired a small 

 stock of words, will have recourse to all manner of expedients to 

 save himself the invention of new terms ; and an instance was given 

 in the various applications of the derivatives and compounds of the 

 Latin word Calx. In following out this principle, it seemed not 

 unlikely that when the savage met, in a new substance, with a qua- 

 lity which formed the distinguishing character of an object he was 

 already familiar with, he would apply the noun or name of that fa- 

 miliar object, to express the attribute or quality as he found it to 

 exist in that which was quite new to him ; so that, supposing the 

 plant wonmvood to be well-known to him, and the bitter orange not 

 at all, he would, on falling in with that fruit, and tasting if, exclaim, 

 this orange is wormwood; and the latter term might thus come to 



