Nov. 9. 1850.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



397 



you with the tale says that he is ignorant of the 

 meaning of "hipper switches." Now hipper is a 

 word applied in this part of the counti-y to a de- 

 scription of osiers used in coarse basket making, 

 and which were very likely things to be bound up 

 into switches. A field in which they grow, near 

 the water side, is called a " hipper-holni." There 

 is a station on the Lancashire and Yorkshire rail- 

 way, which takes its name from such a meadow. 

 My nurse, a Cornwall woman, tells me hipper 

 withies fetch a higher price than common withies 

 in her country. E. G. G. 



Lancaster. 



Cat and Bagpipes (Vol. ii., p. 266.). — A public- 

 house of considerable notoriety, with this sign, 

 existed long at the corner of Downing Street, 

 next to King Stieet. It was also used as a chop- 

 house, and frequented by many of tliose connected 

 with the public offices in the neighbourhood. 



An old friend told me that many years ago he 

 met George Rose, — so well known in after life as 

 the friend of Pitt, clerk of the Parliament, secre- 

 tary of the Treasury, &c., and executor of the 

 Earl of Marchmont, — then a bashful young man, 

 at the Cat and Bagpipes. 



I may mention that George Rose was one of the 

 few instances which I have met with, where a 

 Scotsman had freed himself from the peculiarities 

 of the speech of his country. Sir William Grant 

 was another. Frank Horner was a third. I never 

 knew another. R. 



Forlot, Firlot, or Furlet (Vol. i., p. 371.).— It 

 may be interesting to your correspondent J. S. 

 to be informed that there is a measure of capacity 

 in universal use in this part of India called afara 

 or fura, which is identical in shape, and, as nearly 

 as can be judged by the eye, in size, with the 

 Scottish furlet. The fara is divided into sixteen 

 pilys, a small measure in universal use here; in 

 like manner as the furlet is divided into sixteen 

 lipijx, which measure was, and I presume still is, in 

 general use thi'oughout Scotland. A friend in- 

 forms ine that, in the west of Scotland, the common 

 pronunciation of the word furlet is exactly the 

 same as tliat of the word fura here by tlie jMali- 

 rattas. It is unnecessary to point out tNe numerous 

 instances in which sucii ciianges as that i'rom pi/y 

 to lijii/ take place per metathesem. 



Now, an interesting subject of investigation, 

 supposing the coiiiciiience above noticed not to be 

 an acx'iilental one, would be to trai!e the links of 

 connexion between these words; and in this, some 

 of your German readers may be enabled to aflord 

 valuable aid. 



As an illustration of the same article being in 

 use in widely distant localities, I may mention that 

 on returning to England from a voyage to Cliina, 

 I brought with me a Chinese abacus or swanpan, the 



instrument in general use among the Chinese for 

 performing the ordinary computations of addition, 

 subtraction, &c., thinking it a grand article of 

 curiosity, particularly in a remote seaport town on 

 the east coast, with which to astonish the natives. 

 But what was my cliagrin when I was informed 

 by an honest Baltic skipper, that to him, at least, 

 the instrument was no rarity at all; that he had 

 seen them used hundreds of times for the same 

 purposes at various ports in the Baltic ; and that, 

 moreover, he had one of them in his home at that 

 very time, which he Ibrthvvith produced. J. Sh. 

 Bombay. 



Sitting during the Lessojus (Vol. ii., p. 246.). — 

 The rubric directing the people to stand while 

 the Gospel is read in the Coumiunion service, was 

 first inserted in the Scotch Common Prayer Book, 

 A. D. 1637. The ancient and more reverential 

 practice of standing whenever any portion of God's 

 word is read, had not fallen into entire disuse as 

 late as 1686, as will appear from the following 

 extract fi-om The Life of Bishop Wilson, by Crutt- 

 well, prefixed to the folio edition of his works. It 

 occurs (p. 4.) under certain heads of advice given 

 to that holy bishop, at the time he was ordained 

 deacon, by his much-esteemed friend. Archdeacon 

 Hewetson : — 



'• Never to miss the church's public devotions twice 

 a day, when unavoidable business, or want of health, 

 or of a church (as in travelHng), does not hinder. In 

 church to behave himself also very reverently ; nor ever 

 turn his back upon the altar in service time, nor on 

 the minister, when it can be avoided ; to stand at the 

 lessohs and epistle as well as at the gospel, and especially 

 when a psalm is sunt;: to bow reverently at the name 

 of Jesus whenever it is mentioned in any of the church's 

 offices; to turn towards the east when the Gloria 

 Patri and the creeds are rehearsing ; and to make 

 obeisance at coming into, and going out of the church, 

 and at going up to, and coming down from, the altar ; 

 are all ancient, commendable, and devout usages, and 

 which thousands of good people of our Church practise 

 at this day, and amongst them, if he deserves to be 

 reckoned amongst them, Thomas Wilson's dear friend." 



J. Y. 



Hoxton. 



Engelmann's Bibliotheca Auctor. Class. (Vol. ii., 

 pp. 296. 312. 328.).— "I hereby attest that the 

 English titles to my Bibliotheca Scriptoruin Clas- 

 sicorum were not printed without my knowledge 

 or wish, but by myself, for my customers in 

 England. W, Engelmann." 



Leipzig, Oct. 25. 1850. 



I also enclose the original, for the benefit of 

 Mr. De Morgan, if he is not satisfied. 



Anotiikr EofluiGN Bookseller. 



News (Vol. ii., p. 81.). — Much wit and inge- 

 nuity have been wasted on this word. It seems 



