40 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 90. 



side of the blade to its surface, with one smart stroke 

 broke it in two." 



Is this a good test of a sword blade ? Would 

 any sword stand it ? 



Would the 1'oledo blade, at the Crystal Palace, 

 that rolls up into the form of a serpent, bear it ? 



^Vhat is the usual test of a good blade ? 



Ensis. 



9. Shelley s Children. — Are any of Shelley's chil- 

 da-en, by his first wife, still living, and where? — a 

 friend of mine, who was her companion, having a 

 relic of her, which she would gladly give into their 

 possession. Philo. 



10. Ackey Trade. — I have in my cabinet a silver 

 coin (shilling size) which has on the obverse, be- 

 sides the bust of the king, the date 1818, and the 

 legend, the following under the head (between it 

 and the legend), "^ Ackey Trade.;" and I shall be 

 glad to have an explanation of what is meant by 

 the " -4cAe;/ Trade?" The reverse has the arms 

 and crest of the African Company. The legend 

 is " Free Trade to Africa by Act of Parliament, 

 1750." J. N. C. 



11. Basherville the Printer. — I was informed in 

 1835, by a friend living at Birmingham, that the 

 coffin containing the body of tliat celebrated 

 printer was then lying in a timber yard in that 

 town tmder a pile of deals — a fitct which was 

 well known there. 



Is it still in the same place ? And why ? And 

 is there any portrait, engraved or otherwise, of 

 him ? Mr. Merridew of Coventry, and others, 

 have assured me there was not. G. C. 



12. Statue of Charles II. — What became of the 

 fine statue of Charles II. on horseback which 

 formerly stood in Stock's Market, the site of the 

 present Mansion House ? 



It was placed on a conduit at the " sole cost 

 and charges of that worthy citizen and alderman. 

 Sir Robert Viner, Barti" I have seen a print of 

 it, folio. (London, pitb. 1708.) G. Ceeed. 



13. La Mere Jeanne. — In Ilallam's Literatrtre of 

 Europe, 2nd edition, vol. i. p. 461., I read this 

 passage : — 



" Two crude attempts .it introducing the Eastern 

 tongues were made soon afterwards (1530). One of 

 these was by William Postel, a man of some parts, and 

 more reading ; but chiefly known, while he was rr- 

 membered at all, for mad reveries of fanaticism, and 

 an idolatrous veneration for a saint of his own manu- 

 facture, La Mere Jeanne, the Joanna Southcote of the 

 sixteenth century." 



Has any account of the character and proceed- 

 ings of " La Mere Jeanne " been handed down to 

 us ; and, if so, where is it to be found ? 



Henkv H, Bkeen. 



St. Lucia, June, I8i!l, 



14. 3fan of War, why a Ship of War so called. — 

 Will any of your readers inform me the origin of 

 a ship of a certain number of guns being called 

 " a man of war ?" In Shakspeare the term is ap- 

 plied to FalstaflT: Davy inquires of Shallow : 



" Doth the man of war stay all night. Sir?" 

 And it is singular to remark, in the same scene, 

 the first of Act V., the Second Part of Henry IV., 

 that the dinner ordered by Shallow ibr Falstaff is 

 just such as any country gentleman would now 

 provide for an unexpected guest : — 



" Some pigeons, Davy ; a couple of short-legged 

 hens ; a joint of mutton ; and any pretty little tiny 

 kickshaws, tell William cook." 



The only difference is the sex of the cook, as 

 country gentlemen in these days have females in 

 that capacity. An M. D. 



15. Secret Service Money of Charles II. — In 

 ]Mr. Akerman's preface to this work, just published 

 by the Camden Society, I find this passage : 



" Amongst these (sums lavished on female favourites) 

 the payments to the Duchess of Portsmouth are most 

 conspicuous. No less a sum than 136,(588/. \0s. ap- 

 pears to have been bestowed by the profligate monarch 

 on this woman within the space of one year." — See Pay- 

 ments U7tder the year 16'81, p. 42. 



Now, on turning to the year and page desig- 

 nated, I find that the whole of the class in which 

 the Duchess's name appears amounts for that year 

 only to about 22,000/., of which the Duchess of 

 Portsmouth appears to have received about 12,000 

 in several quarterly payments on account of an 

 annual pension or pensions of that amount: so in 

 other years. This is a very different sum from 

 136,000/. I would beg leave to inquire of the 

 editor, or of any of your Camdenite correspon- 

 dents, whether there is an error in Mr. Akerman's 

 statement, or only in my way of reading it ? C. 



16. Hampton Court. — ]\Iiss Strickland, in the 

 Queens of England, after saying that the Queen 

 (Elizabeth of York, Henry Vll.'s wife) had stayed 

 at Hampton Court eight days, continues : 



" It is worth noticing that Hampton Court was a 

 favourite residence of Elizabeth of York long before 

 Cardinal Wolsey had it.'' 



Now, in the Crcntlemans Magazine for January, 

 1834, is a copy of the lease from the prior of St. 

 John of Jerusalem to Cardinal Wolsey of their 

 manor of Hampton Court, it having been in the 

 possession of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John 

 since 1211, when Joan Lady Grey left it by will 

 to that order. Where, then, 'was Elizabeth of 

 YorVs residence ? Did she hold a lease of the 

 manor and manor-house of Hampton of the 

 Knights Hospitallers ? Or was there another 

 royal residence in that locality ? Tee Bee. 



