74 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
a i a a ee 
Paul Jones's Sword.—That noted flibustier and 
: : a Ses 
pirate, after landing at the Earl of Selkirk’s seat 
in Scotland, and carrying off the plate, during the 
- @ oe * 
American war, &e., visited Paris; and la Cour 
prevailed on Louis XVI. to present him with a 
sword, which Jones, in his usual bombast style, 
describes as follows : 
“ M. le Comte de Maurepas m’informa, que sa Majesté 
avait résolu de me conférer quelques marques particu- 
litres de sa bonté royale, et de son estime personelle; 
c’était une épée d’or, sur laquelle étaient gravées ces paroles 
extrémement flatteuses: Vindicati maris Ludovicus XVI. 
remunerator strenuo vindiei, avec les armes de sa Majeste, 
les attributs de la guerre, et les emblémes de Valliance 
entre la France et l’Amérique, etc.”— Mémoires de Paul 
Jones, écrits en Anglais par lui-méme, et traduits sous ses 
yeux par le Citoyen André, Puris, Van VI. (MIpcoxcvul.) 
Can any reader of “N. & Q.” inform me 
whether this sword be now in existence, and in 
whose possession it is ? W. 
Derivation of “ -reth,” ‘ Shepreth,” §c.— What 
are the derivation and meaning of the names of 
the two following places, Shepreth and Meldreth ? 
They are two road-side stations, between Cam- 
bridge and Royston. What does the termination 
-reth signify? I do not at this moment remem- 
ber its occurrence in any other local name; it 
occurs in the family name, Brandreth. W. I. M. 
Justicia of Aragon.— Perhaps one of the 
readers of “N. & Q.” can supply some informa- 
tion with regard to one of the most interesting 
and peculiar officers in any country of Europe— 
the Justiza of Aragon. 
I am unable to form an exact notion of the ex- 
tent of his powers, as the accounts given in many 
well-known books that treat of the subject are in 
almost every case very discrepant. For instance, 
the large powers attributed to the Justiza by 
Robertson are denied by Dunham, in his “ Com- 
pendium of the History of Spain” (Lardner’s 
Cabinet Cyclopedia). The opinion of Hallam again 
appears opposed, in some measure, to Robertson ; 
but not in so great a degree as that of Dunham. 
Tt is difficult to obtain from Zurita and Blancas a 
clear insight into this very anomalous institution ; 
and although Prescott, in his Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella, has thrown some light on the matter, the 
question will, I think, admit of farther elucida- 
tion.* M. BR. W. 
The White Cornet. — 
“ And the good Lord of Rosny has ta’en the cornet white ; 
Our own true Maximillian the cornet white hath ta’en; 
The cornet white, with crosses black, the flag of false 
Lorraine.” 
So sings Macaulay, in his stirring ballad of the 
battle of Ivry, but let us see what the “ good 
{* Aconcise but interesting notice of the Justicia is 
given in the Penny Cyclopedia, art. ARAGON, — Ep. ] 
Lord of Rosny” himself says concerning his ad- 
venture. Bleeding from seven wounds, his armour 
shattered, and mounted upon “a little paltry nag,” 
he encounters a party of the enemy : 
“T saw seven of the enemy coming straight towards 
me, one of whom carried the white standard belonging to 
the Duke of Maienne’s company. I thought it impossible 
to escape this new danger; and upon their crying Qui 
vive ? I told my name, as being ready to surrender myself 
prisoner. What was my surprise, when, instead of attack- 
ing me, I found four of these persons intreating me to re- 
ceive themselves for prisoners, and to save their lives! . . 
. ... Sigogne, in token of surrender, presented me with 
the white standard....... The white standard em- 
broidered with black flowers-de-luce was known by every 
one to be that of the Guises, which they bore in memory, 
and through horror of, the assassination of Blois, and 
attracted all, as to a prey equally rich and honourable.” — 
Memoirs of Sully, book 11. 
W. J. Bernuarp SMITH. 
Temple. 
Beeston (formerly De Beston and De Beiston), 
of Beeston: Dixon, of Beeston: Genealogical 
Queries. — My ancestor, Ralph Dixon, married 
Dorothy Brown, niece to Dorothy Beeston (who 
married Sheffield Savile, Esq., of the family of 
S. Earls of Sussex), and cousin to the first Earl 
of Strafford by the marriage of Kertherine Bees- 
ton with William Wentworth, of West Wood- 
house, Esq. She was lineally descended from A.-S. 
progenitors, through alliances with daughters of 
the families of Pilkinton of Lancashire, Langton 
of Farnley, Bosvile of Chevet, Green of Newby, 
Nevile of Leversedge, and Calbeck of .... My 
Queries are, Can I legitimately quarter the arms 
of these alliances? and, if so, what are the arms 
of Pilkinton, Green, and Calbeck ? 
R. W. Dixon. 
Seaton-Carew, co. Durham. 
W. S. Holmes. — Can you give me any account 
of the late William Sancroft Holmes, who selected 
the words for Mr. H. H. Pierson’s Oratorio of 
Jerusalem, performed for the first time at the 
Norwich Festival, 1852. R. J. 
American Dramatic Authors. — Can any of 
your American readers give me any information 
regarding the following American dramatic au- 
thors? 1. Gardner R. Lillibridge, author of 
Tancred, or the Rightful Heir of Iochdale Casile, 
printed in Rhode Island, 1824. 2. J.B. Dumont, 
author of The Invisible Witness, a play acted in 
1824. 38. Strong, author of The Fall of Itur- 
bide, a tragedy. 4. John Ingham, author of The 
Times, a dramatic piece. 5. Jane Wilson, author 
of Percy, a play, no date. 6. Mrs. Dearing, au- 
thor of Carabasset, a tragedy acted in Portland 
in 1831. 7. L. Beach, author of Jonathan Post- 
free, no date. 8. Mrs. Brown, author of The 
Pirate, a play, no date. These authors are all 
mentioned in “ The Catalogue of American Plays 
[24 8, No 4., Jan. 26, 56. 
