10 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2«'»S. VI. 131., Julys. '5?. 



Pennsylvania and the Acadian Exiles. — In the 

 edition of Lonorfellow's Evangeline, published in 

 London in 1853, a note is introduced in which it 

 is alleged that after the landintj of a number of the 

 French neutrals in Philadelphia, " the govern- 

 ment of the colony, to relieve itself of the charge 

 such a company of miserable wretches would re- 

 quire to maintain them, proposed to sell them 

 with their own consent." 



AVilliam B. Reed, Esq., of this city, now the 

 Minister of the United States in China, in an 

 essay upon " The French Neutrals in Pennsyl- 

 vania," published by the Historical Society of 

 Pennsylvania in their late volume of Contributions 

 to Amei'ican History, disproves this statement in 

 the fullest manner, showing that these exiles were 

 treated with great kindness in Philadelphia, al- 

 though there were prejudices against them, both 

 as Frenchmen and Romar^Catholics, in the minds 

 of many, and that their support cost the province 

 a sum equal to 7000Z. Pennsylvanian currency, 

 equal to more than 18,000 dollars of our present 

 currency. Uneda. 



Philadelphia. 



Kilhemiy Theatre. — I think the following will 

 be worth a place in " N. & Q." 



" KILKENNY THEATKE P.OYAI,. 



(The last night, because the company go to-morrow 



to NYaterford.) 



On Saturday, May 14, 1793. 



Will be performed, b3- command of several respectable 



people iu this learned" metropolis, for the benefit of Mr. 



Kearus, 



THE TRAGEDY OF HAMLET. 



Originally written and composed by the celebrated Dan. 

 Hayes, of Limerick, and inserted in Shakspeare's works. 



Hamlet by Mr. Kearns (being his first appearance in that 

 character), who, between the acts, will perform several 

 solos on the patent bagpipes, which play two tunes at 

 the same time. 



Ophelia by Mrs. Prior, who will introduce several favourite 

 airs in character, particularly the "Lass of Richmond 

 Hill," and "We'll all be unhappy together," from the 

 Rev. Mr. Dibdin's Oddities. 



The parts of the Queen and King, by the direction of the 

 Rev. Father O'Callaghan, will be omitted, as too im- 

 moral for any stage. 



Polonius, the comical politician, by a young gentleman, 

 being his lirst appearance in public. 



The Ghnst, the Gravedigger, and Laertes by Mr. Simpson, 

 the great London comedian. 



The characters to be dressed in Roman shapes. 



To which will be added, an Interlude, in which will be 

 introduced several sleight of hand tricks, by the cele- 

 brated surveyor Hurt. 



The whole to conclude with the farce of 



MAHOMET THE IMPOSTER. 



Mahomet by Mr. Kearns. 



Tickets to be had of Mr. Kearns, at the sign of the Goat's 



Beard in Castle-street. 



,*» The value of the tickets, as usual, will be taken (if 



required) in candles, soap, butter, cheese, &c., as Mr. 



Kearns wishes, in every particular, to accommodate the 

 public. 



N.B. No person whatsoever will be admitted into the 

 boxes without shoes or stockings." 



S. R. 



Corpus Christi, or Fctc-Dieu. — To trace the 

 origin of the Fete-Dieu we have to go back to the 

 Middle Ages, and from what is published on the 

 subject* we find that its birthplace is Liege, and 

 "ather the following incidents respecting it. 



In the beginning of the thirteenth century a 

 nun of the convent at Cornillon, Julienne by 

 name, saw one night the moon in her brightest 

 colours, and divided in the middle by a black 

 line. Not being able to solve this mystery, and 

 having consulted other nuns .and monks, without 

 being the wiser for it, she at last had a special re- 

 velation to this effect. A voice from heaven told * 

 her — 



" That the militant Church was prefigured by the moon ; 

 that the black line obscuring her brightness in part, sig- 

 nified that there was another holy fete wanting in the 

 Church; that God wished to have it instituted; that 

 this fete was the most august and most holy s.icranient 

 of the altar ; that Maundy Thursday was to be destined 

 for its celebration, but on account of so nianj- different 

 solemnities celebrated on that day, anotlier day ought to 

 be substituted and observed by all Christendom, and that 

 for three reasons. First, because the belief in divine 

 mysteries, which might diminish in after ages, should be 

 confirmed; secondly, that those who love and seek the 

 truth might be instructed the more, and gather strength 

 to advance in the way of virtue ; thirdly, that the irre- 

 verence and impiety which were dany committed against 

 the majest}' of this sacrament might be amended and ex- 

 piated hy a profound and sincere adoration." 



It was not until the year 1241 that this fete 

 was celebrated for the first time at Liege by the 

 Canons of St. Martin ; and Urban IV., by his 

 papal authority [between 1262 and 1264], pub- 

 lished a bull in favour of it, making it at the same 

 time incumbent on all churches to celebrate it 

 solemnly, and granting one hundred dayts' indul- 

 geTice to all who take part in the services of the 

 day. Julius Kesslee. 



Birmingham. 



«aucr(c5. 



gwilltm's " heraldry." 



The original MS. of this work is said to have 

 been deposited in the library of the Earl of Car- 

 lisle at Naworth, but I have a memorandum that, 

 about the year 1833, it was in the hands of the 

 late Thomas Rodd, bookseller. The first edition 

 was in 1610 (not 1611, as stated by Moule), and 

 there were subsequent editions in 1632, 1638, 1660, 

 1679, and 1724. Gwillim having died in 1621, had 

 not the supervision of any edition after the first, but 



* Histoire de Plnsiitution de la Fete-Dieu, par le R. P. 

 i^ Bertholet, Lifege, 1846, 



