a'"" S. VI. 134., July 24. '58.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



69 



me and pray for me. Written by the dying hand of some- 

 times tli3' brother, now by thee overthrown. 



" .Joux Morgan." 



Indorsed, " Mr, Morgan's letters written before 

 bis death." 



THE BERNERS-STEEET HOAX. 



Would any reader of "N". & Q." inform me 

 from whence we derive the word hoax, which I 

 believe has been added to our vocabulary in the 

 present century ? My attention to this term has 

 been attracted by observing, in "Memoirs of Rev. 

 R. H. Barham " (^Ingoldsby Legends), that a trick, 

 which has had none to parallel it, was contrived 



by the late Theodore Hook and Henry H , 



formerly of Brazen- nose College, with Mr. Bar- 

 ham. It may not be unacceptable to many of 

 your readers to know some particulars of this 

 prodigious and completely successful imposition, 

 which took place on November 26, 1810. The 

 subject of it was most unfairly a very respectable 

 lady in Berners Street, (it was said of the name of 

 Tottingham,) but the situation being centrical was 

 considered to have led to the spot being deter- 

 mined upon. Very early in the morning wag- [ 

 gons, some with coals and others with furniture 

 from upholsterers, began to arrive, as well as 

 hearses with coffins, and trains of funeral coaches ; i 

 also tribes of professional men of every imagin- j 

 able class. At noon the Rt. Hon. Joshua Jona- 

 than Smith, the Lord Mayor, with full equipage 

 drove up, " to take the affidavit of the lady, who 

 from illness could not attend at the Mansion 

 House." Six stout men bearing an organ ; cart- 

 loads of wine ; drays with beer ; carpet manufac- 

 turers, coach and clock makers, curiosity dealers, 

 and in short agents and tradesmen of every de- 

 nomination, were made dupes of, and in the rear 

 almost a myriad of servants "wanting places" 

 helped to increase the crowd. The unfortunate 

 victims of this dupery were so impacted together 

 that they were unable to make their escape, and 

 were compelled for many hours to endure the 

 gibes and jeer.-j of the unpitying mob. Till late 

 at night the whole neighbourhood was a scene of 

 confusion beyond description. Delta. 



ifltnor <a«erteS. 



Swift Family. — AVhere shall I find the most 

 complete collection of genealogical facts relative 

 to that family of Swift of which the great hu- 

 morist was so illustrious a member ? I am 

 anxious to be in possession of all that is already 

 known preparatory to commencing some genealo- 

 gical researches which I contemplate. 



About ninety years ago a person of the name 

 of John Swift was in business as a sail-cloth 



manufacturer at Whitby; he married Mary Col- 

 lins, (laughter of Collins, a farmer at Pen- 

 dleton, near Manchester. This John Swift's 

 father was a Yorkshireman, and is believed to 

 have been a farmer. Whether he occupied his 

 own laud or rented a farm is not known. It is 

 certain that he dwelt for the greater portion of his 

 life in his native county. A member of the fiimily 

 who was an accomplished genealogist compiled a 

 pedigree of the family, which demonstrated that 

 these Swifts were of the same race as the Dean. 

 This gentleman's papers were lost, destroyed, or 

 stolen some years ago. I should be glad of any 

 information relative to the ancestors of John Swift.' 

 As a foundation for farther investigation, it is very 

 important to know where John Swift was born, 

 where his father lived, and what was his father's 

 Christian name. Edward Peacock. 

 The Manor, Bottesford, Brigg. 



Bulgarian, Sfc, Names. — I shall be thankful 

 to any correspondent of " N. &. Q." who will 

 kindly tell me the meaning of the terminating 

 syllable, vo or va, so frequently occurring in the 

 names of places in the Turkish Principalities and 

 in Albania, &c. 



I give at random some of the names in question, 

 viz., Orsova, Rahova, Rassova, Craiva, Bresova, 

 Hirsova, Sistova, Petrova, Irnova, Orschova, Mo- 

 rava, Margorova, Telova, Turnova ; Giurgevo, 

 Tettovo, Mezzovo, Mavrovo. Is it the old Scla- 

 vonic plural ? A. C. M. 



Columbus. — I have a picture representing a 

 man of somewhat under thirty, which I imagine 

 may be a portrait of the "long-visaged, grey-eyed 

 Genoese mariner " by one of the elder Bellenis. 

 It bears a device of a comb with two cockle-shells. 

 What I ■msh to ask is, whether any of your readers 

 have met with this device in connexion with 

 any representation of Columbus ? W.e are told 

 that his fiither was a woolcomber, and that he, the 

 son, worked at the trade, and that he did not 

 bear arms till they were given him by Ferdinand. 



M. P. 



"Pleasure lies in its pursuit.'" — Where is this 

 line to be found ? Shakspeare expresses the same 

 thought in the Merchant of Venice, Act II. So. 6. : 



"All things that are, 

 Are with more spirit chased than enjoyed." 



Eirionnach. 

 Quotation wanted. — 



"The maiden's majesty, at Art's commands, 

 Inspires the marble, and Athena stands." 



M. (1.) 



Perham, Sussex. — Wanted information as to 

 the situation of Perham in Sussex, said to have 

 once belonged to Sibilla, wife of Herbert; how 

 Herbert became possessed of Perham, and who 

 his wife was ; and any dates as to the time of 



