158 NOTES ON A MINUTE BOOK. 



funds Avill l.e quoted presently. Eut now \vc turn to the Fuel 

 House. Its situation in the town is not indicated as far as can be 

 seen. Its purpose was the storage of fuel when cheap, to be sold 

 at a low price to the poor in wiii'ter. For intance on May 19, 

 1641, there is a memorandum of there being in store 30,000 

 "turffs" at 20s. per thousand, and 13,400 faggots at 30s. In 

 Ireland turfs would mean peats, but not here. There is indeed 

 peat in the West Ward ; l)ut the turfs came it seems from Puddle- 

 town Heath, where sphagnum grows only in small patches, now at 

 least. On May "ll, 1652, W. Levett is made overseer of the fuel 

 house, and he is " to go into the Heath the next weeke to buy 

 turfe and agree for the carridge of the said fewel." The turf was 

 doubtless the top " spit," comprising the heath, grass, and the roots 

 of the same. Such turf was used largely in my remembrance, if 

 not still. On March 29, 1650, it was reported that the sale of fuel, 

 during the past winter doubtless, produced £19 15s. lid., meaning 

 a loss of at least £10, as is gathered from other entries. We now 

 pass to the care of the poor in sickness. On Dec. 1, 1640, there 

 was an order to pay £5 to Peter Sala Nova for cutting off Giles 

 Garrett's leg. This sum was to come out of the £10 yearly payable 

 out of the hospital " for pious uses." Soon after, on Feb. 17, 1640 

 (1), there is another bill, of £6, from Capt. Sala Nova, as ho is 

 here called. This man's name occurs several times in the Archives 

 of Weymouth, where he seems to have lived. His name looks as 

 if he Avere from Italy, but he was in some way connected Avith 

 Ireland, To forestall one out of another group of quotations, on 

 Feb. 11, 164] (2), INIaster Mayor was requested to give, out of a 

 Fast day collection of £45, £3 to "Peter de Sala Nova his wife's 

 mother and sister and her husband wliich came lately out of the 

 Kingdom of Ireland for feare of the Rebelles." He was by no 

 means the only medical person employed. There Avas a quasi 

 " parish doctor " paid by the Mayor and Company. On Feb. 15, 

 1649 (50), Master Losse gets £8 as "fee as iihysician in taking 

 care of the poore of the Towne " for a year, for instance. Put 

 this toAvn doctor does not seem to have been always expected, or 



