neither is it in my Latin copie, which I desire the reader to hold as authentic."

And Ray gives as a proverbial saying:

and refers to the mistake in Camden.^[3] Now it is

possible, that Dr. Fuller derived his estimation of the town of Banbury from Camden; still, as we know that Banbury in the seventeenth century had a character for Puritanism, he may have intended by the word zeal to refer to the sectarian spirit of the inhabitants. But what I would ask is, whether any events occurred in Banbury in the eighteenth century, which justify The Tatler in classing it among those places which were hot in the cause of the Church; and giving to the words of the "facetious divine," whom he quotes, a signification entirely different to that which must have been intended?

Also, where is the first mention of Banbury cakes? Did their reputation decline in the eighteenth century, and revive again afterwards; or had they a celebrity in early days to which the present age can present no parallel? The Banbury people would hardly assent to The Tatler's disparaging remark.

Erica.

Warwick.

Minor Queries.

Richardson or Murphy.—I have in my collection a portrait, purporting to be that of "Joseph Richardson, Esq., Barrister, and Member for Newport in Cornwall," engraved in line by W. J. Newton, from a picture by the late president, M. A. Shee, Esq., R.A.; and another impression, from the same plate, inscribed "James Murphy, Esq., Architect." Will any of your readers be good enough to inform me which of those gentlemen was the real Simon Pure, and what induced the alteration of name, &c.?

I could cite numerous instances of the same kind of trick having been practised, and may trouble you with further inquiries on a future occasion. At present I am anxious to ascertain whether I have got a genuine or spurious portrait in my portfolio of artists.

J. Burton.

38. Avenham Lane, Preston.

Legend attached to Creeper in the Samoan Isles.—Walpole, in his Four Years in the Pacific, mentions a creeper of most singular toughness, to which the natives attach a legend, which makes it the material employed by some fabulous ancestor to bind the sun, and which they term facehere, or Itu's cord, affirming that it cannot be broken "even by the white man, clever as he is." Mr. Walpole certainly failed in his attempts to clear a way through it. Will any of your botanical readers give me the proper name of the plant? and also of the "Giant Arum," which the same people call the king or chief of plants?

Seleucus.

Shearman Family.—Is there a family named either Shearman or Spearman in Yorkshire or in Wales? What are their arms? Is there any record of a member of this family settling in Ireland, county of Kilkenny, about the middle of the seventeenth century; his name, &c.? Are there any genealogical records concerning them?

James Graves.

Kilkenny.

American Fisheries.—Almost from the first settlement of the colony of Massachusetts Bay, this has been a troublesome question; and now that it is under the consideration of the English and American governments, it is to be hoped that it may be finally settled.

In June, 1623, a vessel arrived at Plymouth, Cape Cod, commanded by Admiral West, who had been sent from England for the sole purpose of preventing all persons, whether subjects of Great Britain or foreigners, from fishing on the coast, unless they had previously obtained permission for that purpose from the Council of New England. The admiral meeting with much opposition, and finding he could not settle the question in an amicable manner, left Plymouth in disgust, and sailed for southern Virginia. The colonists then appealed to Parliament, and an act was passed that the fisheries should be free.

Query, In what year was this act passed, and has the permission then granted ever been annulled?

W. W.

Malta.

Grindle.—What is the true meaning of this word, and are any other parts of the kingdom called thus? The one I allude to is still called "The Grindle," close adjoining the town of Bury St. Edmund's; and consists of an encampment and earthworks, very similar to several mentioned before in "N. & Q." under the articles "Grimsdyke" (Vol. iv., pp. 152. 331. 454.; Vol. v., p. 43. &c.). A local guide to the town (Gillingwater, p. 5.) gives the word Grim, a fortress=Grinneal, depths in the ground.

Can any reader of your valuable Notes give any further explanation of the word, or of its origin at Bury?

C. G.

A Gentleman executed for whipping a Slave to Death.—In the first volume of Eastern Europe, published in London by T. C. Newby, in 1846, it is thus recorded:

"During the administration of Spencer Perceval, on the 8th of May, 1811, the Honourable A. W. Hodge, a member of his Britannic Majesty's council at Tortola, was executed for the murder of one of his negroes by excessive flogging."

Might I ask if there is any other instance known of a gentleman's having suffered similar punishment for the same crime, during the period the West India islands were held as slave colonies of England?

W. W.

Malta.

Brydone.—A. J. C. would be glad to be informed of the birthplace of Mr. Brydone, the tourist and author. The biographies state that he was the son of a clergyman, and born in Scotland; but do not give the exact locus in quo.

"Clear the Decks for Bognie's Carriage."—The announcement, in Punch, that the Lords of the Admiralty had ordered a large supply of arm-chairs (of course on castors) for the use of our veteran commanders, has recalled to my recollection the above, which used to pass current in Banffshire, as a call for a clear stage. Can any of your readers tell us who was "Bognie;" what was his "carriage," and what the connexion between it and "decks?"

From the Neighbourhood of Bognie Brae.

London Queries.—Answers to the following Queries would very much oblige me.

The date when chains and bars were first erected for levying toll into the City of London.

The date of the erection of the first Temple Bar, its architect's name, and when pulled down