Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/174

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. x. AUG. 29, 191*.


former ; others give the honour to it the site of the gravestone raised more than three thousand years ago over the body of Tea, t h< Milesian princess. She asked as her dower the hill of Tara, " and that her gravestone and mound might be raised thereon," " that she might be interred therein," and that there " every prince to be born of her race, should dwell for ever." WILLIAM MACABTHUR. 79, Talbot Street, Dublin.

REGIMENTS AND THEIR COLOURS IN TIME OF WAR. The Daily Chronicle of 17 August reminds one that the practice in the British Army of leaving the colours behind on talcing the field dates from the battle of Isandhlwana in 1879, when Lieuts. Melville and Coghill lost their lives in endeavouring to save the colours of the 24th Regiment. It would appear that in all other armies the regiments still take their colours into action ; or are there exceptions ? The Daily Chronicle states that " in the Franco -German War the Germans claimed to have taken 107 flags and eagles, while only losing one themselves."

A. N. Q.

BRAVE BELGIANS. A correspondent who recalls the fact that Julius Csesar described the Belgians as the bravest tribe among tho Gauls sends to The Daily Telegraph of the 18th inst. the following neat epigram : Caesar ait quondam," Gens sunt fortissima Belgse " ;

Atque hodie Kaiser testificatur idem.

X. Y. Z.

AN EARLY VIRGINIA COLONY. There is still a vague tradition of some such colony as is described in ' Eastward Hoe,' sig. E, 1605, prior to the Yorktown settlement :

" A whole Country of English is there man, bred of those that were left there, in 79. they haue married with the Indians, &make 'hem bring forth as beautifull faces as any we haue in England : and therefore the Indians are so inlouewith'hem, that all the treasure they haue, they lay at thei? feete."

An extravagant eulogy of Virginia follows. RICHARD H. THORNTON.

THE ROYAL EXCHANGE. (See 11 S. ii. 508; iii. 385; iv. 138, 176, 499; ix. 220.) One is glad to find that in the Royal Exchange has now been placed a neat oaken chest, with a glass case on the top, wherein are exhibited a few opened copies of Mr. Welch's exhaustive ' Illustrated Guide ' to the pictures in the ambulatory, with instruc- tions as to where to purchase the booklet at the modest cost of 6rf. This indication was much needed. No doubt the public will respond readily, for the Guide is of great assistance when inspecting this notable


gallery. It is sad to observe the prohibitive- notice excluding ladies from the Exchange, It is to be hoped the authorities may soon, see their way to a removal of the unwonted interdict. CECIL CLARKE.

Junior Athenasum Club.


WE must request correspondents desiring in- formation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries,, in order that answers may be sent to them direct.


SOPHIE ANDERSON. I wonder if any reader can give me any biographical details, relating to Sophie Anderson, an artist. She was born in 1823, and was the wife of Walter Anderson, also an artist. She painted the ' Elaine ' which is now in the Walker Art Gallery at Liverpool. She is not recorded in Bryan, nor Boase, nor Phillips, nor in the ' D.N.B.' Graves records her exhibits.

E. RlMBAULT DlBDIN. Walker Art Gallery.

GELHIA : A PLACE-NAME ? Among tl names of the earliest members of tl College occurs that of Herman de Gelria. Gelria looks like the name of a place, but 1 have been unable to locate it. Can any one help me ? He is described in one document as "Trajectensis dicecesis," of the diocese of Utrecht, which may afford an indication of the direction in which to look for Gelria. JOHN R. MAGRATH.

Queen's College, Oxford.

HARDEN S. MELVILLE was draughtsman on H.M.S. Fly when this ship was exploring the South Pacific, 1842-6, and published a series of drawings. Is it known what became of him after this ? There is no record in the ' D.N.B.' E.

THE " DUN Cow's RIB " IN STANION CHURCH. Has any palaeontologist examined the bone of abnormal size kept in St. Peter's Church, Stanion, near Thrapston ? It is described as being 7 ft. long and 9 in. across, quite flat, and of great thickness. Many people have conjectured it to be a whale's rib, but there are others who dis- agree. Is it not a whale's jawbone, of which many specimens are still to be found up and down the country ? According to a local legend, it is a rib which once belonged I to the village cow, which gave milk to- everybody, and always filled whatever | sized vessel was brought to her, till one day a witch brought a riddle and milked tha , cow into that, and killed her. L. L. K.