268
NOTES AND QUERIES. [[12 s. i. APRIL i, me.
body, and on the first joint of the second finger
a ring of cable pattern is shown. Is not this
an unusual position for an episcopal ring ?
The work on the glass is very rough, and it
is possible a mistake has been made by the
artist as to both the pattern of ring and its
position. WILLIAM PEABCE, F.S.A.
Perrott House, Pershore.
ACTION ON WATER OF FROGS AND TOADS. In South Africa it was a common belief that frogs and toads purify the water in which they live, and apparently the belief is held in Great Britain also. What is the origin of this, and is there any justification for it ? ALFRED S. E. ACKERMANN.
WARING. Can any contributor tell me where I may find information about the Warings, or if they formed any settlements in Yorkshire ? I cannot find anything about them. H. BEWLAY.
AUTHORS WANTED. The British Museum and the Bodleian Library possess a book entitled : " Omar : or the Captive's Escape ; an allegory. By a Citizen of Oxford. Lon- don, 1852." 8vo. Is it known by whom it w r as written ? E. S. DODGSON.
Oxford Union Society.
Who is the author of the poem which begins as follows, and where could a copy be obtained ?
Hard blew the wind, and far as eye could strain No living thing was left upon the main Save one poor, feeble, solitary bird, With plaintive scream upon the breezes heard. (Mrs.) E. A. DODSON. Wootton Rectory, Northampton.
LYKE WAKE DIRGE.
This ae nighte, this ae nighte. I shall be grateful for information concerning this " Lyke Wake Dirge." What is its date ? In ' The Songs of the North ' it is said to belong to the North of England. How should " nighte " and " lighte " be pronounced ? I have been told that it is a Scots ballad, in which case these words would be pronounced, I should imagine, " nicht " and " licht." Where are there any notes on the ballad ? I have found it in several collections, but without notes on it, except in one collec- tion, which classed it among supernatural ballads, and said it voiced a belief common to Asiatic and European peoples.
R. L. RANKINE.
10 Raddlebarn Lane, Selly Oak, Birmingham.
[A reference to Sir E. B. Tylor's 'Primitive Culture,' vol. i. p. 495 (4th edition), may be useful.]
LARCKIN. Larckin Gordon was
tant judge of Common Pleas, Jamaica, and
one of the magistrates of Clarendon parish,
Middlesex county, and died about 1785. He
is believed to have been the son of a Jacobite
named William Gordon who emigrated to
Jamaica. Where did he get the curious
name of Larckin ? Is it Irish ?
J. M. BULLOCH.
123 Pall Mall, S.W.
" PARTED BRASS - RAGS." Punch for March 15, in recording Col. Churchill's remarkable speech in the House of Commons on March 7, when he advised the Govern- ment to make Lord Fisher again First Sea Lord, represents the former as saying that " they had * parted brass-rags ' over Gallipoli, it was true." The expression " parted brass-rags " seems to be due to Punch, as it did not appear in The Daily Telegraph's lengthy report of Col. Churchill's speech. The meaning is obviously that Col. Churchill and Lord Fisher had parted on bad terms ; but what is the origin of the phrase in Punch ? J. R. THORNE.
GEORGE BYNG, M.P. FOR NEWPORT. Who was this George Byng who represented Newport in the Isle of Wight from January to June, 1790 ? Was he the George Byng who afterwards represented Middlesex for over fifty years, and was Father of the House of Commons from 1832 until his death in 1847 ? G. F, R. B.
MAJOR THOMAS DILKES OF THE 49TH FOOT. I wish to obtain the date of his birth, and full particulars of his parentage. When and where did he die ? G. F. R. B.
AUTHOR OF SONG WANTED. Who wrote the words to the song :
In Cawsand Bay lyins: With the blue peter flying ?
These are, I believe, the opening lines. I was told it was by Dibdin, but do not find it included in his poems. N. W. I][ILL.
THE ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT. What is the origin of the Garter motto encircling the badge of the Royal Sussex Regiment, and did the prefix " Royal " originate with this and other line regiments ? P. D. M.
DR. CHARNOCK'S LIBRARY. Is anything known about the fate of the library of the late Dr. Richard Stephen Charnock, the well-known author, for many years a valued contributor to ' N. & Q.' ? I am particu- larly interested in a book which he had in his collection, and of which I cannot discover another copy. L. L. K.
