308
NOTES AND QUERIES. [I2s.ii.ocr.i4.i9i6.
"CADEAU" = A PRESENT. The ' X.E.D.'
furnishes, no earlier instance of the introduc-
tion of this word than that found in the
' Ingoldsby Legends.' Fanny Burney, not
yet Madame D'Arblay, had written in
August, 1790 : " I believe [the Princess] had
no cadeau that gave her equal delight "
(' Diary,' &c., ed. 1905, iv. 415).
RICHARD H. THORNTON.
GLOVES : SURVIVALS OF OLD CUSTOMS. In the third volume of ' L'Archeologie Fran- caise,' by M. C. Eulart, which deals with costume in the Middle Ages, I read at p. 256:
" II etait considere comme scandaleux a la tin du XI* siecle d'entrer gante k 1'eglise, et c'etait encore une grave insulte au XI V e de ne pas se deganter pour sejrer la main d'un ami." I think we may see the remains of the former custom in the Catholic practice of removing one's gloves before approaching the Com- munion-rail to receive the Sacrament. The latter custom seems to survive in England, where the forrmila "Excuse my gloves" always astonishes a Frenchman when he first comes across it. P. TURPIN.
Folkestone.
WORDS IN NEWSPAPERS. I am
glad that ' X. & Q.' is protesting against the
needless, and in some cases incorrect, use of
certain words that are constantly appearing
in the newspapers. I am offended by the
following to select but a few :
Annihilate. E.g., " After a body of men have been annihilated, there is always a large number that escapes."
Decimate. This word is generally made to imply almost entire destruction.
Asphyxiating Gas. Written inaccurately instead of " irritant gas," a very different matter.
. Orienting. This word is used in a way that sometimes becomes utterly ridiculous, as, e.g., we were told some months ago that " Bulgaria was orienting towards the Central Powers." W. B. S.
NAPOLEON AND SUGAR. The present high price of sugar in England may recall the fact that there was a similar scarcity in France during the later period of the Napoleonic wars. The emperor sought to aim a blow at British commerce and the colonies by encouraging the manufacture of sugar from beet-root. A smart caricature was pub- lished on the occasion, in which the little King of Rome was represented sitting on his nurse's lap, chewing a huge beetroot, while the nurse encouraged him by saying :
' ; Mangez, mangez toujours, mon petit roi ;
votre papa dit que c'est du sucre." Beet-
root sugar was then, of course, a novelty.
ANDREW DE TERNANT.
36 Somerleyton Road, Brixton, S.W.
(Q items.
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.
FISHING -ROD IN THE BIBLE OR TALMUD.
There is no express mention of a fishing-rod
in the Old Testament or New Testament r
though some passages have been supposed to
imply its use. Nor, to judge by S. Kraus>
(' Talmudische Archaologie,' 1910), is the rod
mentioned in the Talmud. The opinion of
your learned correspondent MB. M. L. R.
BRESLAR on both points would be much
valued. S. LANE-POOLE.
W T ILLIAM BELL. I shall be glad of in- formation about William Bell, described in S. Redgrave's ' Dictionary* of Artists of the English School ' as " portrait and history painter." J know what is said about him there, and also in Bryan's ' Dictionary/ It appears that
he found a patron in Lord Delaval, and painted! two views of his Lordship's mansion, Seaton Delaval, and several whole-length portraits of his family."
Do these pictures still exist, and if so, where are they ? PHILIP N GERMAN.
45 Evelyn Gardens, S.W.
EPITAPHS IN OLD LONDON AND SUBURBAN- GRAVE YARDS. Is there any comprehensive collection of such inscriptions made before the general craze for their destruction set in at the end of last century ? The collections for Lambeth, Battersea, &c., recently pub- lished in ' N. & Q.' are most interest ing and valuable, and should excite imitation. L'n- fortunately, so many of our old London churchyards have, I fear, disappeared f leaving no trace behind them.
Can any contributor to ' N. & Q.' kindly inform me if a collection has been made of the epitaphs in the churchyard of St. Anne's, Limehouse ? When I visited that interesting old church, now in the midst of an asphalted playground looking far more dismal than when it was sur- rounded by a " God's Acre " I noticed that almost all the tombstones were more or less defaced, and covered up with rubbish against
