254
NOTES AND QUERIES. p*s.ni. APRIL 1/99.
week. The names of its days were Primidi,
Duodi, Tridi. Quartidi, Quintidi, Sextidi,
Septidi, Octidi, Nonidi, Decadi. M. A. R.
ME. SAINTHILL AND HIS BASQUE STUDIES (9 th S. iii. 109, 201). My attention has been drawn to a letter signed PALAMEDES at the last reference. In this occurs a letter tran- scribed by me from Sloane 4062, f. 147, and communicated to Dr. Garnett ; but some one has read my transcript wrong and changed the name of Don Rafael de Nicoleta into Micoleta. This unfortunate blunder has caused PALAMEDES to repeat the same mis- take no fewer than five times, and he actually refers to Nicoleta's MS. in the Harley collec- tion as being by Micoleta.
I fear the original blunderer was R. Nares in 1809, when he made the old catalogue of the Harley MSS., and, as usually happens, his error has been copied over and over again without any suspicion.
EDWARD J. L. SCOTT, Keeper of the MSS.
Mr. Sainthill, 1661, wrote to Sir Thomas Browne, "For their customes, you have seen them in Heyling," whereupon it is asked, "When was Sir Thomas Browne at Heyling?" This arises from a miscon- ception. Mr. Sainthill doubtless meant Dr. Peter Heylin's * Cosmographie,' in the fourth edition of which, folio, 1669, bk. i. pp. 217-9, will be found the account to which he referred, and which is still worth reading. The first edition of the ' Cosmographie ' is said to be 4to., 1622, first in folio, 1652. Sir T. Browne is quoted under ' Basquish ' in ' H.E.D.'
W. C. B.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF PURTON (9 th S. ii. 529). In the ' London Catalogue,' 1816- 1851, there are five works of E. A. Freeman, but not the book in question. It is likely it was not finished, but if it was, and published, there might be a chance of hearing of a copy, and if W. B. would like, I would try to find one. I presume he wishes to purchase the book. ALFRED J. KING.
101, Sandmere Road, Clapham, S.W.
A RELIC OF NAPOLEON (9 th S. iii. 3, 75, 175). Your correspondent seems to imply that there was no cast taken after the death of Napoleon on the island of St. Helena. Any one familiar with the excellent casts in exist- ence could scarcely doubt the fact that a cast must have been taken a few hours after death. One is to be found in the museum at Aston Hall, Birmingham. I have often noticed that the faces on the old Elizabethan monuments carved in alabaster have very
much the appearance of being carved from
a cast taken after death. Shakspeare's
monument at Stratford has very much this
appearance, as the full part of the eye seems
to have only the thickness of the top lid
removed to express the eye being open.
When carefully examined the top and
bottom lid look as if they had been closed,
there being no animation in each corner of
the eye, which is so important in the treat-
ment of a bust from life. I could give numbers
of illustrations where similar examples could
be found in the Elizabethan period in West-
minster Abbey, <fcc. It is noticeable that
casts after death were much more frequently
taken about the time of the death of Napoleon
and up to forty years ago than at the pre-
sent time. I remember in ray early boyhood
having often to accompany my master to
assist in taking casts. It was very surprising,
before the introduction of photography, how
few portraits comparatively were taken,
have often heard a family say the reason
they wanted a plaster cast was that they
had no portrait. CHARLES GREEN.
18, Shrewsbury Road, Sheffield.
MR. HARRY HEMS states that no record of a cast taken after death is remembered upon the isle of St. Helena at the present day. Again, his kind hosts, M. and Madame L. D. C. Morilleau, who reside on the spot, also never remember hearing the circumstance mentioned. I have a lithographic drawing of a cast of Napoleon's face taken after death by order of General Bertrand. I quote the words which are attached to this drawing :
After the death of Napoleon in the Island of S' Helena General Bertrand ordered a cast of Napoleon's face to be taken whilst he lay dead. Gen 1 Bertrand when arrived in France had some Portraits taken from this Cast by Mad e Jacotot, a Painter of Porcelaine at Sevres. From one of the said Portraits, now in the possession of Mr. Lewis Goldsmith of London, I have, with his per- mission, made the present Lithographic Drawing and composed the following lines in the native Language of Napoleon. F. PISTRUCCI.
30, Coventry Street.
I omit the lines, of which there are two verses, in Italian, as they have no bearing on the question. The above statement appears to me to upset MR. HEMS'S idea that no cast was taken of Napoleon's face after death. The date on which F. Pistrucci wrote the above statement is not given on the paper from which I have quoted. R. A. C.
Miss BESSIE RAYNER PARKES (9 th S. iii. 169). This lady, afterwards wife of M. Louis Belloc, a French barrister, published ' Poems,' 1855; 'Gabriel,' 1856; 'The Cat Aspasia,'
