Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/593

9” S- VI- DIG- 22. 1900-J NOTES AND QUERIES. 493 “family ” Prefix, we have A.-S. wise or w;/sc- apiece of and, which gives us the name Vish. Compare wische O.H.G. wisa, M.H.G. wwf. G. ynese-meadowland, pastureland. Huish E§iscopi has its paralle in such a name as xshopsworth, also in Somerset. HY. HARRISON. “QLANTED ALR” (9"’ S. vi. 367, 411 .- See1ng_that urine, the world over, us to be, or ishreggrded as a stimulant-Bourke’s Scatologic _ ltes of all Nations’ giving abundant evidence of the fact-there surely is nothing improbable in its being used in the brewing of ale. Such a practice would die hard-in country places at any rate. That which lay at the back of the custom would, of itself, ensure its vitality. W. B. Referring to MR. MOSELEY’S remarks on the medicinal properties of urine, I may say that atDevc;nshiree;]voman, scéme fifteen years 580, 8 rong y urg me to i my chapped hands in xt. W. é)UR.ZON YEO. Richmond, Surrey. A reference to the practice of addin urine to_ale will be found in the ‘Oxford lgnglish D1ct1onary,’ under ‘ Chamber-lye.’ BENJ. WALKER. Gravelly Hill, Erdington. “ SMOUS ” (9"" S. vi. 409).-This is a Yiddish term, and like other Yiddish terms is not con- fined to English, but occurs also in other Teu- tonic languages ; thus in Dutch it is smous, in Dano-Norwegian smaus, in German sc/zmaus or schmus. The best accounts of it are those in the great German etymolo ical dictionaries, such as those of Grimm, Kiluge, or Sanders. It is not a corrluéition of “ Moses,” but is from a Hebrew wo meanin “ news,” “ tales,” DIXHPW, which in the modgrn 'argon became specifically associated with the rsuasive P|'0f0S8l0Il8»l “rlpatter ” of the J ewishebrokers hawkers, &c. hence, by an easy and natural transition, it assed into the sense of “ J ew.” Capt. Grose 8823) defines it as “a German Jeyy.” _ Leland and Barrere (1889) write of “X iddish or Schmussen” as if these two words were synonyms, but this, I believe, is not correct. JAMES PLATT, Jun. ‘ According to Dr. Johannes F ranck’s Ettymologisch Woordenboek der Neder- lan sche ' aal ’ this word is from the Hebrew 8€’71n6~12t{¢,_1neaning “ talk,” “ ersuasion.” The East l*r1s1an smaus and the Modern High German sch-mils are used with a similar sense. In Modern Dutch smous is a ver common nickname for a Jew, and is very iirequentl used to indicate a swindler or a usurer. T think the word ma have been imported into England from t-he Bow Countries. J. F. B. The inter retation of this word is given simply in G)rose’s ‘ Dictionary of Buckish Slang,’ &c., as “ German Jew.” F. G. HILTON PRICE. l, Fleet Street. THR UPHILL Z1ezAe (9**‘ S. vi. 388).-An illustration of equine sagacity is shown in our streets by slow-moving cart and waggon horses, who rertinaciousl occupy the line of tram-car rai s to the hindlsnce of legitimate traffic, the gain being in the ease tc the rollin -or rather lumbering-wheels. The animis see the iron rails in advance follow- ing the line ° and I infer that if our more crowded roadways were aved in imitation of such lines, the animall; would naturally adapt themselves thereto, and follow on in lineal succession-like rank and file. This would lessen disorder. A. HALL. This is a case of training with carthorsesi though a horse left to rest himself on a hil will generally “ slant” across the road. B. FLORENCE SCARLETT. INDEPENDENT COMPANY or INvAL1Ds (9“‘ S. vi. 429).-Among family papers we have two warrants relating to this company. The first is dated St. James, 8 November, 1756, and appoints Mathew Bishop, sent., to be lieutenant of the Independent ompany of Invalids doing duty in the island of Guernse (Graham captain) The second is datedy Savile House, 27 October, 1760, appointing Mathew Bishop, gent., to be lieutenant of the 82nd Regiment of Invalids, commanded by Col. Parker (signed by his Majesty`s command, Holdernesse). The will of Mathew Bishop the elder was proved 1763. He describes himself as of Diddington, Oxford, gent., and lieutenant in Capt. James Graham’s Company of Col. John Parker’s Regiment of Invalids, quartered in the island of Guernsey. Further particulars of the company will, I believe, be found at the Record Oflice, Chancery Lane (Army List Index). FRED. HITCRIN-KRMP. In the year 1773 there were twenty-six Independent Companies of Invalids, each having a captain, a lieutenant, and an ensign; and they were independent in the sense that they did not form part of any regiment or battalion. They were composed of soldiers whose health had been impaired by old age, or service in bad climates, or war service, or wounds. Four of these companies