ing considerable geological antiquity in the parish of Dundonald, West of Scotland. Also Latimer ('Loc. Rec.,' p. 156) states that ornaments of coal have been found at Angerton in Northumberland associated with flint implements.

(2) The classical authors referring to coal are the Greeks Aristotle ('De Mirabilibus,' 33, 41, 125), Nicander (Theriaca,' 37), and Theophrastus (23-28). The impurity of the coal is, apparently, not exactly so expressed, but is to be inferred from the ample description given by Theophrastus, Reference may also be made to the English translation of 'De Re Metallica' by Agricola (rect. George Bauer), published, 1912, the editors' annotations being copious and illuminating.

A. J. H.

dealing with the supply of carmine which he says was obtained from two European insects of the family Coccidæ.

The second species is the Polish kermes (Porphyrophyra polonica), which once attained great celebrity under the name of the scarlet grains of Poland. The females of this insect frequent in great numbers the root of a plant belonging to the genus Scleranthus, and are common in many parts of Poland and Germany as well as in other districts of Central Europe. Towards the end of June the bodies of the females become greatly distended with a purple fluid and it was at this time of the great numbers for the dyer. Now, however, year that they were formerly collected in they are superseded in commerce by cochineal and lac, although it is probable that their product is still employed to a certain extent locally.

"STEW HOUSES": "HOT HOUSES"
"" berries
(cli. 29).—I remember reading, a long
while ago, in one of Ned Ward's works, a
description in coarsely humorous terms of

a visit to a bathhouse in London. I believe
the book was called The Humours of London

Town,' and the date late seventeenth or early eighteenth century.

F. WILLIAM COCK, M.D.

NOTE ON THE EXECUTION OF

CHARLES I (cl. 381).-Particulars of the supposed executioner will be found in Gentleman's Magazine, 1767 p. 584, and 1768, p. 10. Also N. and Q.' 3 S. ii. 168. R. R. A. W.

COATS FOR

IDENTIFICATION (cl. 424). Some of the coats of arms en

quired about by MR. LAWRENCE are not
given by Papworth exactly as blazoned but
the nearest are as follows:-
:-

1. Clemsby, or Foliot.

2. Probably Chastelon. 3. Spyne.

4. Probably a variety of Breton, Seaton or Mounteney.

5. Barke, Barkerolles, Catiff or Cayliff. 6. Baskerville, Beverly or Lucas.

H. B. CLEMENTS.

for them.

H. ASKEW.

KERMES.-A full description of these is given at p. 226 of Motherby's Medical Dictionary,' fourth edn., 1795. There are no less than twelve names given The dried insects, which our ancestors called berries," were moistened fluid or juice expressed and used either as with various vehicles, and the resulting a single medicine or else, combined with other drugs, as a compound one. It was supposed to be of a tonic nature, but when Motherby wrote it had long lost this character and was used, as it is now, as a colouring matter only.

Kermes or Chermes mineralis is the same as precipitated sulphide of antimony.

F. WILLIAM COCK, M.D.

JANSENIST CRUCIFIXES (cl. 27, 426).
-In spite of the remarks of HARMATO-
PEGOS, I venture to think that obscurantism
is out of place, even where the so-called
Jansenist crucifix is concerned.

Of the special bibliography upon the crucifix, the enquirer will find the eighteenpage illustrated article by A. Gazier (Les Christs prétendus Jansénistes,' in Revue de l'Art Chrétien, Paris, 1910, p. 77) informative.

The Library.

German Influence in the English Romantic
Period, 1788-1818. By F. W. Stokoe. (Cam-
bridge University Press. 12s. 6d. net.)
THIS study, as the title-page tells us las
special reference to Scott, Coleridge, Shelley
and Byron. In Shelley and Byron, Mr. Stokoe
finds a much more intelligent appreciation of
German literature than in Coleridge or Scott.
A good deal of the chapters on these English
poets is taken up with discussion of the value
of similarities in detail between works of
theirs and German works. Mr. Stokoe sees
more clearly than do many who pursue this
line of criticism that such similarities may or
may not signify real and important influence;
and he is also cautious about allowing that the
slighter degrees of similarity argue any in-
fluence at all. Some of the dicta he quotes
illustrate the absurdities into which the critic
of one idea may be led in this matter. It is
surprising that the chapter on Scott-the main
purport of which is very sound-should con-
tain no reference to The Antiquary,' where
German influence, as Mr. Stokoe understands
it, comes out strongest, though, to be sure,
with satiric intent. The Chapter on Coleridge
works out, rightly we believe, to the conclu-
sion that there was strong natural affinity
between Coleridge's mind and the general
character of leading contemporary thinkers in
Germany; but that the appearance of influence
from them, is reduced, upon closer examination
of Coleridge's work, to something more or less
superficial, and that despite the poet's fre
quent occupation with German literature.
Though his design does not admit of his
elaborating the consideration, our author
recognises that in estimating influence one
must take account of the whole range of
thought, knowledge, experience, study which
go to make up the mental life of any great
man of letters: a whole in which one may
easily assign effects to the wrong causes. We
count this recognition as a distinct merit.
The most useful chapter in our opinion is
that on William Taylor and Crabb Robinson.
The Introduction is, on the whole, a fine essay,
containing much stimulating thought and
several passages of eloquence; but occasionally
betrays in its style an absorption of German
influence greater than the English language
can easily bear.

Gray. Poetry and Prose. Edited by J. Crofts
(Oxford, Clarendon Press. 3s. 6d. net).

MR.
R. CROFT'S Introduction is an interesting
essay, but should, we think, have in-
cluded some notice of Horace Walpole's esti-
mate of Gray, for which there is plenty of
material. It represents better than Johnson
could the public Gray had in mind when

writing. We have Johnson's Life, followed by seven well-known criticisms on Gray from Goldsmith to Campbell. A dozen poems and forty-six letters are given: a good selection, illustrated with satisfactory notes.

JE have received from the Oxford Univer

We have res, on behalf of the University of Dacca, Mr. P. K. Guha's essay On two Pros blems in Shakespeare: Hamlet and Troilus and Cressida (1s. 6d. net) and Mr. B. K. Ray's paper The Character of Gawain, these being respectively No. ix and No. xi of the Dacca University Bulletin. Mr. Guha explains Hamlet's inaction as mainly brought about by shock to a generous idealistic view of human nature. We think he makes too much of this: yet agree that it is an element in Hamlet's mental state. The discussion of Troilus and Cressida is a sound piece of work. Gawain has been hardly dealt with by Tennyson, who took up and emphasized the blame which little by little had been accumulating upon a knight, who as he appears in the oldest ver sions of his story stands most worthily beside Arthur himself. Mr. Ray traces the process of deterioration, which began in France, and was brought into English romance first by Malory. Mr. Laurence Binyon, in Pamphlet No. 63 of the series published on behalf of the English Association by the Oxford Press (2s. net) discusses in a most stimulating way Tradition and Reaction in Poetry. His key thoughts are: "that some element of resistance stimulates and fortifies" and that "the spirit of art is against the spirit of the age." Our correspondent, Mr. G. A. Stephen, of the Norwich City Library, has printed in the form of a brochure his list of the books, pamphlets, and articles relating to Norfolk Archaeology which were published in 1924, contributed to vol. xxii of Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, and continuing his previous annual lists which number five. 1924 brought some good Horace Walpole items; description tion of James Woodforde's Diary; an Everyof Norfolk village life in Mr. Beresford's ediman edition of the Paston letters, and work on Sir Thomas Browne and George Borrow, besides some good studies in topography.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"

WE cannot undertake to answer queries. privately. APPROVED Queries' are inserted free of charge. Contributors are requested always to give their names and addresses, for the information of the Editor, and not necessarily for publication.

WHEN answering a query, or referring to an article which has already appeared, correspondents are requested to give within parentheses-immediately after the exact headingthe numbers of the series, volume, and page at which the contribution in question is to be found.

Printed and Published by the Bucks Free Press, Ltd., at their Offices. High Street
Wycombe, in the County of Bucks.

FOR READERS AND WRITERS, COLLECTORS AND LIBRARIANS. Seventy-Seventh Year.

well's head, 83-Ambling-Holborn: derivation, Culleton's Heraldic Office, Ltd.