Cocos Islands (Vol. vii, p. 67).-Besides the two groups of this name mentioned at the above entry (under "Fifteen Islands"), there is a very beautiful but uninhabited group of this name in the Pacific ocean, lat. 5° 32' 57" N., lon. 86° 58′ 22" W. F. N. E. F. Animal Calls (Vol. vii, p. 269, etc.)."Fannio: *** I shall imagine still I am driving an ox and an ass before me, and cry Phtroh ho, ptrough!" (Chapman's "Mayday," iv, 4, 1611). G. Born and Dead the Same Day (Vol. viii, p. 31).-Oliver Hazard Perry, the naval hero, was born on the 23d of August, 1785, and died the 23d of August, 1819, at the age of thirty-four precisely, of yellow fever, as his vessel was entering the harbor of Port Spain, Trinidad. ELIZABETH PRIOLEAU. GOMMUNIGATIONS. Patriotism and Publishing (continued from p. 44).*-Mr. Brotherhead has this year published an entertaining little volume, entitled "Forty Years Among the Old Booksellers of Philadelphia, With Bibliographical Remarks." In a truly philosophical spirit, he reviews his career since 1849, and notes the men and manners of days gone by. It is sad to reflect that, after he had achieved moderate success in his chosen walk of life, his ardent patriotism should have brought him into embarrassment. Having already published an illustrated "Book of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence," he prepared, at great outlay, an enlarged and enriched volume under the title, "The Centennial Book of the Signers." This sumptuous volume contained facsimiles of letters of nearly every one of those patriots of '76, who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to the cause of liberty. The book, however, was neglected by the book-buying public of 1876. The worthy compiler was financially embarrassed, and, as misfortunes never come singly, a severe accident injured *[The above heading seemed to us more appropriate for the concluding part of our correspondent's reply, p. 44.-ED. A. N. & Q.] his spine. He was compelled to relinquish his business, and, by his physician's advice, went abroad. His health was gradually restored, and on his return to Philadelphia he resumed his former business. J. P. LAMBERTon. Ralph; Its Correct Pronunciation. -It would seem that Lord Tennyson was much irritated during a recent interview by the fact that his visitor continually pronounced "Ralph" in the common English fashion, so as to rhyme with "safe." At length, he sharply corrected the speaker, emphatically pounding the table meantime. Commenting upon the Laureate's correction, Justin McCarthy says in Black and White: "I see that Lord Tennyson has been settling the question about the pronunciation of Ralph. It is Ralf-in pronunciationrhyming to laugh, he said. Well, of course, the lines, I had rather by half it had been Sir Ralph,' will occur to everybody. Still, I am certain that in Fulwell's old comedy, 'Like Will to Like,' printed in 1568, 'Rafe' Roister is a personage introduced, and he is taken clearly from Ralph RoisterDoister, the hero of the first regular English comedy, written some half century before. I fancy that in different localities the name is pronounced in different ways. I have often heard it pronounced Ralph,' with the letter '1' strongly intonated—as in the first syllable of the name of the new First Lord of the Treasury, Mr. Balfour." Jos. E. Akers ог Story? Hawthorne's Sculptor. I clip the enclosed from the New York Sun over the signature Elizabeth Akers: "In your correspondents' column in last Sunday's issue of The Sun, you state that Kenyon, the sculptor who figures in Hawthorne's Marble Faun,' was W. W. Story. While it is true that Story's statue of Cleopatra' is mentioned in the book, it is also true that the Pearl Diver' and the 'grand, calm head of Milton,' commented on at some length in the dialogue between Miriam and Kenyon in his studio, were not works of Story's but of the late Paul Akers, a personal friend of Hawthorne in Rome, a native of the same State, and an artist in whose studio Hawthorne often passed a social hour. In his Preface to the Marble Faun' Hawthorne expressly speaks of Mr. Akers, and credits these marbles to him. In the text of the romance the personal description of Kenyon is a portrait of Mr. Akers. "The Pearl Diver' is now the property of the Portland, Me., Art Society, and is in the Public Library building. The head of Milton was some years since presented to Colby University, Waterville, Me., by a dozen of its alumni." NEW YORK CITY. "MADISON Ave." He Origin of the "Blue Hen's Chickens.". "One of Delaware's most gallant fighters in the War of the Revolution was a Captain Caldwell, who was notorious for his fondness for cock fighting. drilled his men admirably, they being known throughout the country as 'Caldwell's gamecocks.' This same Caldwell held to the peculiar theory that no cock was really game unless its mother was a blue hen. As the months wore away Caldwell's men became known as the Blue Hen's Chickens,' a title which only increased their respect for the old gamecock Captain. The nickname became famous, and after the close of the war was applied indiscriminately to all natives of the Diamond State'" (Brandon Bucksaw). Poe in Pennsylvania German.-The Reading Times and Dispatch publishes an excellent translation of Poe's "Raven" in Pennsylvania German, by H. L. Fischer, of which we much regret that our space will not permit us to take more than the following stanzas: western Massachusetts and in Southern Vermont in the sense of untidy, dowdy, or disorderly. I find slammerkin and slammikin given as British localisms in much the same sense. The American localisms here noticed are vulgarisms or low colloquialisms, hardly in use among respectable or decent people. OBED. Representative State Trees.-The following list of representative trees suggested, in view of the World's Fair, by Chief Fernon, of the Government Forestry Division, is interesting: Maine, white pine. New Hampshire, yellow birch. North Carolina, short-leaf pine. Indian Territory, bois d'arc. Indiana, black walnut. Missouri, sycamore. North Dakota, canoe birch. Montana, mountain white pine. Colorado, Engelman spruce. New Mexico, cottonwood. Epithets of Noted People (Vol. viii, p. 20).-Right Hon. William Henry Smith (1825-1891), "Old Morality." Mr. Smith began his career as a clerk in the famous news agency of the Strand founded by his father, and the first of the kind in the United Kingdom. He not only succeeded to the management of the business which his father had established, but rose to the position of government leader of the House of Commons. He was, also, at the time of his decease, First Lord of the Treasury, and Warden of the Cinque Ports. Mr. Smith, it is generally understood, was the original of Sir Joseph Porter, K. C. B., "The Ruler of the Queen's Navee," in Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta, "Pinafore." His rather stiff and pompous talking and lecturing about the "British Constitution, Sir," is said to have obtained for him his nickname. However, whatever lack of respectful appreciation may have been hidden in the epithet was overcome by the unfailing good temper and fair dealing which characterized Mr. Smith's long and steadfast public service. ΜΕΝΟΝΑ. A MEDIUM OF INTERCOMMUNICATION FOR LITERARY MEN, GENERAL READERS, ETC. Copyrighted 1891, by The Westminster Publishing Co. Entered at the Post-Office, Philadelphia, as Second-class Matter. Queries on all matters of general literary and historical interest-folklore, the origin of prov. erbs, familiar sayings, popular customs, quotations, etc., the authorship of books, pamphlets, poems, essays, or stories, the meaning of recondite allusions, etc., etc.-are invited from all quarters, and will be answered by editors or contributors. Room is allowed for the discussion of moot questions, and the periodical is thus a valuable medium for intercommunication between literary men and specialists. Communications for the literary department should be addressed: EDITOR AMERICAN NOTES AND QUERIES. All checks and money orders to be made payable to the order of The Westminster Publishing Company, 619 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. $3.00 per year. $1.75, 6 months. 1 $1.00, 3 months. 10 cents per number. CONTENTS. NOTES:-Other Dialectal Forms in Tennessee, 49-Charles XII of Sweden, 50. QUERIES:-Coupons REPLIES:-Layman Chosen Pope, 51-Crab Island-Serpent Superstitions Spanker - Indian vs. Negro, 52-Indian Names-Wash of Edmonton-Ignis Fatuus, 53-Princess Lieven-Nidaros-One Grows Old-Pea-vine-Mount Tom, 54-Saadie-Johnny Cake-Cocoa for Yams-BecauseJewery, 55. COMMUNICATIONS:-Chile or Chili Sauce, 55-Malun- ПОЛЕЅ. OTHER DIALECTAL FORMS IN TENNESSEE. (VOL. IV, PP. 16, 64.) The writer of the article at the above reference, Calvin S. Brown, Jr., of Vanderbilt University, has lately contributed a sequel thereto to Modern Language Notes. It is a study of a few peculiarities of the language as found in Tennessee, regardless of their origin and history, or of their possible currency elsewhere. "It is not to be supposed, however, that the forms pointed out are limited to one particular State or to a small territory. On the other hand, most of them are found throughout the larger portion of the South, and many of them are Nothing common over the whole country. like a complete survey of the field, or a strict classification of the material gathered has been attempted and many of the words treated have been discussed by others. A few cases of bad pronunciation have been noticed, rather as an index of characteristic custom than as showing anything new. "We very frequently hear stomp for stamp. Webster cites an example from Robert Browning. Similarly we have tromp for trămp. We also hear the change from ǎ to Ŏ; as drap for drop. trestle, and d'ruther for had rather is a common contraction and mispronunciation. "We hear whut for what, fur for for and far, frum for from, whur for where; also air for are, to for too), led for lid, and drugs for dregs. Chist is heard for chest. Compare Ralph Roister Doister,' Act iv, Scene 7: "'As safe as if it were fast locked up in a chist.' On the other hand, e is used for i; tell for till (until). "Every one in this part of our country has "In the word candidate the first d is often heard shore for sure. It is very often used silent, and the word is pronounced can'idate. as an adverb; as, 'I shore made that ole So / is omitted in help and self and we have mule tote.' Some of the most ludicrous mishe'p and se'f. S'rink is used for shrink, and takes are those made by uneducated people though for through. Fift for fifth is heard ; when trying to talk proper.' I once heard also sixt for sixth, sebun (compare Gothic) an ignorant young fellow entertain a firefor seven, 'leben for eleven, fo'teen for four-side company with: Getherin' up shells teen. "The vowel u is inserted before m in words like elm, rheumatism and logarithm. Consonants are sometimes inserted in a word, or added to the end. This is especially true of d and t. In such expressions as and old man, the added element in and may indicate simply a confounding of the particle and the conjunction, and in drownded, stallded, attackted, etc., there may be an error as to what is the present tense of the verb. Confusion of words may also account for gold mind, instead of gold mine. Such addition of the dental occurs in a number of cases, especially with small words. Shakespeare frequently writes vild for vile, and vildly or vildely for vilely; as, in Merchant of Venice,' Act i, Scene 2: 'Very vildely in the morning when hee is sober, and most vildely in the afternoon when hee is drunke.' In oncet, twicet, acrost, dost and clost, we have a final t added. We also say all of a suddent, wisht for the present tense of wish, skift for skiff, and take holt of for take hold of, etc. "The old form wrastle is still very common and is heard in everyday language much more frequently than wrestle. In Chaucer we have it a number of times; for example, in Sir Thopas,' line 1930: "Of wrastling was ther noon his peer.' "So trustle is the usual pronunciation of from the sea-sure. Negroes bile their 'taters and if their 'lasses get overhe(a)t, it is on the pint of spiling. They also say intrust; as, six per cent. intrust, putting considerable stress of voice on each syllable. I do not know that this pronunciation is heard except in money transactions. "The word sõõt (or sōōt) is almost universally called süt.” (To be continued.) CHARLES XII OF SWEDEN. Swedish historical writers as a rule are not slow to present one of their heroic kings, Charles the XII, in a decidedly unpicturesque light in his early youth. Thus, for example, a recent author, who seems to have consulted with advantage the old chronicles of this monarch's time, and who writes under the style of Lodbrok, in his treatise entitled "Fröken Bärfelts Hemlighet," at p. 16, Vol. i, says through the persuasion of the exiled Duke of Holstein, "the youthful king, yet a minor, was frequently induced to have brought up in the royal apartments dogs, goats, calves, kine and sheep, where both fools amused themselves with striking off the heads of these innocent animals, merely to test which of them was the most dexterous in doing this by a single blow, after which they flung the cut-off heads out into the street." |