Notes and Queries, Number 181, April 16, 1853

"The Ephitath of John Bonner

Heare lyeth in tomed John Bonner by name,

Sonne of Bonner of Pebworth, from thence he came

The : 17 : of October he ended his daies,

Pray God that wee leveing may follow his wayes

1618 by the yeare

Scarce are such Men to be found in this shere

Made and set up by his loveing frend

Evens his kindesman and [so I] doe end

John Bonner, Senior.   Thomas Evens, Junior

1618."

The words in brackets are conjectural, the stone at that point being much corroded.

    Balliolensis.

Charade attributed to Sheridan.—You have given a place to enigmas in "N. & Q.," and therefore the following, which has been attributed to R. B. Sheridan, may be acceptable. Was he the author?

"There is a spot, say, Traveller, where it lies,
And mark the clime, the limits, and the size,
Where grows no grass, nor springs the yellow grain,
Nor hill nor dale diversify the plain;
Perpetual green, without the farmer's toil,
Through all the seasons clothes the favor'd soil,
Fair pools, in which the finny race abound,
By human art prepar'd, enrich the ground.
Not India's lands produce a richer store,
Pearl, ivory, gold and silver ore.
Yet, Britons, envy not these boasted climes,
Incessant war distracts, and endless crimes
Pollute the soil:—Pale Avarice triumphs there,
Hate, Envy, Rage, and heart-corroding Care,
With Fraud and Fear, and comfortless Despair.
There government not long remains the same,
Nor they, like us, revere a monarch's name.
Britons, beware! Let avarice tempt no more;
Spite of the wealth, avoid the tempting shore;
The daily bread which Providence has given,
Eat with content, and leave the rest to heaven."

    Balliolensis.
Suggested Reprint of Hearne.—It has often occurred to me to inquire whether an association might not be formed for the republication of the works edited by Tom Hearne? An attempt was made some years ago by a bookseller; and, as only Robert of Gloucester and Peter Langtoft appeared, "Printed for Samuel Bagster, in the Strand, 1810," we must infer that the spirited publisher was too far in advance of the age, and that the attempt did not pay. Probably it never would as a bookseller's speculation. But might not a society like the Camden be formed for the purpose with some probability, in these altered times and by such an improved method of proceeding, of placing these curious and valuable volumes once more within reach of men of ordinary means? At present the works edited by Hearne are rarely to be met with in catalogues, and when they do occur, the prices are almost fabulous, quite on the scale of those affixed to ancient MSS.

    Balliolensis.

Suggestions of Books worthy of being reprinted.—Fabricius, Bibliotheca Latina Mediæ et Infimæ Ætatis, 6 vols. 8vo. (Recommended in The Guardian newspaper.)

    J. M.

Epigram all the way from Belgium.—Should you think the following epigram, written in the travellers' book at Hans-sur-Lesse, in Belgium, worth preserving, it is at your service:

"Old Euclid may go to the wall,
For we've solved what he never could guess,
How the fish in the river are small,
But the river they live in is Lesse."

    H. A. B.
Derivation of "Canada."—I send you a cutting from an old newspaper, on the derivation of this word:

"The name of Canada, according to Sir John Barrow, originated in the following circumstances. When the Portuguese, under Gasper Cortcreal, in the year 1500, first ascended the great river St. Lawrence, they believed it was the strait of which they were in search, and through which a passage might be discovered into the Indian Sea. But on arriving at the point whence they could clearly ascertain it was not a strait but a river, they, with all the emphasis of disappointed hopes, exclaimed repeatedly 'Canada!'—Here nothing; words which were remembered and repeated by the natives on seeing Europeans arrive in 1534, who naturally conjectured that the word they heard employed so often must denote the name of the country."

    Henry H. Breen.

St. Lucia.

Railway Signals.—An effective communication from the guard to the engineman, for the prevention of railway accidents, seems to be an important desideratum, which has hitherto baffled the ingenuity of philosophers. The only proposed plan likely to be adopted, is that of a cord passing below the foot-boards, and placing the valve of the steam whistle under the control of the guard. The trouble attending this scheme, and the liability to neglect and disarrangement, render its success doubtful. What I humbly suggest is, that the guard should be provided with an independent instrument which would produce a sound sufficiently loud to catch the ear of the engineman. Suppose, for instance, that the mouth-piece of a clarionet, or the windpipe of a duck, or a metallic imitation, were affixed to the muzzle of an air-gun, and the condensed air discharged through the confined aperture; a shrill sound would be emitted. Surely, then, a small instrument might be contrived upon this principle, powerful enough to arrest the attention of the engineer, if not equal to the familiar shriek of the present whistle.

It is hoped that this hint will be followed up; that your publication will sustain its character by thus providing a medium of intercommunication for these worthies, who can respectively lay claim to the titles of men of science and men of letters, and that some experimenter "when found will make a note"—a stunning one.

    T. C.

A Centenarian Trading Vessel.—There is a small smack now trading in the Bristol Channel, in excellent condition and repair, and likely to last for many years, called the "Fanny," which was built in 1753. This vessel belongs to Porlock, in the port of Bridgewater, and was originally built at Aberthaw in South Wales. Can any of your readers refer to any other trading vessel so old as this?

    Anon.

Queries

BISHOP KEN

At what place, and by what bishop, was he ordained, in 1661? His ordination probably took place in the diocese of Oxford, London, Winchester, or Worcester. The discovery of it has hitherto baffled much research.

Jon Ken, an elder brother of the Bishop, was Treasurer of the East India Company in 1683. Where can anything be learned of him? Is there any mention of him in the books of the East India Company? Was he the Ken mentioned in Roger North's Lives of the Norths, as one of the court-rakes? When did he die, and where was he buried? This Jon Ken married Rose, the daughter of Sir Thomas Vernon, of Coleman Street, and by her is said (by Hawkins) to have had a daughter, married to the Honorable Christopher Frederick Kreienberg, Hanoverian Resident in London. Did M. Kreienberg die in this country, or can anything be ascertained of him or his wife?

The Bishop wrote to James II. a letter of intercession on behalf of the rebels in 1685. Can this letter be found in the State-Paper Office, or elsewhere?

In answer to a sermon preached by Bishop Ken, on 5th May, 1687, one F. I. R., designating himself "a most loyal Irish subject of the Company of Jesuits," wrote some "Animadversions." Could this be the "fath. Jo. Reed," a Benedictine, mentioned in the Life of A. Wood, under date of July 21, 1671? Father Reed was author of Votiva Tabula. Can any one throw any light on this?

    J. J. J.

Minor Queries