CHRISOM, BAPTISMAL ROBE (10 S. viii. 270). If MISS POOLE will consult Procter and Frere's History of the Book of Common Prayer,' 1901, p. 640, she will see that the "accustomed offerings are not given instead of the chrisom, but were made at the churching when the chrisom was returned. The use of this garment (which was church property) was discontinued probably in 1552. With regard to the other articles mentioned, unless this was a local custom, MISS POOLE has probably been misinformed. HARRY P. POLLARD. christened. After a certain time the thankoffering alone was made. Consult Wheatley on The Book of Common Prayer' ("Bohn's Library "), p. 498. The chrism was offered that it might be blessed before it was put on the child at its baptism. FRANK PENNY. I cannot answer the inquiry as to the date when the "accustomed offerings " made when a woman was "churched were given in money, instead of the chrism; but as to the signification of the latter offering, and the articles it comprised, I do not think it will be found that it always included robe, cap, mittens, and cushion, as these things would be beyond the means of poor people. At Wickenby, Lincolnshire, it consisted of a piece of material and a penny only. Last Whitsuntide I copied the following item (among other church dues) from inside the second cover of the earliest register-book there: : "The Chrysom & a Gracepeny always to be given at ve woman's churching. The Chrysom must be halfe a yard of fine linnen long, & a full yarde in breadth.-Ita testor, G. Buddle." A. STAPLETON. 158, Noel Street, Nottingham. Miscellaneous. NOTES ON BOOKS, &c. Sir Rowland Hill: the Story of a Great Reform. Told by his Daughter. (Fisher Unwin.) WE Congratulate Mrs. Smyth, the daughter of Rowland Hill-who, by the way, frequently contributes to N. & Q.-on her valuable addition to the history of postal reform. In this volume of three hundred pages we have a succinct account of the entire movement modestly told. Before entering upon the contest originated by Rowland Hill's pamphlet, Post Office Reform: its Importance and Practicability, published by Charles Knight in February, 1837, Mrs. Smyth gives us a glimpse of her happy home life, where education became a delightful pastime, not a task, as it generally was in those days. It will be remembered what a pleasant way the Hills had of imparting instruction, and how their school at Bruce Castle -a prospectus of which, dated December, 1835, is, thanks to the courtesy of our valued contributor Mr. W. H. Peet, now before us-was conducted. The boys them: selves were associated with the business of school government; and the acquisition of knowledge was rendered "a source of continued pleasure to the scholars," who were encouraged to ask for information from their teachers respecting everything not perfectly clear to their minds. De Quincey well wrote of those "ancient halls of Bruce": "There it is possible for the timid child to be happy; for the child destined to an early grave to reap his brief harvest in peace." When Rowland Hill moved with his family to Hampstead, his house soon became the haunt of many distinguished friends. At Mr. Field's house they met Clarkson Stanfield and Turner. The latter, at a crowded evening party, after saying farewell, returned a few minutes later, "wonderfully and fearfully apparelled, and silently commenced a search about the drawing room. Suddenly he seemed to recollect, approached a sofa on which sat three handsomely attired ladies, whose indignant countenances were a sight for gods and men when the abruptly-mannered artist called on them to rise. He then half dived beneath the seat, drew forth a dreadfully shabby umbrella of the gamp' species, and, taking no more notice of the irate three than if they had been so many chairs, withdrew." Among more intimate friends was their neighbour Charles Wentworth Dilke, then living at Wentworth House, where "one met every writer, to say nothing of other men and women, worth knowing." With him Mrs. Smyth had many delightful walks, when he would speak, with a charm of manner we remember well, of friends who had been his guests-Keats, Charles Lamb, Coleridge, and many others. Mrs. Smyth has much to relate with reference to the way in which the franking of letters was abused. Her father advocated its being abolished. Members of the favoured classes were able to send by post, free of charge, fifteen couples of hounds, two maidservants, a cow, two bales of stockings, a deal case containing flitches of bacon, or a huge feather bed. Roebuck stated "in the House of Commons that 'the Ambassador's Bag' was often unduly weighted. Coats, hose, boots, and other articles were sent by it; even a pianoforte, and a horse." The law regarding the postage of newspapers was curious. The cost was virtually covered by the duty stamp. Yet no newspaper could be posted in any provincial town for delivery within the same, nor anywhere within the London District (a circle of twelve miles radius from the General Post Office) for delivery within the same circle, unless a postage of a penny, in addition to the impressed newspaper stamp, were paid upon it. This was constantly evaded by newsagents sending papers to Gravesend, the Post Office then having the trouble of bringing them back, and of delivering them without charge. Among Mrs. Smyth's recollections of childhood's days is a vision of the newspaper, sheet by sheet, passing through a succession of households till its contents had become "ancient history." The excellent Index shows how liberally Mrs. Smyth recognizes her father's helpers. One of the earliest and most energetic of these was Henry Cole, afterwards knighted. His pictorial devices aided much in bringing the question home to the people. One of these was a drawing of a mail-coach with a large amount of postal matter, piled, by artistic licence, on the roof, instead of inside "the boot." Six huge sacks contained between them 2,296 newspapers, weighing 273 lb., a seventh sack, as large as any of its fellows, held 484 franked letters, and weighed 47 lb. ; while a moderate-sized parcel was filled with Stamp Office documents. They were all labelled "Go free." A bag of insignificant dimensions leant up against one of the sacks. It held 1.565 ordinary letters, weighed 34 lb., and was marked 937. "This tiny packet paid for all the rest." The figures given were absolutely correct, and showed the actual proportions of the mail matter carried from London to Edinburgh on the 2nd of March, 1838. of Rowland Hill, a view of Bruce Castle, the MulThe eighteen illustrations include four portraits ready envelope, and a charming portrait of Lady Hill. She was a devoted wife and a true helpmate: 66 During the long postal-reform agitation, her buoyant hopefulness and abiding faith in her husband's plan never failed to cheer and encourage him to persevere. Years after, when their children father would tell them how much he owed to her, were old enough to understand their position, their vi. 232 Mr. John T. Page gave the inscription to her and bade them never to forget the debt." At 10 S. husband's memory which is on her tomb in Highgate Cemetery. The Edinburgh Review for October contains nothing dealing with literature of the type which stands apart from history and politics. The article on Palermo gives an account of the varying fortunes of the city of the Golden Plain from its Phoenician days till the present time. La Campagne maritime de 1805' is principally a notice of Major Desbrière's volume of that name. It leaves the reader asking himself how Napoleon could be possessed of such marvellous military foresight, and yet at the same time prove so incapable of comprehending the A B C of naval warfare. The contradictory orders which he issued in swift succession, combined with a system which allowed no initiative to his admirals, were ruinous to his hope of invading England. No one can doubt the individual courage and heroism of the French combatants at Trafalgar. "As to the fleet itself and the fate to which it went, from the evidence which says, Major Desbrière now arrays, it stands out more clearly than ever that the whole responsibility rests on Napoleon, who, by giving positive orders without knowing the details which ought to have controlled them, and by depriving his officers......of all initiative or discretionary power, sent the fleet to its destruction." Henry VIII. and the English Reformation gives high praise to the work done by Mr. Fisher, Mr. Innes, and Mr. Pollard in revealing the true condition of the country, and the nature of the forces at work when the second Tudor king took it upon himself to influence the future destinies of England and her daughter-countries by reshaping the religion of his kingdom for his own particular ends. In point of character Henry resembled, more closely than is thought, the typical Englishman, who, as Mr. Bernard Shaw wittily when he wants a thing never tells himself that he wants it. He waits patiently until there comes into his mind, no one knows how, a burning conviction that it is his moral and religious duty to conquer those who have got the things he wants.' 6 Henry's moral attitude' no longer seems effective to posterity, because with freedom of thought our standards of morality have advanced; but it appeared effective to the landgrabbers of the sixteenth century, though naturally the Roman "Rome Catholics were enabled to see through it." and the Repression of Thought' deals with a more modern form of the struggle in which "She of the Seven Hills" is always engaged; and An Interpreter of Japan' is a criticism of the writings of Lafcadio Hearn, or rather a summary of his opinions regarding the Eastern people among whom he chose a wife." "The longer his acquaintance with the Japanese was extended, the deeper grew his distrust of them, despite his admiration and many a close and unshaken bond of friendship." Their want of the emotional power, which means so much for good or evil, also impressed him. Lacking the brutality of the West, they also lack the force and depth of nature which constitute the virtue linked with that defect. "Tenderness," he declares, "is not of the Orient man. He is without brutality, but he is also with out that immense reserve force of deep love and forgiving power which even the rougher men of the West have. The Oriental is intellectually, rationally capable of all self-sacrifice and loyalty. He does the noblest and the grandest things without even a ghost of tender feeling." "The Baghdad Railway' shows the advantages which will come to Mesopotamia, and therefore to the neighbouring countries and the world at large, if the Germans are allowed to do work there such as England and France are doing in the north of Africa. "Under the selfish rivalries and jealousies which are apt to distort and colour a national application of European ideas there has always been a deeper motive at work." England and France are not mere landgrabbers, but "the missionaries of Western civilization." Will any one venture to make this claim on their behalf and deny its application to Germany? The Nineteenth Century for October opens with a discourse by Mr. Andrew Carnegie on 'The Second Chamber,' which shows adequate knowledge of the advantages of the American Constitution, but hardly of the English. The article seems to us of little practical value. Some Racial Characteristics of Northern India and Bengal,' by Ameer Ali, and 'Folk-lore and Deities of South India,' by IN The Cornhill Mr. Robert Bridges has an admirable appreciation of 'The Poems of Mary Coleridge, which are but little known to the general public, partly, perhaps, owing to an elusive quality which requires something between a philosopher and a poet for its understanding. The specimens offered of Miss Coleridge's muse show that her work had real distinction. In The Man in the Iron Cage' the Rev. S. Baring-Gould revives the story of a spectre who was seen by many people of a sensible, not to say unbelieving tendency towards the world of ghosts. The Campaigns of 1807' by Sir Foster Cunliffe, and Rome before the Battle of Mentana,' by the Rev. E. F. Wayne, are rather solid fare for the ordinary man, but of interest to the historically minded. Through the Vortex of a Cyclone,' by Mr. W. H. Hodgson is en revanche sensational enough for anybody, and exhibits the courage of a modern photographer, who will "take" in the arms of death pictures he has little hope of "developing." Mr. A. C. Benson in his series of essays At Large' deals with 'Travel,' and gives us the usual sensation of placid cultivation. He is all for indefinite influences rather than definite impressions, and he is fashionable in discovering that most people have a good deal to see in England. He wants to be quiet too. "Travel is essentially a distraction, and I do "Distracnot want to be distracted any more. tion" here means drowning thought. But a good many people keep to a later age than Mr. Benson's a delight in new impressions of men and things. Others regard themselves, to speak chemically, as saturated solutions," filled full of noteworthy matter, and want no new friends and faces. Mr. Benson seems to us to have a "sad lucidity of soul" which is not ordinary, and which hardly makes for romance, the Stevensonian sense that gives some 66 men we know a perpetual grasp on youth. We do not usually notice fiction in these summaries, but we may say that 'Wroth' is attracting unusual attention as it appears, and making readers wish that a month was a day. 66 IN The Fortnightly Mr. A. E. Zimmern, who represents, we imagine, the young and reforming Oxford tutor, has some effective comments on College Head on University Reform.' Unlike some writers on the question, Mr. Zimmern comes to the point at once, and his article is one of the best we have seen. Evelyn Underhill, known to us as a clever novelist with a mystical tinge, has a curious paper, A Defence of Magic,' which is not the "magic" of the anthropologist, but of Eliphas Lévi. The subject is obscure, but it seems that there is nothing supernatural about it. We read of "uprushes of thought" and abrupt intuitions," "from the subliminal region." Mr. Lewis Melville has little in the way of criticism to offer on "Thackeray's Ballads.' This paper is not up to the literary level we expect from The Fortnightly. The next one, Jewish Philosophy and the Hellenic Spirit,' by Mr. W. L. Courtney, is, as might be expected, both well written and full of ideas. Mr. Courtney should not, however, take Omar Khayyam as a mere Epicurean. Competent Orientalists will tell him that Omar was a philosopher of a very different sort who chose to masquerade as a pleasure-lover. How to Run an Art Theatre for London,' by Mr. St. John Hankin, a dramatist himself of great promise, deserves attention. Mr. Keighley Snowden in The Human Factor in Railway Accidents' advocates the addition of a third man to the engines of railway expresses-a view which will meet, we think, with strong support from careful reasoners. Mr. E. H. D. Sewell writes well on Rugby Football and the Colonial Tours'; and there is an elaborately felicitous poem, Minima Bella,' by the late Eugene Lee-Hamilton. We have not mentioned the usual political articles, and will merely add that The Fortnightly maintains its position as equal to any of the reviews in variety and quality, if not superior. The National Review attracts us, as usual, by its outspokenness and ability. The most remarkable article is devoted to The Secret History of the Papal Encyclical,' in which " Junius Romanus exhibits the Pope as the tool of rival and spiteful Jesuits, Dominicans, and Franciscans. While some of the writer's sarcasm is unmerited, his article needs answering, and shows a sad state of things in Roman Catholic circles. The writer states that the society which distributes Italian translations of the Bible has been reduced to inaction by papal censure managed by intrigue. The Bishop of Carlisle in The Church and the Nation' has a sensible article on our own defects, particularly on the unfair treatment of Nonconformists. The Head Master of Eton protests vigorously against the not very lucid attacks of Mr. A. C. Benson on Public Schools. Lady Robert Cecil in The Cant of Unconventionality' submits to searching analysis the claims of Miss Sinclair's recent clever book 'The Helpmate.' Mr. A. D. Godley in Oxford and a Commission' lectures would-be reformers; and Prof. Pelham Edgar writes on the nature worship in The Poetry of George Meredith.' Liberal politicians are severely treated in Episodes of the Month: Mr. Birrell is guilty of “Dan Lenoism"; the Prime Minister is abominably slack; and Sir John Fisher is bullying everybody at the Admiralty. The Burlington Magazine has as frontispiece Dedham Vale, 1811,' by Constable, a typical piece of English scenery. There is an important editorial article suggesting that the Palace of Westminster should profit by the 2,000l. annually derived from the Chantrey Fund, which could be applied to the purchase of decorative paintings for the Houses of Parliament. In considering the Report of the Select Committee the idea that no artists can be found in Great Britain to do good decorative work is the subject of a protest similar to that already made by The Athenaeum. The whole article is so sensible and helpful a contribution to the House of Lords' Report that it might well be reprinted and laid before members of the House of Commons. Mr. Lawrence Weaver shows with illustrations the beauty of Lead Vases'; and A Chinese Figure of Kuan Yin,' which is pictured, proves that the Goddess of Mercy at any rate did not encourage the fashion of contracting the feet, for her visible toes are large and well developed. Mr. Herbert Cook deals with a fascinating Portrait of a Musician' by Leonardo; and some striking pictures are given by an American artist, Mr. Winslow Homez. The Magazine deals, as usual, with many interesting questions of attributions. Notices to Correspondents. We must call special attention to the following notices: WE cannot undertake to answer queries privately, nor can we advise correspondents as to the value of old books and other objects or as to the means of disposing of them. ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. To secure insertion of communications correspondents must observe the following rules. Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. When answering queries, or making notes with regard to previous entries in the paper, contributors are requested to put in parentheses, immediately after the exact heading, the series, volume, and page or pages to which they refer. Correspondents who repeat queries are requested to head the second communication "Duplicate." F. C. J. ("Copyright and Translations").-You had better apply to a publisher or to the Society of Authors, 39, Old Queen Street, Westminster, S. W. V. T. and other Contributors.-So many queries are received that it is impossible to insert the whole of them immediately, but they are printed as soon as space allows. Replies also appear as early as possible. CORRIGENDUM.-P. 332, col. 2, 1. 17 from foot, for vol. i. read vol. iv. NOTICE. Editorial communications should be addressed to "The Editor of 'Notes and Queries ""-Advertisements and Business Letters to "The Publishers"-at the Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.C. THE ATHENÆUM JOURNAL OF ENGLISH AND FOREIGN LITERATURE, SCIENCE, THIS WEEK'S ATHENÆUM contains Articles on PETRARCH: HIS LIFE AND TIMES. THE ELIZABETHAN RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENT. MEMORIALS OF THOMAS DAVIDSON, THE WANDERING SCHOLAR. SIR GEORGE GREY, PIONEER OF EMPIRE IN SOUTHERN LANDS. PIP: A ROMANCE OF YOUTH. ENGLAND AND GERMANY. ESSAIS DE LITTÉRATURE ET DE POLITIQUE. A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE LIBRARY OF TRINITY HALL. THE SAYINGS OF CONFUCIUS. THE HISTORY OF THE ABERDEEN VOLUNTEERS. SADOWA. FOUR MEN WITH A VAN. WITH SHELLEY IN ITALY. WORDSWORTH'S MASTER-PASSAGES. EOTHEN. THE LIBRARY. THE READING-ROOM OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. THE NEW ENGLISH ART CLUB. DRAWINGS BY MR. AUSTIN SPARE. EARLY BRITISH MASTERS AT MESSRS. SHEPHERD'S GALLERIES. THE BRITISH SCHOOL AT ATHENS. DISCOVERIES IN CRETE.' LAST WEEK'S ATHENÆUM contains Articles on SIR GEORGE TREVELYAN ON THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. PROF. VILLARI'S HISTORICAL STUDIES. THE OXFORD DICTIONARY. 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