12 s. viii. MAY H, i92i.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 395 A SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY COMPASS (12 S. viii. 309). All surveyors' compasses are, or should be, marked in this way, viz., with the W. to the right of the North and the E. to the left, but it is interesting to find so early an example of the practice as 1661. It is done for the convenience of reading the course correctly. If Miss GERMAN will consider that there be a pair of sights, one at N. and the other at S., and will then turn the compass to the right, the needle will fall away to the left. Now she is obviously looking to the E. and the needle will so be read in the quarter between the N. and the E. Similarly, if the instrument be sighted to the left the needle falls to the right, where can be immediately read the correct bearing of so many degrees to the West. Such compasses are usually graduated with at N. and S., and 90 at E. and W. a CORNER . "BRITISHER" v. "BRITON" (12 S. viii. 304). Most of us will sympathize wi*h MR. BAYLEY'S protest. As one who has heard the word Britisher very much used at home, in America and in the Dominions 'and Colonies, I should like, however, to point out that " Britisher " and " Briton " no longer mean the same thing. The former seems to have nearly acquired the signification of native or sub- ject of the British Empire of European blood, and the latter to have nearly lapsed into the meaning of an inhabitant of Great Britain. Under these circumstances, the names are likely to persist side by side and with just so much justification as the difference gives to them. C. CORNER. "THE HAVEN UNDER THE HILL" (12 S. viii. 228, 275, 314, 336, 355). A long time ago somebody assured me that this was Weston-super-Mare. I do not know that place, and cannot judge as to the likelihood of the attribution, but if I be right in be- lieving that Weston has not been mentioned in the present discussion, it may not be a bad thing to set a fresh ball rolling. ST. S WITHIN. SMALLEST PIG OF A LITTER (12 S. viii. 331, 376). In this part of Sussex is called "the dolling." A. H. W. FYNMORE. Arunclel. POLITICAL VERSES . BY CHARLES LAMB ? (12 S. viii. 306). There will not be many Lamb students, I imagine, who will readily accept MR. E. G. CLAYTON'S assignment of these verses to Lamb, without, at least, | some sort of external evidence ; nor will | they, I think, agree that the style is | " remarkably similar " to that of ' The Unbeloved.' When Lamb set out to write verses on ! political subjects he treated them, for the imost part, epigrammatically. This charac- teristic is entirely absent from the ' Lines addressed to the Duke of Wellington,' and its absence tells greatly against the suggested
authorship. S. BUTTERWORTH.
CAPT. COOK'S CREW : COCO-NUT CUP (12 S. viii. 330), I have a coin made into a brooch that my uncle brought home for me many years ago, having this inscription and similar design on the reverse side. I was told it was Portuguese, and understood j that my uncle got it in either the Azores or Canary Isles. On the obverse side it has a coat of arms surmounted by a crown, bearing date 1814 1 and inscription (spoilt by catch and pin) : JOANNES D G- PORT P REGENS - - Is AS'D'
- On one side of the coat of arms are the
I numerals 096 * ; on the other, three quatre- j foils. The coat is gu : seven turrets, an I inescutcheon arg : 5- (? 5 small shields). I should think the " medal " is really one of these coins. My brooch is of exactly the I same size, silver, and rather heavy. paj ELLYN M. GWATKIN. Whilst unable to express any opinion I on the history of the particular silver - mounted coco-nut cup MR. DUNCALFE possesses, it is interesting to note that there are many similar articles to be found to-day in this country, with and without carved bodies, mounted both with silver and baser metals with feet attached thereto ; also they are constructed with great variety of design. The supposition is that during the tedious voyages home before the introduction of steam, members of the crews of sailing ships returning from tropical regions occupied their spare time by carving and mounting these cups. Occasionally only do the silver mounts bear any assay marks. Those cups I have examined were usually produced circa 1770- 1810. The earliest in my possession is. dated 1774. F. BRADBURY. Sheffield.
