414
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9*8.xi.MAT2s,i9os.
Orrery,' by Joseph Harris, 1768; and 'De-
scription of a New Orrery,' by David Kitten-
house, 1768. The " Great Orrery " of Thomas
Wright, although so soon to be subjected to
important improvements, was thought very
highly of at the time. One announcement in
the London Evening Post of 29 April, 1732,
" Last night his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cumberland with several of the Nobility was at
Mr. Wright's, his Majesty's Mathematical Instru-
ment Maker in Fleet Street, to see the Grand
Orrery he has finish'd, which by all curious People
is said to be the best and most perfect Instrument
that ever was made, to shew the Motions of the
Planets, &c."
Evidently it was because of the important improvements that were thought to have been effected in the production of this in- strument that Wright adopted it as his sign, the only instance of which I am aware.
J. HOLDEN MACMlCHAEL. 161, Hammersmith Road.
It is stated in the Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society, vol. v. p. 72 (new series), that Chester Moor Hall was " inventor of the achromatic lens before its reinvention by Dpllond." In 1894 I copied the following inscription from a tablet to his memory on the north chancel wall of Sutton Church, Essex :
" In a Vault under the Chancel lies the Body of I Chester Moor Hall Esquire of Sutton Hall | Patron of the Church, a Bencher of the honourable Society | of the Inner Temple and many years | on the Commission of the Peace for this County | He was a judicious Lawyer, an able Mathematician, a polite Scholar | a sincere Friend, and a Magistrate of the strictest integrity. | He died March 17th, 1771, Aged 67 | In the same Vault is interred the Body of | Mrs. Martha Hall Sister of the above named Chester Moor Hall Esqr. | at whose Expense this monument was erected to their Memories | She died December 1st 1782, Aged 82."
JOHN T. PAGE.
West Haddon, Northamptonshire.
CHRISTMAS CAROLS (9 th S. xi. 309). I have in my possession a book on this subject which is of great value as a literary production ; but as it wants its title-page, I cannot tell whether it is the book inquired for by MR. JOHN WIGELSWORTH or not. It contains 144 pages of preface ; the preface is unsigned, and is a really learned disquisition upon ancient Christmas customs, sympathetically written. Part i. contains a number of carols in use before the end of the seventeenth century. Part ii. contains a selection of carols still- that is, at the time of publication, about 1840 ^used in the west of England. Part iii. contains specimens of French pro- vincial carols. Then follow nine pages of
notes and twelve pages of carol music. I
shall be glad to know if this is Hone's book,
and the wording of the missing title-page.
If it is of any use to MR. WIGELSWORTH, I
shall be happy to lend it to him.
FRANK PENNY, LL.M.
Hone did not carry out his intention of treating on Christmas carols beyond the publication in his * Every-Day Book.' Pos- sibly his collection of papers on this and other subjects which undoubtedly he had made might have been reserved for publication in the following work, which John Camden Hotten advertised in the year 1866 :
"Supplement volume to Hone's Works. In preparation, thick 8vo, uniform with Year-Book, pp. 800.
"Hone's Scrap-Book, A Supplementary Volume to the Every-Day Book, the Year-Book, and the Table Book. From the MSS. of the late William Hone, with upwards of One Hundred and Fifty engravings of curious and eccentric objects."
Why was not this intended volume issued, and what has become of this interesting collection of papers 1
EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. 71, Brecknock Road.
PICTURE IN BERLIN ARSENAL (9 th S. xi. 207. 317). Scarcely had the Great Elector freed Pomerania from the Swedes and taken Stettin from them (29 October, 1678) before, on his return to Berlin, he received^ from the Governor of the province of Prussia, the Duke of Croy, a message saying that 6,000 Swedes had made an inroad from the east, passing the Russ, and had rendered them- selves masters of Ragnit, Tilsit, and Inster- burg. Though ill, the monarch at once decided on marching against them, and took the command in person. The winter was extremely severe. At the beginning of 1679 he left Berlin, and reached Marienburg on 10 January. Sledges were collected from all the district ; infantry, cannon, and baggage were placed in them ; and on 26 January the Frische Haff was thus crossed, from Preussisch Mark and Preussisch Holland to Heiligen- beil, thence seven German miles over the whole length of the frozen-over gulf to Konigsberg. At his approach the Swedes had retired. In order to cut off their line of retreat through Prussia, he again put his army on sleighs, directing them towards Labiau, as the enemy were reported to have gathered near Tilsit. On 28 January he traversed the Kurische Haff in a bee-line with part of his army, by which eight German miles were saved ; the rest marched on foot along its shore. The expedition succeeded completely ; the Swedes were
