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REPLIES

THE DODO QUERIES

There is no mention of the Solitaire as inhabiting Bourbon, either in Père Brown's letter or in the Voyage de l'Arabic Heureuse, from whence the notice of the Oiseau Bleu was extracted. I have since seen Dellon, Rélation d'un Voyage des Indes Orientales, 2 vols. 12mo. Paris, 1685, in which there is a brief notice of the Isle of Bourbon or Mascarin; but neither the Dodo, the Solitaire, or the Oiseau Bleu are noticed. The large Bat is mentioned, and the writer says that the French who were on the island did not eat it, but only the Indians. He also notices the tameness of the birds, and says that the Flammand, with its long neck, is the only bird it was necessary to use a gun against, the others being readily destroyed with a stick or taken by hand.

Mr. Strickland's correction of the error about the monumental evidence of the discovery of Bourbon by the Portuguese, in 1545, will aid research into the period at which it was first visited and named; but my stock of Portuguese literature is but small, and not all of it accessible to me at present. In the meantime it may be acceptable to Mr. Strickland to know, that there is a detailed account of Portuguese discoveries in a book whose title would hardly indicate it, in which one passage will probably interest him. I allude to the rare and interesting folio volume printed at Lisbon in 1571. De Rebus Emanuelis Regis Lusitanie, invictissimi Virtute et Auspicio Gestis, auctore Hieronymo Osorio Episcopo Silvensis. These annals embrace the period from 1495 to 1529. In narrating the principal events of Vasco de Gama's first voyage, after he had rounded the Cape of Good Hope on the 25th November, 1497, steering to the east along the southern coast of Africa, the vessels anchor in the bay of St. Blaize, where—

"In intimo sinu est parva quædam Insula, ad quam nostri aquandi gratia naves-appulerunt. Ibi phocarum armenta conspexere admiranda quædam multitudine. In quibus inerat tanta feritas et truculentia, ut in homines irruerent. AVES etiam eo in loco visæ sunt, quas incolas apellant SOLTICARIOS, pares anscribus magnitudine: plumis minime vestiuntur, alas habent similes alis verspertionum: volare nequeunt, sed explicatis alarum membranis, cursum celeritate summa conficiunt."

The islet was probably that of La Cruz; but what were the birds? and what was the indigenous name which is represented by Solticarios? It is possible that some of your correspondents may be familiar with the original narration which Osorio follows, or Mr. Strickland may be able to solve the question.

I may just remark, that my observation respecting the improbability of Tradescant's stuffed specimen having been a fabrication could hardly be considered superfluous, seeing that some naturalists, Dr. Gray, I believe, among others, had suggested that it most probably was one.

S.W. SINGER.

May 3. 1850.

ABBEY OF ST. WANDRILLE

In reply to the Vicar of Ecclesfield (No. 24. p. 382.), I am sorry to say that the "Chronicle of the Abby of St. Wandrille," to which I alluded (No. 21. p. 338.), contains nothing relating to the subject of his inquiry. The Abbey of Fontanelle, or St. Wandrille, was founded A.D. 645; and this chronicle contains a very concise account of a few only of its abbots and most celebrated members, down to the year 834: written, it is supposed, by a cotemporary of Ansegisus, the last abbot therein mentioned. It is followed by an appendix containing a compilation from a book on miracles wrought in the translation of the body of St. Wilfran, by an "eye-witness," which also recounts incidentally some of the acts of the abbots of St. Wandrille to the year 1053. Acheri speaks of persons who had been long engaged in collecting memorials of the history of this abbey up to the time of his writing, 1659. Whether these have ever been published, I have not the means at this moment of ascertaining. Some account of this abbey, with views of its ruins, will be found in that splendid work, Voyages dans L'Ancienne France, by Nodier, &c., vol. i.

The following notes from this chronicle may not be without interest, as showing an early connection between the abbey and this country, and our attachment to the See of Rome.

Chapter V. is devoted to the praise of BAGGA, a monk and presbyter of this abbey, who is said to have been "ex Britanniâ Oceani insula Saxonico ex genere ortus." He died, and was buried in the abbey, between the years 707 and 723; on which occasion the Abbot Benignus is said to have exclaimed, "O signifer fortissime Christi militiæ BAGGA, nunc mercedem laborum lætus accipis tuorum. Deprecare ipsum benignum Dominum, ut unà tecum mereamur gaudere consortiis justorum per ævum." Here is a prayer not for, but to the dead.

During the presidency of AUSTRULPHUS (ch. 13.), which began in 747 and ended in 753, a certain receptacle, in the form of a small pharos, was driven ashore in the district of Coriovallum, which contained a very fair copy of the four Gospels, beautifully written in Roman characters on the purest vellum; and part of the precious jaw of St. George the Martyr, as well as a portion of the "health-bearing" wood of the true cross, duly labelled. The acquisition of this treasure was of course ascribed to the immediate interposition of God. And as about the same period the head of St. George was discovered at Rome, through the intervention of Pope Zachary, it was conjectured that this pontiff had given the wonder-working relic to some venerable men from Britain, a country described as being "always on the most intimate footing (maximè familiares) with the Apostolic See;" and that, these being wrecked on their voyage home, or through some other adventure, the said treasure was providentially driven ashore at Coriovallum.

Chapter XV. gives us an account of GERVOLDUS, who ruled this abbey eighteen years, dying A.D. 806. He had been ambassador from Charlemagne to Offa, King of Mercia. The son of Charlemagne demanded the daughter of Offa in marriage, who refused his consent, unless his own son should receive the hand of Bertha, the daughter of the French king. Charles, in consequence, inhibited the subjects of Offa from trading on the French coast. This inhibition was, however, withdrawn through the mediation of the Abbot Gervoldus, who seems to have been in great favour with Charles.

I need hardly say, that throughout the chronicle there is a tolerable sprinkling of the marvellous. I give you the following as a warning to all dishonest bell-founders.

The pious builder of a church being desirous, according to custom, of putting a bell in the turret, engaged a skillful craftsman to carry into effect his design. This man, "at the instigation of the devil," stole some of the metal with which he had been furnished for the work; and the bell was, in consequence, mis-shapen and of small size. It was, however, placed in the turret; but, as a divine punishment for his crime, whenever the bell was struck, the dishonest founder was thereupon seized with frenzy, uttering strange words and barking like a dog!

GASTROS.

ORIGIN OF THE WORD "NEWS."

I have great respect for "Mr. SAMUEL HICKSON," but I cannot treat his derivation of the word "News" with any respect (No. 27. p. 428.). I wish "Mr. HICKSON" had been a little more modest in his manner of propounding his novelty. Can any thing be more dogmatic than his assertions? which I will recapitulate as much as possible in his own words, before I proceed to deal with them.

1. "I have never had the least doubt that this word is derived immediately from the German."

2. "It is, in fact, 'das Neue' in the genitive case;" and "Mr. H." proceeds to mention the German phrase, "Was giebt's Neues?" as giving the exact sense of our "What is the news?" [which cannot be gainsaid; but I shall have a word to say presently about neues in that phrase being the genitive case.]

3. "That the word is not derived from the English adjective 'new,'—that it is not of English manufacture at all—I feel well assured."

4. "In that case 's' would be the sign of the plural; and we should have, as the Germans have, either extant or obsolete, also 'the new.'" [I do not see the sequitur.]

5 "'News' is a noun singular, and as such must have been adopted bodily into the language."

Such are "Mr. HICKSON's" principal assertions: and when I add, that he has found out that the German "neu" was in olden time spelt "new," so that the genitive, "newes," was identical with the old form of the English word "news;" and that he explains the transformation of a genitive case of a German adjective into an English substantive by English ignorance, which he further thinks is exemplified by the Koran having been called "the Alkoran," in ignorance of "Al" meaning "the," I have given not only all of his assertions, but also the whole of his argument.

I now proceed to assert on my part that the word "news" is not "derived immediately from the German," and "has not been adopted bodily into our language;" that the English "new" and German "neu" have, however, of course the same origin, their common root being widely spread in other languages, as [Greek: neos], Gr.; norus, Lat.; neuf, Fr., &c.; that "news" is a noun of plural form and plural meaning, like goods, riches, &c.; that its peculiar and frequent use is quite sufficient to account for its having come to be used as a singular noun ("riches," by the way, may be prefixed sometimes to a singular verb, as "riches is a cause of corruption"); that Mr. HICKSON might as well say that "goods" is derived immediately from "gutes," the genitive of "gut;" and "riches" from "reiches," the genitive of "reich:" and also that if "s" in "goods," and "es" in "riches" are signs of the plural, "we should have, as the Germans have, either extant or obsolete," the "good," "the rich," (not that I quite understand this part of "Mr. HICKSON's" argument): and, lastly, I assert that I believe that Neues, in the phrase "Was giebt's Neues?" is not the genitive, but the nominative neuter, so that the phrase is to be literally translated "What is there new?"

As regards the derivation of "News," I wish you had allowed the question to rest as it stood after the sensible remarks of "A.E.B." (No. 23. p. 369.). Pray excuse me, Sir, for expressing a hope that you will ponder well before you again allow us to be puzzled on so plain a subject, and give circulation and your sanction to paradoxes, even though coming from one so entitled to attention as "Mr. HICKSON."

The early communication between the English and German languages, of which "Mr. HICKSON" puts forward the derivation of "news" from "neues" as an instance, may be an interesting and profitable subject of inquiry; but as I think he has been singularly unfortunate in the one instance, so I do not think him particularly happy in his other. I see no further resemblance between Heywood's "Song in praise of his Mistress," and the early German poem, than what might arise from treatment of the same and a very common subject.

I am not enough of an etymologist to give you the root of the word "noise." But my faith in "Mr. HICKSON" in this capacity is not strong enough to lead me to believe, on his dictum, that "news" and "noise" are the same word; and when, pursuing his fancy about "neues," he goes on to say that "noise" is "from a dialect from which the modern German pronunciation of the dipthong is derived," I fear his pronunciation of German is faulty, if he pronounces eu in "Neues" like oi in "noise."

[We differ from our correspondent on this point, and think that here, at all events, Mr. HICKSON has the advantage of the argument.]

I beg to repeat that for "Mr. HICKSON" I feel great respect. If he knew my name, he would probably know nothing about me; but I happen to know of him, what perhaps, some of your readers do not, that he has unostentatiously rendered many considerable services not only to literature but to our social and political interests. In my humble opinion, his recent essay in your columns on The Taming of the Shrew is a contribution to our literary history which you may be proud of having published. But I feel that I cannot too strongly protest against his derivation of "News."

CH.