G. BOUCHIER RICHARDSON.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, May 12. 1850.

Christian Captives (Vol. i., p. 441.)—­In reply to your correspondent R.W.B., I find in the papers published by the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, vol. i. p. 98., the following entries extracted from the Parish Registers of Great Dunham, Norfolk:—­

  “December, 1670. 
                                             L s. d. 
Collected for the redemption of y’e English
  Captives out of Turkish bondage 04 05 06

Feb. 13. p’d the same to M’r.  Swift, Minister
  of Milcham, by the Bhps appointm’t.

  October, 1680. 
Collected towards the redemption of English
  Captives out of their slavery and
  bondage in Algiers 3 16 0

Which sum was sent to Mr. Nicholas Browne, Registrar under Dr. Connant, Archdeacon of Norwich, Octr. 2d. 1680.”

Probably similar entries will be found in other registers of the same date, as the collections appear to have been made by special mandate, and paid into the hands of the proper authorities.

E.S.T.

Passage in Gibbon (Vol. i., p. 348.).—­The passage in Gibbon I should have thought was well known to be taken from what Clarendon says of Hampden, and which Lord Nugent says in his preface to Hampden’s Life had before been said of Cinna.  Gibbon must either have meant to put inverted commas, or at least to have intended to take nobody in.

C.B.

Borrowed Thoughts (Vol. i., p. 482.)—­La fameuse La Galisse is an error.  The French pleasantly records the exploits of the celebrated Monsieur de la Galisse.  Many of Goldsmith’s lighter poems are borrowed from the French.

C.

Sapcote Motto (Vol. i., pp. 366. and 476.).—­Taking for granted that solutions of the “Sapcote Motto” are scarce, I send you what seems to me something nearer the truth than the arbitrary and unsatisfactory translation of T.C. (Vol. i, p. 476.).

The motto stands thus:—­

  “sco toot x vinic [or umic]
      x poncs.”

Adopting T.C.’s suggestion that the initial and final s are mere flourishes (though that makes little difference), and also his supposition that c may have been used for s, and as I fancy, not unreasonably conjecturing that the x is intended for dis, which is something like the pronunciation of the numeral X, we may then take the entire motto, without garbling it, and have sounds representing que toute disunis dispenses; which, grammatically and orthographically corrected, would read literally “all disunions cost,” or “destroy,” the equivalent of our “Union is strength.”  The motto, with the arms, three dove-cotes, is admirably suggestive of family union.

W.C.

Lines attributed to Lord Palmerston (Vol. i., p. 382.).—­These lines have also been attributed to Mason.