FOLK LORE.
Discovering the bodies of the Drowned (Vol. iv., p. 148.).
—It is curious that a similar practice to that of discovering the bodies of the drowned by loading a loaf with mercury, and putting it afloat on the stream, extracted from the Gent. Mag., seems to exist among the North American Indians. Sir James Alexander, in his account of Canada (L'Acadie, 2 vols., 1849), says, p. 26.:—
"The Indians imagine that in the case of a drowned body, its place may be discovered by floating a chip of cedar wood, which will stop and turn round over the exact spot: an instance occurred within my own knowledge, in the case of Mr. Lavery of Kingston Mill, whose boat overset, and the person was drowned near Cedar Island; nor could the body be discovered until this experiment was resorted to."
S.W.
Liverpool, Sept. 1851.
Tom Chipperfeild, &c.
—In Herrick's Works (W. and C. Tait, Edinburgh, 1823), p. 216., are the following lines:
"To his Booke.
"The dancing frier, tatter'd in the bush,
Those monstrous lies of little Robin Rush;
Tom Chipperfeild, and pritty lisping Ned,
That doted on a maide of gingerbread.
The flying pilcher, and the frisking dace,
With all the rabble of Tim Trundell's race,
Bred from the dunghils and adulterous rhimes,
Shall live, and thou not superlast all times?"
Can any of your correspondents versed in the folk lore of the West of England give me any explanation of Tom Chipperfeild and Co.?
E.N.W.
Southwark.
East Norfolk Folk Lore (Vol. iv., p. 53.).
—Cure for Ague. The cure mentioned by MR. E.S. TAYLOR above, I have just learnt has been practised with much success by some lady friends of mine for some years past amongst the poor of the parishes in which they have lived. From the number of cures effected by them, I have sent the same application (with the exception of using ginger instead of honey) to a relative of mine in India, who has been suffering from ague acutely, and am anxiously waiting to hear the result. It would be satisfactory to have the medical nature of the remedy, as well as its effects, accounted for; but I fear this would be considered as out of your province.
W.H.P.