I have a strong conviction that I then wrote to "N. & Q." to claim the word sparse as aboriginal to the British Isles, for I find memoranda I had made at the time on the margin of my Jamieson's Dictionary on the subject; but I do not find that what I then wrote had been printed in "N. & Q."
In the Supplement to Jamieson's Dictionary is the following: "Spars, Sparse, adj. widely spread; as, 'sparse writing' is wide open writing, occupying a large space." The word is in common use throughout the south of Scotland.
I have come to be of opinion that there are few, if any, words that are real Americanisms, but that (except where the substance or the subject is quite modern) almost every word and expression now in use among the Anglo-Americans may be traced to some one of the old provincial dialects of the British Isles.
J. S.s.
The Folger Family (Vol. vi., p. 583.).—I do not know whether there are any of that name in Wales, but there was a family of that name near Tregony in Cornwall some years ago, and may be now. I am not quite certain whether they spell it Folger or Fulger, but rather think the latter was the mode of spelling it.
S. Jennings-G.
Wake Family (Vol. vi., p. 290.).—The Rev. Robert Wake was vicar of Ogbourne, St. Andrew, Wilts, from 1703 to 1715, N.S., during which time he had these children:—Thomas, born the 17th of July, 1706, and baptized on the 28th of the same month; Elizabeth and Anne, both baptized on the 16th of July, 1711.
Arthur R. Carter.
Camden Town.
Shakspeare's "Twelfth Night" (Vol. vi., p. 584.).—Agreeing with Mr. Singer in his doubts regarding the propriety of changing the word case into face, in the line,—