As it hath pleased God to make your Excellcie eminently instrumental for the raising up of three gasping and dying nations, into the faire hopes and prospect of peace and settlement, so hath He engraven you (r name) in characters of gratitude upon the hearts of all (true) to whom (cordially wish) the welfare of this church and state (are) is deare and pretious. (Out) From this principle it is that our University of Cambridge hath, with great alacrity and unanimity, made choyse of your Excellency with whom to deposite the(ire) managing of theire concernments in the succeeding Parlt, wch, if your Excellcy shall please to admitt into a favourable (interpretation) acceptance, (you will thereby) you will thereby (add) put a further obligation of gratitude upon us all; wch none shalbe more ready to expresse than he who is

Your Excellcies most humble servt,

W. D.

[Endorsed]
To the Ld General Monk.

Who was "W. D."? Was he the then Vice-Chancellor?

Leicestriensis.

Minor Notes.

Curiosities of Railway Literature.—Has "Bradshaw" had any reviewers? If not, an example or two from this neighbourhood, of the absurdities which reappear month after month in the time-tables, may show the necessity of them. A Midland train proposes to leave Gloucester at 12.40 p.m., and reach Cheltenham at 1 p.m. The Great Western Company advertise an express train, on the very same line, to leave two minutes later and arrive five minutes earlier. It is therefore obvious, that if these trains were to keep their proper time, the express must run into the slow coach in front. The Great Western Railway Company have also, in a very unassuming manner, been advertising a feat hitherto unparalleled in the annals of railway speed,—the mail from Cheltenham at 8.20 a.m. to leave Gloucester at 8.27; that is to say, seven miles, including starting, slackening speed at two or three "crossings," stopping, starting again, all in seven minutes! Let the narrow gauge beat this if it can.

H. H.

Gloucester.

Cromwell's Seal.—I am in possession of a fine seal; it is a beautiful engraving of the head of Oliver Cromwell, and was once his property: he presented it to a favourite officer, whose nephew, to whom it was bequeathed, gave it to the father of the lady from whom I received it a few years ago. Thus I am in the singular position of being the fifth holder of it from the Protector.

Y. S. M.