"H.M.S. Excellent.—Jonathan Smith, gunner's mate of the Hastings, joined this ship from the Hastings in July; went on two months' leave, but came back in August very ill, and was immediately sent to the hospital for general dropsy, of which he shortly after died, and he was buried in Kingston churchyard, being followed to the grave by a part of the ship's company of the Excellent.
"Shortly before his death a worm, not a snake, came from him. It was nine inches in length; but though of such formidable dimensions, such things are common enough in the East Indies, where this man must have swallowed it, when very small, in water. They seldom are the cause of death, and, in the present instance, had nothing whatever to do with it. The story of the snake got into some of the papers, but was afterwards contradicted in several."
Mackenzie Walcott, M.A.
Nattochiis and Calchanti (Vol. ix., p. 36.).—Your correspondent F.S.A. asks what "cum ganis et nattochiis" means, in a charter of the date of Edward II. At that time nattes signified reeds, and possibly withies: and the words quoted I believe to mean, "with all grass and reeds (or reed-beds)." He also inquires what is meant, in a deed of grant of the time of Queen Elizabeth, by a grant of "decimas calchanti," &c.? It signifies "tithes ways," &c. The original law Latin for the modern phrase "all ways," &c., was calceata, signifying "raised ways."
This word has (at different periods) been written, calceata, calcata, calcea, calchia, chaucée, and chaussé; all of them, however, meaning the same thing.
John Thrupp.
11. York Gate.
Marriage Ceremony in the Fourteenth Century (Vol. ix., p. 33.).—If R. C. will refer to Palmer's Origines Liturgicæ (Rivington, 1845, vol. ii. p. 214.), he will find that the first part of the matrimonial office was "anciently termed the espousals, which took place some time before the actual celebration of marriage." Palmer explains:
"The espousals consisted in a mutual promise of marriage, which was made by the man and woman before the bishop or presbyter, and several witnesses. After which, the articles of agreement of marriage (called tabulæ matrimoniales), which are mentioned by Augustin, were signed by both persons. After this, the man delivered to the woman the ring and other gifts; an action which was termed subarrhation. In the latter ages the espousals have always been performed at the same time as the office of matrimony, both in the western and eastern churches; and it has long been customary for the ring to be delivered to the woman after the contract has been made, which has always been in the actual office of matrimony."
Wheatly also speaks of the ring as a "token of spousage." He tell us that—
"In the old manual for the use of Salisbury, before the minister proceeds to the marriage, he is directed to ask the woman's dowry, viz. the tokens of spousage: and by these tokens of spousage are to be understood rings, or money, or some other things to be given to the woman by the man; which said giving is called subarration (i. e. wedding or covenanting), especially when it is done by the giving of a ring."—A Rational Illustration of the Book of Common Prayer, &c. (Tegg, 1845), p. 408.