In Jamieson's admirable Dictionary, the following varieties of spelling and meaning (all evidently of the same word) occur:—
"Aver or Aiver, a horse used for labour; commonly an old horse; as in Burns—
"'Yet aft a ragged cowte's been kenn'd To mak a noble aiver.'
"'This man wyl not obey.... Nochtheles I sall gar hym draw lik an avir in ane cart'—Bellend. Chron.
"'Aiver, a he-goat after he has been gelded: till then he is denominated a buck.
"Haiver, haivrel, haverel, a gelded goat (East Lothian, Lanarkshire, Sotherland).
"Hebrun, heburn, are also synonymes.
"Averie, live-stock, as including horses, cattle, &c.
"'Calculation of what money, &c. will sustain their Majesties' house and averie'—Keith's Hist.
"'Averia, averii, 'equi, boves, jumenta, oves, ceteraque animalia quæ agriculturæ inserviunt.'"—Ducange.
Skene traces this word to the low Latin, averia, "quhilk signifies ane beast." According to Spelman, the Northumbrians call a horse aver or afer.
See much more learned disquisition on the origin of these evidently congenerous words under the term Arage, in Jamieson.
EMDEE.
Mowbray Coheirs (No. 14. p. 213.).—Your correspondent "G." may obtain a clue to his researches on reference to the private act of parliament of the 19th Henry VII., No. 7., intituled, "An Act for Confirmation of a Partition of Lands made between William Marquis Barkley and Thomas Earl of Surrey."—Vide Statutes at Large.
W.H. LAMMIN.
Spurious Letter of Sir R. Walpole (No. 19. p. 304.)—"P.C.S.S." (No. 20. p. 321.) and "LORD BRAYBROOKE" (No. 21. p. 336.) will find their opinion of the letter being spurious confirmed by the appendix to Lord Hervey's Memoirs, (vol. ii. p. 582.), and the editor's note, which proves the inaccuracy of the circumstances on which the inventor of the letter founded his fabrication. In addition to Lord Braybrooke's proofs that Sir Robert was not disabled by the stone, for some days previous to the 24th, from waiting on the king, let me add also, from Horace Walpole's authority, two conclusive facts; the first is, that it was not till Sunday night, the 31st January (a week after the date of the letter) that Sir Robert made up his mind to resign; and, secondly, that he had at least two personal interviews with the king on that subject.
C.
Line quoted by De Quincey.—"S.P.S." (No. 22. p. 351.) is informed that