—Will any of your correspondents inform me of the derivation of the word æra, as, if derived from the Latin word æra, no classical authority that I know of can be adduced. In Ainsworth I find æra signifies a kind of weed amongst corn; a mark upon money to show the value; a remarkable period of time.
J. N. G. G.
[In Andrews' Latin-English Lexicon our correspondent will find the following as the second definition of Æra, "ÆRA, Æ, f. (from Æra, the plural of Æs), a word belonging to Later Latin. 1. In Mathem. The given number, according to which a calculation is to be made. Vitruvius (Vetrubius) Rufus in Salmas. Exerc. I. p. 483. 2. The item of an account for which in the class. per æra, as plur. of æs, came into use. Ruf. Fest. in Breviar. in. The passage of Lucil. cited by Nonius, 2, 42., æra perversa, is prob. also plur. 3. The era or epoch from which time is reckoned.">[
Tudur Aled.
—Can any of your Cambrian correspondents inform me when Tudur Aled, a Welsh poet, flourished; and in what collection his works are to be found?
A STUDENT.
[Tudur Aled, so called on account of his residence on the banks of the Aled, in the county of Denbigh, flourished about the year 1490, and was a friar of the Order of St. Francis. He wrote a poetical account of the miracles reported to have been performed at St. Winifred's Well, in the town of Holywell, as well as the life of that saint. He was also one of the followers of Sir Rhys ab Thomas, of Dinevor in Carmarthenshire, and wrote several poems in praise of his great achievements. Some of our Cambrian readers can probably state where his pieces are to be found.]
Tonges of Tonge.
—Can any of your Lancashire correspondents furnish me with information respecting the genealogy and family history of the Tonges of Tonge, near Middleton in that county? This family appears to have been of some consideration at an early period, and to have become extinct at the commencement of the last century.
J. B. (Manchester.)