Ambassadors addressed as Peers (Vol. v., p. 213.).
—I must leave you to judge whether a reference to Howell's Familiar Letters is likely to be new to your correspondent MR. J. G. NICHOLS, or of any service to him in his inquiry on this subject. His note reminded me that Howell had respectfully used the words "My Lord," and "Your Lordship," apparently in the modern sense of "Your Excellency," in his letters to the Right Hon. Sir Peter Wichts, and to the Right Hon. Sir Sackvill Crow, ambassadors at Constantinople. See Howell's Familiar Letters, Part I. Letters 115. 130.; Part II. Letters 18. 27.
C. FORBES.
Temple.
Red Book of the Irish Exchequer (Vol. iii., p. 6.).
—J. F. F. may find some information in Mr. Mason's description of the sketch in the 13th vol. of the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy.
R. H.
Yankee, Derivation of (Vol. iii., pp. 260. 437. 461.).
—I send you a Note on the etymology of this word, which I do not see noticed by any of your correspondents:
"When the New England Colonies were first settled, the inhabitants were obliged to fight their way against many nations of Indians. They found but little difficulty in subduing them all except one tribe, who were known by the name of Yankoos, which signifies invincible. After the waste of much blood and treasure, the Yankoos were at last subdued by the New Englandmen. The remains of this nation (agreeable to the Indian custom) transferred their name to their conquerors. For a while they were called Yankoos; but from a corruption, common to names in all languages, they got through time the name of Yankee."—New York Gazetteer, June 1, 1775.