asts and two tresses.

Nothing was more common than for a man to swear by his beard. This custom
is alluded to by one of Shakspeare's fools, who suggests that if a certain
knight swore by his honour, and his mistress by her beard, neither of them
_could_ be forsworn.

In the canons of the Fourth Council of Orleans, we read--

"Le Roi lui-meme, ou le plus renomme des chevaliers presents, ayant
decoupe le paon, se leva, et mettant la main sur l'oiseau, fit un voeu
hardi; Ensuite il passa le plat, et chacun de ceux qui le recurent fit
un voeu semblable."

In the year 1306, Edward I. of England swore an oath on two swans.

It was also very common from an early period, both in England and abroad,
to swear by one, two, seven, or twelve churches. The deponent went {533} to
the appointed number of churches, and at each, taking the ring of the
church door in his hand, repeated the oath.

One of the most curious specimens of the practice of swearing men by that
to which they attached most importance, is to be found in an Hindoo law. It
says, let a judge swear a Brahmin by his veracity; a soldier by his horses,
his elephants, or his arms; an agriculturist by his cows, his grain, or his
money; and a Soudra by all his crimes.

JOHN THRUPP.

Surbiton.

I know nothing about judicial oaths: but the origin of the form MR. BREEN
states to be used by the Roman Catholics of the Continent, and the Scotch
Presbyterians, may be seen in Dan. xii. 7.: "When he held up his right hand
and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever." And
in Revelation x. 5, 6.: "And the angel ... lifted up his hand to heaven,
and sware by him," &c. See also Genesis xiv. 22.

MARIA.

* * * * *

PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE.

_Washing Collodion Pictures--Test for Lens._--As I was indebted to the
kindness of DR. DIAMOND, amongst other friends, for my original initiation
into the mysteries of photography, it may appear somewhat presumptuous in
me to differ from one who has had so much more experience in a point of
practice. I allude to that of _washing_ the collodion negative after
developing, previously to fixing with the hyposulphite of soda; but,
probably, the reasons I urge may have some weight. As the hyposulphite
solution is intended to be used repeatedly, it appears to me not advisable
to introduce into it _any free acid_ (which must occur if the negative be
not washed, althou