from being without
developed feathers. De Gama never went near Mauritius, but
hugged the African coast as far as Melinda, and then crossed
to India, returning by the same route. This small island
inhabited by penguins, near the Cape of Good Hope, has been
gratuitously confounded with Mauritius. Dr. Hamel, in a
memoir in the _Bulletin de la Classe Physico-Mathematique de
l'Academie de St. Petersbourg_, vol. iv. p. 53., has devoted
an unnecessary amount of erudition to the refutation of this
obvious mistake. He shows that the name _solitaires_, as
applied to penguins by De Gama's companions, [I should have
said, 'by later compilers,'] is corrupted from _sotilicairos_,
which appears to be a Hottentot word."

I may add, that Dr. Hamel shows Osorio's statement to be taken from
Castanheda, who is the earliest authority for the account of De Gama's
voyage.

H.E. STRICKLAND.

* * * * *

BOHN'S EDITION OF MILTON.

Mr. Editor,--I have just seen an article in your "NOTES AND QUERIES"
referring to my edition of Milton's prose works. It is stated that, in
my latest catalogue, the book is announced as _complete_ in 3 vols.,
although the contrary appears to be the case, judging by the way in
which the third volume ends, the absence of an index, &c.

In reply, I beg to say that the insertion of the word "complete," in
some of my catalogues, has taken place without my privity, and is now
expunged. The fourth volume has long been in preparation, but the
time of its appearance depends on the health and leisure of a prelate,
whose name I have no right to announce. Those gentlemen who have taken
the trouble to make direct inquiries on the subject, have always, I
believe, received an explicit answer.

HENRY GEORGE BOHN.

May 30. 1850.

* * * * *

UMBRELLAS.

Although Dr. Rimbault's Query (Vol. i., p. 415.) as to the first
introduction of umbrellas into England, is to a certain extent
answered in the following number (p. 436.) by a quotation from Mr.
Cunningham's _Handbook_, a few additional remarks may, perhaps, be
deemed admissible. Hanway is there stated to have been "the first man
who ventured to walk the streets of London with one over his head,"
and that after continuing its use nearly thirty years, he saw them
come into general use. As Hanway died in 1786, we may thus infer that
the introduction of umbrellas m