tonio Canaletto, the painter of
Venice, the destruction of one of whose most powerful works has been of
late the subject of so much agitation, was here amongst us in this city
one hundred years since; as seen by his proposal in one of the journals
of 1752:

"Signior Canaletto gives notice that he has painted Chelsea
College, Ranelagh House, and the River Thames; which, if any
gentleman, or others, are pleased to favour him with seeing the
same, he will attend at his lodgings at Mr. Viggans, in Silver
Street, Golden Square, from fifteen days from this day, July 31,
from 8 to 1, and from 3 to 6 at night, each day."

Here is that able artist's offer in his own terms, if, not his own
words.

I have to inquire, are these pictures left here to the knowledge of your
readers? did he, in short, find buyers as well as admirers? or, if not,
did he return to Venice with those (no doubt) vividly pictured
recollections of our localities under his arm?

GONDOLA.

_A Monster found at Maidstone._--In Kilburne's _Survey of Kent_, 4to.
1659, under "Maidstone," is the following passage:

"Wat Tiler, that idol of clownes, and famous rebell in the time
of King Richard the Second, was of this town; and in the year
1206 about this town was a monster found stricken with
lightning, with a head like an asse, a belly like a man, and all
other parts far different from any known creature, but not
approachable nigh unto, by reason of the stench thereof."

No mention of this is made by Lambarde in his _Perambulation of Kent_.
Has this been traditional, or whence is Kilburne's authority? And what
explanation can be offered of the account?

H. W. D.

_Page._--What is the derivation of this word? In the _Dictionary of
Greek and Roman Antiquities_, edited by Dr. W. Smith, 1st edit., p.
679., it is said to be from the Greek ~paidagogos~, _paedagogus_. But in
an edition of Tacitus, with notes by Boxhorn (Amsterdam, 1662), it is
curiously identified with the word _boy_, and traced to an eastern
source thus:--Persian, _bagoa_; Polish, _pokoigo_; Old German, _Pagie_,
_Bagh_, _Bai_; then the Welsh, _bachgen_; French, _page_; English,
_boy_; and Greek, ~pais~.

Some of your correspondents may be able to inform me which is correct.

B. H. C.

* * * * *

Minor Queries with Answers.

_The Fish "Ruffins."_--In Spenser's _Faerie Queene_ we read (book iv.
canto 1