which was the only decision of such writ of
right after the Conquest, till Henry II, by consent of Parliament,
introduced the _Grand Assise_, a peculiar species of trial by
jury."--Blackstone, _Commentaries_, vol. iii. p. 340. Perhaps after all
it was only an allusion to the white hand of Justice, as seems probably
from the expression _Maiden_-Assize.

Yours, &c. M.W.

Nov. 17. 1849.

P.S. Perhaps the "Lady-bird" in Suffolk derives its episcopal title,
alluded to by LEGOUR, from appearing in June, in which month falls the
Festival of St. Barnabas.

* * * * *

ADVERSARIA.

_Don Quixote._

Sir,--Have the following contradictions in Cervantes' account of
Sancho's ass "Dapple" ever been noticed or accounted for?

In _Don Quixote_, Part. I. chap. 23, we find Dapple's abduction at
night by Gines de Passamonte; only a few lines afterwards, lo! Sancho is
seated on her back, sideways, like a woman, eating his breakfast. In
spite of which, chap. 25. proves that she is still missing. Sancho
tacitly admits the fact, by invoking "blessings on the head of the man
who had saved him the trouble of unharnessing her." Chap. 30. contains
her rescue from Passamonte.

MELANION.

_Doctor Dove, of Doncaster_.

The names of "_Doctor Dove, of Doncaster_," and his steed "_Nobbs_,"
must be familiar to all the admirers, in another word, to all the
readers, of Southey's _Doctor_.

Many years ago there was published at Canterbury a periodical work
called _The Kentish Register_. In the No. for September, 1793, there is
a ludicrous letter, signed "Agricola," addressed to Sir John Sinclair,
then President of the Royal Agricultural Society; and in that letter
there is frequent mention made of "Doctor _Dobbs, of Doncaster_, and
_his horse Nobbs_." This coincidence appears to be too remarkable to
have been merely accidental; and it seems probably that, in the course
of his multifarious reading, Southey had met with the work in question,
had been struck with the comical absurdity of these names, and had
unconsciously retained them in his memory.

P.C.S.S.

* * * * *

INSCRIPTION ON ANCIENT CHURCH PLATE.

Mr. Editor,--Herewith I have the pleasure of sending you a tracing of
the legend round a representation of St. Christopher, in a latten dish
belonging to a friend of mine, and apparently very similar to the
alms-basins described by CLERICUS in No. 3.

The upper