eas,"
or Cow pasture. In ancient records it is written "Couelee." I have
before me a survey or "extent" of the Hospitalers' lands in England,
including those formerly belonging to the Templars. In this record, as
in most that I have seen, it is written, "Templecouelee," and it is
entered as a limb of the commandry of Saunford or Sandford.

L.B.L.

_Cowley or Coverley--Statistics of Roman Catholic
Church--Whelps--Discovery of America_.

I can answer pretty confidently the query II. in Number 4, p. 59,
about the etymon of _Cowley_, for I have, on a farm of my own, two
denominations of land, called _Ox-ley_ and _Cow-ley_, and I believe that
both these names are common all through England. Like _Horseley, Ashley,
Oakley_ and a thousand other _leas_ or _leys_ distinguished from each
other by some local characteristic. _Coverley_ was probably not
_Cowley_, but, like _Woodley_, _Orchardleigh_, &c., derived from its
local position.

In answer to the query as to the statistics of the Roman Catholic
Church, p. 61. Number 4, I think I may say there is no such _general_
work, though the _Propaganda_ of Rome was said to register something of
that sort. The information is only to be picked up from various and (as
far as I know) all imperfect publications. The least so that I can just
now refer to is the _Statistics of the Roman Catholic Church of
Ireland_, in Thom's _Dublin Almanack_--a very curious and useful
compilation.

In reply to the inquiry as to a _priest's wife_, p. 77 Number 5, I
would suggest that married persons may have separated, and retired each
into the celibacy of a convent, yet might join, when necessary, in a
legal conveyance; but I should examine closely the word deciphered
_clericus_.

To J.J., who inquires about "_Whelps_," and refers to Howell's
_Letters_, sect. 5 p. 9, I beg leave to suggest more precision in his
future references. The passage is in one (viz. the viii.) of the 42
letters of the 5th section; but in the last and best edition (Lond.
1754) it is p. 204. I note this to inculcate the necessity of accurate
references and mention of the edition quoted. As to the query itself, I
can answer that the "_whelps_" were a class, perhaps I might say a
_litter_, of light men-of-war of the fifth rate, which were so called,
perhaps, after one named the "_Lion's Whelp_," in Queen Elizabeth's
navy, and distinguished by numbers, as "_1st Whelp_," "_2nd Whelp_," and
so on to at least "_10th Whelp_," which