at this time of the year, wee have
radishes, cabbiges, and excellent colly flowers, and large ones for a
penny a-piece."

On the 29th January, 1675-6, the reverend writer again returned to Malta,
and made under this date the following note:--

"This day David Thomas and Marlin, the coock, and our master's boy, had
their hands stretched out, and with their backs to the rayles, and the
master's boy with his back to the maine mast, all looking one upon the
other, and in each of their mouths a mandler spike, viz., an iron pinn
clapt closse into their mouths, and tyd behind their heads; and there
they stood a whole houre, till their mouths were very bloody, _an
excellent cure for swearers_."

"_February 4._--This day dined with us Sir Roger Strickland, Captaine
Temple, Captaine Harrice, and one gentleman more. Wee had a gallant
baked pudding, an excellent legg of porke, and colliflowers, an
excellent dish made of piggs' petti-toes, two roasted piggs, one turkey
cock, a rosted hogg's head, three ducks, a dish of Cyprus burds, and
pistachoes and dates together, and store of good wines."

"_February 5._--God blesse those that are at sea! The weather is very
bad."

"_February 11._--Sir John Narbrough cam in from Trypoly, and four more
ships with him. The noble Malteese _salute him with forty-five gunns_;
he answers them with so many that I could not count them. And what with
our salutes, and his answers, there was nothing but fyre and smoake for
almost two hours."

The great length of this communication prevents my taking other extracts
from a "Diary" which contains much interesting information, and is written
in a quaint and humorous style.

WILLIAM WINTHROP.

La Valetta, Malta.

* * * * *

Minor Notes.

_Whipping a Lady._--The following is from a MS. Diary of the Rev. John
Lewis, Rector of Chalfield and Curate of Tilbury:

"August, 1719. Sir Christopher Hales being jilted by a lady who
promised him marriage, and put him off on the day set for their
marriage, gave her a good whipping at parting. Remember the story."

Is there any corroboration of this?

E. D.

_Mother of Thirty Children._--An instance has come under my notice of a
woman, whose maiden name was Lee, born in Surrey; married, first, Berry,
with whom she lived thirty years, and had twenty-six children (four times
tw