W.
Beeston--Shrew--Trunk Breeches--Queen's
Messengers--Dissenting Ministers--Ballad of the
Wars in France--Monody on Death of Sir J. Moore. 444

Iron Rails round St. Paul's. 446

MISCELLANEOUS:--
Notes on Books, Sales, Catalogues, &c. 446
Books and Odd Volumes Wanted. 446
Notices to Correspondents. 446
Advertisements. 447

* * * * *

THE MOSQUITO COUNTRY.--ORIGIN OF THE NAME.--EARLY CONNECTION OF THE
MOSQUITO INDIANS WITH THE ENGLISH.

The subject of the Mosquito country has lately acquired a general
interest. I am anxious to insert the following "Notes and Queries" in
your useful periodical, hoping thus to elicit additional information, or
to assist other inquirers.

1. As to the origin of the name. I believe it to be probably derived
from an native name of a tribe of Indians in that part of America. The
Spanish Central Americans speak of _Moscos_. Juarros, A Spanish Central
American author, in his _History of Guatemala_, names the Moscos among
other Indians inhabiting the north-eastern corner of that tract of
country now called _Mosquito_: and in the "Mosquito Correspondence" laid
before Parliament in 1848, the inhabitants of Mosquito are called
_Moscos_ in the Spanish state-papers.

How and when would _Mosco_ have become _Mosquito_? Was it a Spanish
elongation of the name, or an English corruption? In the former case, it
would probably have been another name of the people: in the latter,
probably a name given to the part of the coast near which the Moscos
lived.

The form _Mosquito_, or _Moskito_, or _Muskito_, (as the word is
variously spelt in our old books), is doubtless as old as the earliest
English intercourse with the Indians of the Mosquito coast; and that may
be as far back as about 1630: it is certainly as far back as 1650.

If the name came from the synonymous insect, would it have been given by
the Spaniards or the English? _Mosquito_ is the Spanish diminutive name
of a fly: but what we call a mosquito, the Spaniards in Central America
call by another name, _sanchujo_. The Spaniards had very little
connexion at any time with the Mosquito Indians; and as mosquitoes are
not more abundant on their parts of the coast than on other parts, or in
the interior, where the Spaniards settled, there would have been no
reason for their giving the name on account of insects. Nor, indeed,
would the English, who went to the coast from Jamaica, or other West