or bandaging used for tying the patient's arm. When the pole was not in use, the tape was tied to it, that they might be both forthcoming when wanted. On a person coming to be bled, the tape was disengaged from the pole, and bound round the arm, and the pole was put into the person's hand: after it was done, it was again tied on, and in this state the pole and the tape were often hung at the door, for a sign of notice to passengers that they might there be bled. At length, instead of hanging out the identical pole used in the operation, a pole was painted with stripes round it, in imitation of the real pole and its bandagings, and thus came the sign. The three colours artands painted spirally mind this pole fum top to bottom-red-blue and white is t indicate respectively in Artenes-veins and the Jape. F.H.

SHAVING-BRUSHES.

Before the year 1756, it was a general custom to lather with the hand; but the French barbers about that time brought in the brush. It was an old saying " A good lather is half the shave."

RESTAURATEUR.

This term, so generally applied to tavern-keepers in France, and particularly to the cooks, took its name from a Parisian vintner, named Boulanger, the first to supply the public with soups, in the year 1765, placing over the door this verse from the Bible: -Venite ad me omnes qui stomacho laboratis, et ego Restaurabo vos! The bait took such effect, that others in the same line took his example, and the restorative powers of their aliments, added to the singularity of the invitation to partake of them, occasioned their being distinguished by an appellation which has since been indiscriminately applied.

SURGEON.

This term, as applied to medical men, is derived from Chirur geons, who were formerly incorporated with the barbers, under the denomination of Barber-chirurgeons. In course of time, however, they separated; the letters of blood" taking upon themselves the new made cognomen of Surgeons; and the pollers of hair, and shavers of chins, the old moiety of their original united appellation of Barbers.

CORN-FACTORS, &c.

About fourscore years back (now upwards of a century), says Harriott, in his Struggles through Life, corn-factors, meal-men, and middle-men, as now designated, and well understood, were then unknown. My grandfather was then a baker of some repute in the city, and it was from my father, and sister's brother, I learned the following history of the commencement of corn-factoring, and thence the other two. At this time, when the consumption of corn was small, compared to what it is now in the

metropolis, there was no description of people that stood between growers of corn and bakers. The farmer brought his samples to town; and taking them to Bear-Quay, near the Custom-house, met the bakers, who were the principal buyers of bread corn, and there made their bargains with each other. It is unnecessary to detail concerning other grain, which was sold in the same direct manner to the other purchasers; and it is thence that the present corn market, in Mark-Lane, is still called Bear-Quay Market.

The farmers, according to circumstances and situation, put up at different inns, &c., when they came to town; the Green Dragon and Bull Inns in Bishopsgate Street, were two among others to which farmers resorted. The landlords of these two inns, in particular, were men in good esteem, and by habit became well acquainted with the quality and value of corn; insomuch, that the farmers who used their houses, would request of them at times, when they had not sold, to take the samples to Bear-Quay on the following market-day, and sell for them; paying themselves afterwards for their trouble, &c. The farmer soon found that this made a considerable saving to him, in preference to staying in town till next market-day, or making another journey. At length, the farmer finding that the innkeeper sold the corn as well as he could, and confiding in his host, thought he might frequently save his own time, as well as the expense of the journey, by sending the samples up to the innkeeper to sell, and do the best for him; agreeing to give an allowance of 3d. a quarter for the innkeeper's commission.

GOLDSMITHS' YEAR MARKS.

In Notes and Queries, vol. vi., occur the following notices of these marks:-In the year 1596, the Roman capital A was used; in 1597, B; and so on alphabetically for twenty years, which would bring us to the letter U, denoting the year 1615: the alphabet finishing every twenty years with the letter U or V. The next year, 1616, commences with the old English letter a, and is continued for another twenty years in the old English capitals. In 1636 is introduced another alphabet called Court alphabet.

In this list it will appear difficult, at first sight, in looking at a piece of plate to ascertain its age, to determine whether it was manufactured between the years 1636 and 1655, or between 1696 and 1715, the Court hand being used in both these cycles: but instead of the lion passant and leopard's head in the former, we shall find the lion's head erased, and Britannia, denoting the alteration of the standard during the latter period.

The letters used as dates in the foregoing list are only those of the Goldsmiths' Hall in London, as denoted by the leopard's head crowned. Other Halls, at York, Newcastle, Lincoln, Norwich, Bristol, Salisbury, and Coventry, had also marks of their own to show the year; and have stamped gold and silver since the year 1423, perhaps earlier. Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin have had the same privilege from a very early period: and, more recently, Chester, Birmingham, and Sheffield. Thus it will be seen, that four marks or punches are used on gold and silver plate, independent of the makers' initials or symbol, viz.:

The Standard Mark.-For gold of the old standard of 22 carats, and silver of 11 oz. 2 dwts.;

The Duty Mark.--The head of the sovereign, to indicate that the duty has been paid: this mark is not placed on watchcases, &c.

The Date Mark, or variable letter, denoting the year as fixed by each Hall.

HABERDASHERS.

Minshew derives it from Habt ihr das, Teut. Possibly the real derivation is berdash, an old English neck-dress, whence a seller of this article was called a berdasher or haberdasher. But a word of so complex a structure, not apparently reducible to significant elements, must be strongly suspected of corruption, and the origin would naturally be looked for in France, from whence we derive the names of so many of our tradesmen, as butchers, tailors,

cutlers, chandlers, mercers, &c. Now the Dictionnaire de Languedoc has, "Debassaire, bonnetier, chaussetier, fabricant de bas,” from debasses, stockings. With us, "The haberdasher heapeth wealth by hats," but he usually joins with that business the trade of hosier; and possibly, when the meaning of the French term was not generally understood in this country, the name of the article dealt in might have been added to give significance to the word, and thus might have formed hat-debasser, or hat-debasher, haberdasher.

The Haberdashers were incorporated into a company in the year 1447; but it is probable that their number was not great, since in the reign of Henry VI. there were not more than a dozen Haberdashers' shops in the whole city. How much they must have increased during the reign of Elizabeth may be inferred from the complaints made against them, that the whole street from Westminster was crowded with them, and that their shops made so gay an appearance as to seduce persons to extravagant expenditures. The business of the haberdasher was not, however, confined to the lighter articles of a lady's wardrobe, as at present, but extended to the sale of daggers, swords, knives, spurs, glasses, dials, tables, balls, cards, puppets, inkhorns, toothpicks, fine earthen-pots, salt-cellars, spoons, tin dishes; and even mousetraps, bird-cages, shoeing-horns, lanterns, and Jews'-trumps, contributed to that gay appearance which the haberdashers' shops are said to have made in the reign of our maiden queen.

MERCERS' COMPANY.

This, which is one of the twelve principal companies, or such, says Pennant, who are honoured with the privilege of the Lord Mayor's being elected out of one of them. Mercer by no means implied a dealer in Silks, for Mercery signified all sorts of small wares, toys, and haberdashery. This company was incorporated in 1393.

MERCHANT-TAILORS' COMPANY.
"A remnant of all shall be saved."

When Dr. South was appointed chaplain to the Merchant Tailors' Company, he took the above appropriate text, when he preached his inauguration sermon.

This company in former times was merely denominated the Tailors Company, until Henry VII., who was himself a member of it, gave them the title of Merchant Tailors; this was in the year 1501. Edward, the Black Prince, was a member of this farfamed company, and most of the kings of England, since the reign of Edward III., down to George IV. Continental Sovereigns, Princes, Marshals, and Generals, have been, and are enrolled in the same. This is also one of the twelve principal companies.

LORINER.

Among the various companies of the city of London, some of which have very peculiar, and not generally understood names, this is one. Loriner is from the French Lorimer, signifying a maker or manufacturer of bridle bits, stirrups, and other saddler's ironmongery. The time has gone by with the Loriner's Company, as well as with others, when they granted their freedom or livery to those only who were of the trade by which the company was denominated.

Public-house Signs, especially in and about the metropolis, present some laughable absurdities, a specimen of which is given in the above compound of rhyme and prose. Englishmen, it is said, are fond of contradictions, a corroboration of the truth of which is not only to be found in the sign-board of the tavern, but in the foaming bowl of punch which is to be procured there. As this work professes to embrace a little of every thing, the origin of some of the most remarkable tavern appellations and public-house signs will now be noticed, satisfied that the reader will feel an interest in the same; for

"Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round,
Where'er his various tour has been,
May sigh, to think how oft he found

His warmest welcome at an Inn."-Shenstone.

THE HUMMUMS.

An hotel, situated in Covent Garden, and famed for its hot and cold baths. Dr. Shaw, in his Travels, says, that hummums is a corruption of hammum, the Arabic term for a bath or bagnio. Parson Ford, who so conspicuously figures in Hogarth's Modern Conversation, died in the latter house. The first bagnio, or bath, for sweating or hot bathing in England, it is believed, was that in Bagnio Court, Newgate Street, which afterwards became an hotel, or lodging-house, after which the Hummums in Covent Garden were opened upon the same plan.