ruption of the Italian Girasole, or Sun-flower. When this vegetable was first introduced into this country by Mr. John Calleron, he asked a party to dine, and giving one to a gentleman greatly skilled in the vegetable kingdom to eat, be began to devour the leaves at the wrong end, which occasioned some of the company to laugh immoderately. The gentleman observing his mistake, said, "Well, I am happy as long as the error has occasioned a hearty laugh." "Yes," replied Mr. Calleron, "and egad I think also, it has been a hearty joke!"

BACHELOR.

Dr. Johnson, after noticing various proposed derivations of this word, concludes, the most probable one seems to be from bacca laurûs; bachelors being young are of good hopes, likė laurels in the berry.

BANTAMS.

The small fowl, designated by the name of Bantam, derives its appellation from Bantam, in the Isle of Java; and was first introduced into this country in 1683, when an embassy arrived in England from thence.

BEVERAGE.

This term, as applied to everyday potations, is derived from the Italian, bevere, to drink.

BEEVER, OR BEEVOR.

"He wore his Bevor up."

The term Beever, or Bevor, as worn by the knights of old, says Dr. Meyrick, was so called in contradistinction to the common vizor, and is derived from the Italian bevere, to drink. The knights, when thirsty, in the absence of a proper vessel, drank from their Bevor.

BELLEROPHON.

As this vessel, or ship of war, will have a place in history, as being that which received "Le Grand Nation's" fallen emperor as a prisoner, when he surrendered to the British nation; it is thought the derivation of the name may not be unacceptable.

Bellerophon, son of Glaucus and Eurymedes, had the misfortune to kill his brother Pyrrhus as he was hunting, upon which he took refuge with Protus, king of Argos, whose wife, Stenobia, *"I throw myself on the generosity of the British nation."

Napoleon's Letter to the Prince Regent.

made him offers, which he rejected. She, stung with indifference, accused him to her husband of attempting her chastity, on account of which he underwent numberless misfortunes.

There is somewhat of an affecting coincidence between the mythological circumstance which gave a name to the ship, and the extraordinary man who became its inhabitant for a period, which cannot fail to strike the most indifferent reader; and especially those who were his ardent admirers.

BLOOD.

The word blood is derived from the Saxon blod. The month of November was called by the Saxons blot-monath, because in this month they killed great abundanceof cattle for winter store; or, according to some, for purposes of sacrifices to their deities.

BOH !

Fosbroke says that this word, used to frighten the children, was the name of Boh, a great general, the son of Odin, whose very appellation struck immediate panic in his enemies.

BENEVOLENCE AND BENEFICENCE.

Benevolence and beneficence are ordinarily used as synonymous; a little attention, however, to the root, or rather roots, whence each has its rise, will serve to show that the difference is great, and that it is highly improper to place the one instead of the other. Benevolence is compounded of bene volo, I wish well; beneficence of bene facio, I do well; and if, therefore, wishing well, and doing well, are not one and the same act, the words benevolent and beneficent are expressive of two different and distinct actions, one of the mind, the other of the body.

BAYONET.

The side-arms used by infantry, and called Bayonets, are thus denominated because they were first made at Bayonne, in France.

BOTHER.

"Don't bother me," or, do not annoy me at both ears; hence the corrupted word, bother.

BUMPER.

Bumper is a corruption of bon pere, good father, i. e., the Pope, whose health was always drank by the monks, after dinner, in a full glass.

CLOACINA.

Cloacina was a goddess, whose image Tatius, a king of the Sabines, found in the common shore, and he on that called it, i. e., the common shore, the "Temple of Cloacina."

CAROL.

We have our "Christmas Carols;" few, perhaps, know the derivation of the word. Bourne says, carol is derived from cantare, to sing, and rola, an interjection of joy.

CARAVAN.

It is scarcely necessary to inform the reader, that a caravan in the Eastern world signifies a number of merchants travelling in company. This they do in order to defend themselves against the Arab robbers, which they could not do singly, or in small parties; likewise, to render one another assistance in passing the Great Desert, should they be overtaken by the overwhelming seas of sand; as well as to assist each other, in case of their beasts of burden being overcome by fatigue and thirst. The word caravan is derived from the Turkish term kervan, which signifies a number of persons assembled to journey together.

CHRISTMAS.

In most Celtic languages Christmas Eve is called the Night of Mary. It is still observed with great pomp in the Isle of Man, the peasants vying with each other in bringing tapers to church, and in singing carols there. The festival itself is variously named. Our own Christmas comes nearest to the German provincialism, Christ fest. The Romance languages merely retain the Latin name, the French deviating from it most widely in Noël. The Welsh Nadolig is from the same source. The German Weihnachten has been derived from Wein, as if expressing the festal character of the day. But it is clearly from the inseparable compound Weih, which denotes sanctity or holiness, and occurs so often in German ecclesiastical words. Its composition with the word night rather than day, is referable to the morning mass, with which the solemnity so beautifully begins. In Portugal, Pascoa, as the proper term for Easter, is by an easy corruption applied also to the two other great festivals. Christmas is therefore Pascoa do natal.

CIVILATION.

Civilation is a modern word, and in polite slang is equivalent to "elevation," or the quality of being tearfully tipsy. It is used

in this sense in Dr. Maginn's poem of Daniel O'Rourke, iv. 35. Dan in difficulties, and on the moon:

"Said he, ""Tis certain that I was not right

To get into this state of civilation.' "

The word is italicised, and explained in a note: "A cant phrase in Cork for a state of intoxication. A worthy orator of ours, who had taken a glass or two too much, was haranguing at a debating society on the state of Ireland before the English invasion, and the whole harangue was this: 'Sir, the Irish had no civilation, civization, civilation I mean.' Finding, however, his efforts to get civilization out impracticable, he sat down with the satisfaction of having added a new word to our language. Every drunken man ever since is here said to be in a state of civilation.

COLDSTREAM GUARDS.

Coldstream, a town of Scotland, in Berwickshire. Here General Monk first raised the Coldstream Regiment of Guards, with which he marched into England to restore Charles II. It is seated on the Tweed, over which is a handsome bridge, thirteen miles south-west of Berwick.

COSSACK.

Cossacks are a people that live near Poland; other tribes of the Russian empire are also so denominated. This name was given them for their extraordinary nimbleness; for Cosa, or Kosa, in the Polish tongue signifies a goat. He that would know more of them, may read "La Laboreur," and "Thuldenus."

COACH.

The word Coach is derived from the village of Kotzi, near Presburg, in Hungary, where those vehicles were first made.

CRITIC.

The word critic is of Greek derivation, and implies judgment. It is presumed from the labours of modern critics, that some who have not understood the original, and have seen the English translation of the primitive, have concluded that it meant judgment in the legal sense, in which it is frequently used as equivalent to condemnation. Many of these may well exclaim,

"Critiques I read on other men,
And Hypers upon them agen;
On twenty books I give opinion,

Yet what is strange-I ne'er look in one."

CAPUCHIN.

The monks of the order of Capuchin, took their title from wearing a cap tied under the chin—per crasin et elisionem, capu-chin.

CONSTELLATION.

The term constellation, as applied to the heavenly bodies, is derived from the Latin, con, together, and stella, a star.

CANDIDATE.

It was the custom, while the Roman republic subsisted in full vigour, for the candidates for high offices to appear on the day of election in long white robes; intimating by this, that their characters likewise ought to be pure and unsullied. Hence the origin of our word candidate from candidus, white, pure, sincere, upright, &c. In the Roman commonwealth, we are told, they were obliged to wear a white gown during the two years of their soliciting for a place. The garment, according to Plutarch, they wore without any other clothes, that the people might not suspect they concealed money for purchasing votes; and also, that they might more easily show to the people the scars of those wounds they had received in fighting for the commonwealth. It was also unlawful to put up for any public office, unless the candidate had attained a certain age.

CORPS.

This term, as applied to a regiment of soldiers, is derived from the French word corps-a body. To distinguish, however, between a live body of men, and the dead body of an individual, we add the final e when applied to the latter.

CYGNET.

The term cygnet, as applied to young swans, is derived from Cycnus, or Cygnus, the Son of Mars, slain by Hercules; also a king of the Ligurians, who, bewailing the death of Phaeton, was metamorphosed into a swan.

DELF, OR DELFT.

Pipes, tiles, bricks, and the common yellow earthenware, were originally principally manufactured at Delft, in Holland, and which circumstance gave a name to all common ware of that description.