The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-24 00:00:00

ORIGIN OF CERTAIN WORDS.

All the words of dignity, state, honour, and pre-emi-
nence with one remarkable exception (to be adduced
presently), descend to us from the Normans—sovereign,
sceptre, throne, realm, royalty, homage, prince, duke,
count (" earl," indeed, is Scandinavian, though he must
borrow his "countess" from the Norman), chancellor,
treasurer, palace, castle, hall, dome, and a multitude more.
At the same time, the one remarkable exception of
"king," would make us, even did we know nothing of the
actual facts, suspect that the chieftain of this ruling race
came in, not upon a new title, not as overthrowing a
former dynasty, but claiming to be in the righful line of
its succession ; that the true continuity of the nation had
not in fact, any more than in word, been entirely broken,
but survived in due time to assert itself anew. And yet,
while the statelier superstructure of the language—almost
all articles of luxury, all that has to do with the chase, with
chivalry, with personal adornment, is Norman throughout
with the broad basis of the language, and therefore of the
1116;his otherwise. The great feature of nature, the sun, the
moon, the stars, the earth, the water, the fire, all the prime
social relations, father, mother, husband, wife, son,
daughter—these are Saxon. The palace and the castle
may have come to us from the Norman, but to the Saxon
we owe far dearer names, the home, the hearth, the house,
the roof. His "board," and often probably it was no more,
has a more hospitable sound than the other's "table." His
sturdy arms turns the soil ; he is the boor, the hind, the
churl ; or if his Norman master has a name for him, it is
one which on his lips becomes more and more a title of op-
probrium and contempt—the villain. The instrument used
in cultivating the earth, the flail, plough, sickle, spade, are
expressed in his language ; so, too, the main products of the
earth, as wheat, rye, oats, bere, i. e., barley ; and no less
the names of domestic animals. Concerning these last
it is not a little characteristic to observe, and "Walter Scott
has put the observation into the mouth of the Saxon swine-
herd in Ivanhoe, that the names of almost all, so long
as they are alive, are thus Saxon, but when dressed and
prepared for food become Norman—a fact, indeed, which
we might have expected beforehand, for the Saxon hind
had the charge and labour of tending and feeding them,
but only that they might lie on the table of his Norman
lord. 'Thus ox, steer, cow, are Saxon, but beef Norman ;
calf is Saxon, but veal Norman ; sheep is Saxon, but mut-
ton Norman ; so it is severally with swine and pork, deer
and venison, fowl and pullet. Bacon, the only flesh which
may ever have come within his reach, is the solitary ex-
ception. Putting all these together, with much more of the
same kind, which might be produced, but has only been
indicated here, we should certainly gather, that while
there are manifest tokens; as preserved in our language,
of the Saxon having been for a season an inferior and
even an oppressed race, the stable elements of Saxon
life, however overlaid for a while, have still made good
their claim to be the solid groundwork of the after
nation as of the after language ; and to the justice of
this conclusion all other historic records, and the present
social condition of England, consent in bearing testi-
mony.—Trench's Study of Man.

FRENCH PLAYS.—M. Ravel took his benefit here las
night. Re appeared in L'Etourneau and Rue de la Lune,
in both of which pieces he was frequently and enthusias-
tically applauded. A numerous and fashionable audience
filled the house.

FORFARSHIRE ELECTION.—The day of election for a
member to serve in Parliament for the county of Forfar
has been fixed by the sheriff to take place at Forfar on
Friday next, the 25th inst. No opposition has at pre-
sent been offered against the return of the Hon. Col.
Lauderdale Maule, the late member.
Forts are to be erected at Carey's Sconce and War-
den's Ledge, at the western extremity of the Isle of
Wight. Batteries existed on these spots three hundred
years ago.
EMIGRATION.—The Waterford Chronicle states that,
on Friday, nearly 400 emigrants left that city for Liver-
pool, to take shipping for America.
MURDER AND ROBBERY.—At the High Court of
Justiciary, Edinburgh, on Monday, John Williams was
convicted of murder and robbery, having on the morn-
ing of the sth of December last, on the turnpike road,
near Cleekhimin, in the parish of Lauder, Berwickshire,
attacked Andrew Mather, tacksman of the toll-bar there
(with whom he had quarrelled in a public-house in the
neighbourhood), and cut him with a knife, besides in-
flicting severe wounds on his face, head, and body with
stones,
M consequence of which he soon afterwards died.
Besides the fatal assault, which was accompanied by
these and other circumstances of barbarity, the prisoner
was found guilty of the theft of a snuff box, a tobacco
box, and a pipe from the person of his victim. Williams
was sentenced to be executed on the 14th of March next.
He is stated to be an American.
HALIFAX, SATURDAY.—in our piece hall to-day
there has been a very slender attendance of buyers,
and scarcely any goods, either plain or fancy, have
been disposed of. The yarn market is firm, but not
active. The manufacturers purchase somewhat readily,
but the export houses are very shy of giving out
orders. Wools are very stiff. Lincolnshire wethers,
which are greatly in request, have realised higher prices,
but for other sorts there is no change in the quotations.
HUDDERSFIELD, TUESDAY.—Our market has been
quite as brisk last week, and low goods of any kind go
off well. Manufacturers continue well employed to
order. We have had a good many foreign buyers" in
town to-day fOr 'Continental ordtis. •