ng and instructive. I always sincerely wish that inhabitants of
the different old Danish districts in the North and East of England would,
in the same way, take up the question about the Danish influence, as I feel
fully convinced that very remarkable and important elucidations might be
gained to the history of England during a long and hitherto very little
known period.

J. J. A. WORSAAE.

* * * * *

CLEANING OLD OAK.

(Vol. vii., p. 620.; Vol. viii., p. 45.)

Having been so frequently benefited by the instruction, especially
photographic, issuing from your most useful periodical, I feel myself
almost bound to contribute my mite of information whenever I may chance to
have the power of doing so; consequently, should you not get a better
method of assisting MR. F. M. MIDDLETON out of his difficulty of softening
old paint, as describe in the "N. & Q.," No. 191., I beg to offer him the
following, and from experience I can vouch for its certainty of leading him
to the desired result.

Some years since, having had occasion to enter a lumber-room of an old
building, I was struck with the antiquated appearance of an arm-chair,
which had, in days long gone by, been daubed over with a dirty bluish
paint. Finding, on inquiry, that its owner set no particular value on it, I
met with but little difficulty in inducing him to make an exchange with me
for a good mahogany one. Soon after its being brought into my house, one of
my domestics discovered that it positively swarmed with a species of lice,
issuing from innumerable minute worm-holes and crevices, which of course
rendered it in its present state worse than useless. Determined not to be
deprived of my prize, I resolved on attempting to rid it of this
troublesome pest by washing it over with a strong solution of caustic soda,
made by mixing some quick-lime with a very strong solution of the common
washing soda (impure carbonate of soda), and pouring off the clear
supernatant liquid for use. This proceeding, much to my satisfaction, not
only succeeded in entirely getting rid of the vermin, but on my servant's
scrubbing the chair with a hard brush and hot soap and water, I found that
the caustic soda had formed a kind of soap, by chemically uniting with the
oil contained in the old paint, thereby reducing it to such a state of
softness, that by a few vigorous applications and soakings of the
above-named solution, and subsequent scrubbings, my