, Conduit street.

E.D.B.

_California_ (Vol. ii, p. 132.).--Your correspondent E.N.W. will find
earlier anticipations of "the golden harvest now gathering in
California," in vol. iii. of _Hakluyt's Voyages_, p. 440-442, where an
account is given of Sir F. Drake's taking possession of Nova Albion.

"There is no part of earth here to bee taken up, wherein there
is not speciall likelihood of gold or silver."

In Callendar's _Voyages_, vol. i. p. 303., and other collections
containing Sir F. Drake's voyage to Magellanica, there is the same
notice. The earth of the country seemed to promise very rich veins of
gold and silver, there being hardly any digging without throwing up some
of the ores of them.

T.J.

_Bishops and their Precedence_ (Vol. ii., pp. 9. 76.)--The precedence of
bishops is regulated by the act of 31 Hen. VIII. c. 10., "for placing of
the Lords." Bishops are, in fact, temporal barons, and, as stated in
Stephen's _Blackstone_, vol. iii. pp. 5, 6., sit in the House of Peers
in right of succession to certain ancient baronies annexed, or supposed
to be annexed, to their episcopal lands; and as they have in addition
high spiritual rank, it is but right they should have place before those
who, in temporal rank only, are equal to them. This is, in effect, the
meaning of the reason given by Coke in part iii. of the Institutes, p.
361. ed. 1670, where, after noticing the precedence amongst the bishops
themselves, namely, 1. The Bishop of London, 2. The Bishop of Durham, 3.
The Bishop of Winchester, he observes:

"But the other bishops have place above all the barons of the
realm, because they hold their bishopricks of the king per
baroniam; but they give place to viscounts, earls, marquesses,
and dukes."

ARUN.

_Elizabeth and Isabel_ (Vol. i., pp. 439. 488.).--The title of AElius
Antonius Nebressengis's history is, _Rerum a Fernando et Elisabe
Hispaniaram faelicissimis regibus gestarum Decades duae_.

J.B.

_Dr. Thomas Bever's Legal Polity of Great Britain_ (Vol. i., p.
483.).--Is J.R. aware that the principal part of the parish of Mortimer,
near Reading, as well as the manorial rights, belongs to a Richard
Benyon de Beauvoir, Esq., residing not very far from that spot, at
Englefield House, about five miles on the Newbury Road from Reading.
{255} This gentleman, whose original name was Powlett Wright, took the
name of De Beauvoir a few years back, as I understand, from