"The authority which of late has been principally relied upon with respect to Chaucer's legal education is that of Mr. Speght, who, in his _Life of Chaucer_, says, 'Not many yeeres since, Master Buckley did see a record in the same house [the Inner Temple], where Geoffrey Chaucer was fined two shillings for beating a Franciscane fryar in Fleet-streete.' This certainly {70} would be excellent evidence, were it not for the dark and ambiguous manner in which it is produced. I should have been glad that Mr. Speght had himself seen the record, instead of Master Buckley, of whom I suppose no one knows who he is: why did he not? I should have been better satisfied if the authority had not been introduced with so hesitating and questionable a phrase as 'not many yeeres since;' and I also think that it would have been better if Master Buckley had given us the date annexed to the record; as we should then at least have had the satisfaction of knowing whether it did not belong to some period before our author was born, or after he had been committed to the grave. Much stress, therefore, cannot be laid upon the supposition of Chaucer having belonged to the Society of the Inner Temple." TYRO. Dublin. [Footnote 3: "Speght, who states that a Mr. Buckley had seen a record of the Inner Temple to that effect."--_Note by Sir H. N._] * * * * * PHOTOGRAPHIC NOTES AND QUERIES. _Pyrogallic Acid_ (Vol. vi., p. 612.).--In answer to the Query of your correspondent E. S., I beg to give the following method of preparing pyrogallic acid (first published by Dr. Stenhouse), which I have tried and found perfectly successful. Make a strong aqueous infusion of powdered galls; pour it off from the undissolved residue, and carefully evaporate to dryness by a gentle heat: towards the conclusion of the process the extract is very liable to burn; this is best prevented by continued stirring with a glass or porcelain spatula. Next, procure a flat-bottomed iron pan, about ten inches diameter and five inches deep. Make a hat of cartridge paper pasted together, about seven inches high, to slip over and accurately fit the top of the iron pan. Strew the bottom of the pan with the gall extract to the depth of three-quarters of an inch; over the top stretch and tie a piece of bibulous paper pierced with numerous pin-holes; over this place the hat, and tie it also tightly round the top of the pan.