_His Excellency David Hartley._--In the _Gentleman's Magazine_ of January last (which I have only lately seen), there is inserted at page 8. a letter signed by "Benjamin Franklin and John Jay," and addressed to His Excellency David Hartley, announcing the arrival in Europe of the ratification, by the Congress of the United States, of the definitive treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States, and stating that they were ready to exchange the ratification with Mr. Hartley. In a note prefixed to this letter, the editor of the review states that Mr. Hartley "then held some other diplomatic appointment from the United States." Now this is a mistake. Mr. Hartley was the British plenipotentiary who signed that treaty at Paris in September, 1783, with the American plenipotentiaries, and held no diplomatic appointment from the United States. He was therefore the proper person to exchange the ratifications with the American plenipotentiaries. The treaty is printed at full length in Chalmers' _Collection of Treaties_, together with Mr. Hartley's _full power_ as the British plenipotentiary. J. B. _The Life and Correspondence of S. T. Coleridge._--It is much to be regretted that no proper life of the "noticeable man" has yet appeared. There is no lack of "reminiscences," and "recollections," and "conversations," conveying, distorted views of his life and character, and exaggerated statements of his faults and failings; but his life has yet to be written. And now would be the time, whilst some of his friends and cotemporaries are still living, to do justice to his memory. Scott, Southey, Wordsworth, have had their lives copiously illustrated, and even little Tommy Moore is (_cosa stupenda_) to have _ten volumes_ devoted to his life, whilst Coleridge, the myriad-minded, still waits for a biographer. And who would be so suitable as Derwent Coleridge to perform the office! J. M. B. _An old Riddle._--I lately found the following mysterious verse upon a scrap of paper. It is of the time of Henry VIII.: "Vj is come, v is goone, wyth thris tene beware al men Vij wyth vij shall mete wyth viij^th and viij^th manye A thousande shall wepe Ad parabulam hanc If I shulde seye what it is I shuld have no thanke For he that ne rekketh where that he steppeth He may lightly wade to depe." J. BT. _The Word "rather."_--The word _rather_ is, as far as I know (if I am wrong, perhaps some of your correspondents will correct me) a solitary instance in our language of a comparative regularly formed from a positive which is now obsolete. In the _Cant. Tales_, v. 13029., we find the positive form: "What aileth you so _rathe_ for to arise;" where _rathe_ means "early, soon." The earliest use of the comparative degree which I can find, is in a piece of Anglo-Norman poetry preserved in Hickes's _Thesaurus_, and given in Ellis's _Specimens_, vol. i. p. 73.: "The chrystal turneth into glass In state that it _rather_ was."