_Straw Bail_ (Vol. vii., p. 85.).--In connexion with, though not as a reply to, MR. CURTIS'S Query touching the origin of the expression "A man of straw," I beg to bring under notice a phrase I heard for the first time a few days ago, but which may nevertheless be well known to others. A seaman, talking to me of a strike for wages among the crew of a ship, said that the captain, as the rate of wages had not been raised, had manned his ship with a "lot of straw-yarders." On my asking the meaning of the expression, I was told that a "straw-yarder" was a man about the docks who had never been to sea, and knew little or nothing of the duties of a seaman. BRUTONIENSIS. _Pearl_ (Vol. vi., p. 578.; Vol. vii., pp. 18. 166.).--In the Old German, _merikrioz_ is pearl; and in the Ang.-Sax. it is _meregreot_,--the latter from _mere_, sea, and _greot_, grit, sand, or _grot_, an {343} atom. These are so similar to the Greek _margaritas_, and the _margarita_ of the sister language (Latin), that we may be excused believing they have a common origin; more especially as we find the first syllable (at least?) in almost all the cognate Indo-Germanic or Indo-European languages: Latin, _mare_; Celt., _mor_; Gothic, _marei_; Sax., _mære_ or _mere_; Old Germ., _meri_; Slavon., _more_ and _morze_; Swed., _mar_; Iceland, _mar_; Esthon., _merri_; Lett., _marrios_. Among modern languages, we have,--Span., _margarita_; Ital., _margarita_ and _maugherita_; Fr., _marguerite_, but used only in the proverb, "Il ne faut pas jeter les marguerites devant les pourceaux." Johnson, Webster, and Halliwell give _margarite_ as an English word. Probably all derived from the Latin. At the same time, although not occurring (as far as I am aware) in either Greek or Latin, the word _pearl_ is found in some shape in most of the same Indo-Germanic languages: thus, Ital. and Span., _perla_; Low. Lat., _perla_; French, _perle_; Eng., _pearl_; Dan., _paarl_; Swed., _perla_ or _p[)a]rla_; Bohem., _perle_; Ang.-Sax., _pearl_ and _pærl_; Low. Sax., _berel_. Webster says the word _pearl_ may be radically the same as _beryl_. In the Celtic we find, Irish, _pearla_, and Welsh _perlyn_. The Germans derive _pearl_ from _beer_, a berry, making thus _berle_ or _beerlein_; as in Latin _bacca_ also means a pearl. Some of your correspondents can, no doubt, inform us whether any analogous words to _pearl_ and _margarita_ exist in the Sanscrit? A. C. M. Exeter. _Sermons by Parliamentary Chaplains_ (Vol. vii., p. 34.).--On the day of Thanksgiving, 19th July, 1648, Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick was ordered to preach before the House, and his sermon to be printed. Where can a copy of it be seen? JOSEPH RIX. St. Neot's. _Etymological Traces of the Social Position of our Ancestors_ (Vol. vii., pp. 13, 14.).--Your correspondent may find the passage to which he wishes to refer again, in one of the back volumes of Dickens's _Household Words_, in an article with the title of "History in Words."