Circumcision is too general a practice in the hotter regions of the south and east, to permit such practice to be deemed proof of Jewish descent, unless corroborated by other customs peculiar to the Jews. Besides the physiological characteristics of the native Australians preclude us from deducing their natural descent from either the _Jews_ or the ten tribes. T.J. BUCKTON. Lichfield. [Footnote 3: The opprobrious name of Christ amongst the Jews is Jesus son of Sadta, which Gozani may have mistaken for Sirach; indeed,--the Chinese pronunciation of Hebrew is quite peculiar, as they cannot pronounce, for instance, the letters _b_, _r_, _th_, naming them respectively _p_, _l_, _z_.] * * * * * POETICAL TAVERN SIGNS. (Vol. viii., pp. 242. 452.) I made a note of the following specimen of poetical tavern sign, in one of Mr. Mark Lemon's Supplements to _The Illustrated London News_ (Dec. 27, 1851). I here transcribe it to add to MR. WARDE'S collection: "The following is a literal copy of a sign conspicuously displayed in front of a small public-house in the village of Folkesworth,[4] near Stilton, Hunts. It contains as much poetry as, perhaps, the rustic Folkesworth folks are worth; and doubtless they think it to be (in the Stilton vernacular) 'quite the cheese:' [A rude figure of a Fox.] 'I . HAM . A . CUNEN . FOX YOU . SEE . THER . HIS NO . HARME . ATCHED TO . ME . IT . IS . MY . MRS. WISH . TO . PLACE . ME HERE . TO . LET . YOU . NO HE . SELS . GOOD . BEERE.' "The Captain Rawlinson of the district has deciphered this inscription, and conjectures its meaning to be as follows: 'I am a cunning fox, you see; There is no harm attach'd to me; It is my master's wish to place me here, To let you know he sells good beer.'" CUTHBERT BEDE, B.A. [Footnote 4: It was in the lane between Folkesworth and the Norman Cross Barracks, that Borrow was first induced to try the gipsy life. (Vide _Lavengro_.)] {627} Bradford: "Who lives here? who do you think? Major Lister: give him a drink. Give him a drink--for why? Because, when he's sweeping, He's always dry." "John Thompson doth live here, He sweeps your chimney not too dear. And if your chimney should get on fire, He puts it out at your desire. Sweep that chimney clean, And then come down and drink." The public-houses to which the above are appended are kept by sweeps. "Call here, my boy, if you are dry. The fault's in you, and not in I. If Robin Hood from home is gone, Step in and drink with Little John." The name of the public-house is "The Robin Hood." Over another tavern door I noticed the following very pithy and brief sentence: "Tobacco given away to-morrow." CHARLES WILLISON. Bradford, Yorkshire.