"Soon shall thy arm, unconquer'd Steam! afar Drag the slow barge, or drive the rapid car." And in an appended note prophecies that the new agent might "in time be applied to the rowing of barges, and the moving of carriages along the road." The ingenious chronicler of the "loves of the plants," however, was in no doubt, when he wrote, aware of the experiments of D'Auxiron, Perier, and De Jouffroy; those prosecuted at Dalswinton and in America were some years later, about 1787-8 I think. But in another and less widely known poem by the same author, the _Temple of Nature_, published in 1802, there occurs a very complete anticipation of one of the most important applications of science to navigation, which may prove as novel and striking to some of your readers as it did to me. It is, indeed, a remarkable instance of scientific prevision. In a note to line 373, canto ii. of the poem, the author sets out with, "The progressive motion of fish beneath the water is produced principally by the undulation of their tails;" and after giving the _rationale_ of the process, he goes on to say that "this power seems to be better adapted to push forward a body in the water than the oars of boats;" concluding with the query, "Might not some machinery resembling the tails of fish be placed behind a boat so as to be moved with greater effect than common oars, by the force of wind or steam?" ANON. * * * * * ANCIENT CHATTEL-PROPERTY IN IRELAND. The Memoranda Roll of the Exchequer, 4 & 5 Edward II., membrane 14., contains a list of the chattel-property of Richard de Fering, Archbishop of Dublin, which had been sold by Master Walter de Istelep, the custos of said See, for the sum of 112l. 10s. 9-3/4d. sterling, consisting, amongst other things, of-- iij affr', price xijs. xiij bobus, iiij_li_. vs. xlvij acr' warrectan' & rebinand' ibidem, lxxs. vjd. ij carucis cum apparatu, iiijs. v crannoc' frumenti ad semen & liberationes famulorum ibidem sibi venditis per predictum custodem, xxijs. vjd. xj crannoc', iij bussellis aven', xxxixs. iijd. iij carucis cum apparatu, vjs. The chattel-property of Sir James Delahyde is set forth upon the Memoranda Roll 3 & 4 Rich. II., mem. 3. _dorso_, and is as follows: "Unu' collobiu' de rubio scarleto duplucat' c[=u] panno rubio, unu' collobiu' duplex de sanguineto et Bukhorn', unu' collobi[=u] duplex, de sanguineto et nigro, unu' gip' de serico auro int'text furrat' c[=u] menivero, unu' gyp' de rubio et nigro furrat' cu' calibir', unu' gyp' furrat cu' grys, unu' paltok' de nigro serico, unu' paltok de nigro panno, unu' paltok' de nigro Bustian, duo cap'icia, una' pec' de rubio Wyrset, unam pec' de nigro Wyrset, una' pec' panni linei vocat' Westenale, quinq; pec' Aule pro camera & Aula, tres curtynis c[=u] uno celuro de rubio Wyrset, quinq; mappas, duas pelves c[=u] lavatorio & quatuor p'ia secular'."