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To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

I

SIR,

ACKNOWLEDGE the justice of Crito's remark in your last Number, on that passage in my little tale of" Learning better than House and Land," where I have described the Marine Rainbow. He rightly supposes that I never could have meant to say, that every wave on every side represented a rainbow; and that the omission to limit that phenomenon to a particular portion of the sea was purely accidental. Some weeks previous to the publication of his letter, I had myself noticed the omission, and pointed it out to the publisher of the book, who, with a laudable attention to the interest of the juvenile reader, immediately ordered the leaf to be cancelled at his own expence. As reprint ed, the passage now runs as follows:

"Innumerable small rainbows were scen at once starting up to view, and vanishing, in rapid succession-all within a limited space in the quarter opposed to the sun-where the showery spray of each wave, as tossed from its curling top by the wind, offered to the astonished sight the momentary exhibition of a perfect rainbow, though of diminished size." Islington, Your's, &c. November 2, 1808. J. CAREY.

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"I have been led (says St. Foix) to think that it would not have been very surprising, to see the different thrones of Europe filled by journeymen tailors, bakers, joiners, &c. This will, at first, appear to be a ridiculous, absurd, and extravagant idea; but let us enter into an examination of the subject. Have not several of the popes pretended that they had a right to dispose of crowns in whatever manner it seemed good to them, and not only to depose the actual possessors, but even to exclude their

children and family from the succession. History furnishes many examples of this. When Pope Gregory the Ninth was endeavouring to wrest the imperial crown from Frederic the Second, did he not offer it to a stranger, to the brother of St. Louis? Did not Alexander the Sixth, by a Bull, dated the 4th of May, 1492, give the West Indies to Ferdinand, King of Arragon, and the East Indies to the Prince of Portugal? Did not Julius the Second declare, that, by his decree of excommunication against Louis the Twelfth, the throne of France was be come vacant, and that be granted it to any one who might be able to seize it? Did not Sixtus the Fifth and Gregory the Fourteenth exert all their power and influence to deprive the House of Bourbon of its inheritance, and to transfer the crown of France to the House of Guise? Now as these pontiffs arrogated to themselves the right of giving sceptres to whomsoever they pleased, might not these pretended distributers of crowns have happened to cast their eyes on their own relatives? And, when it is considered, that Gregory the Sixth was the son of a joiner, and many of his equally enterprising successors, had sprung from ́parents of the lowest condition, perhaps my re-, flection may not appear altogether extravagant, absurd, and ridiculous."

Such has been the revolution in the.

temporal power of Europe that these reFrance; and what was mere possibility flections may, with justice, be applied to when the papal influence was at its height, has been reduced to a matter of fact within the limits of a few years.

If you think this worth insertion in give pleasure to your very entertaining Miscellany, it will Your's, &c.

HISTORICUS.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

HILE I contemplate the degree

W of perfection to which the me

chanical arts have attained in this country, from the superior skill and ingenuity of its artizans, I cannot help lamenting that, among them, so very few should be found acquainted with even the rudiments of drawing; a competent knowledge of which, is as essentially requisite to the mechanician as to the architect; for the former would find himself equally at a loss in attempting the construction of a piece of mechanism, without being able to draw the proportions of its com

ponent

SIR,

ponent parts; as would the architect in To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine beginning to build an elegant mansion without, first, laying down his ground-YOUR respectable and widely circu

plan, and drawing a section and elevaNon of his intended structure. That we have mechanics possessing these qualifications, I am willing to allow; but their numbers are comparatively small. Yet, under these disadvantages, we are distinguished for our mechanical inventions; but I am confident we should rise still higher in the scale of pre-eminence, if the art of drawing were made an indispensable branch of the education, of every person intended for a mechanical profession. Then our manufacturers would be enabled, in a superior degree, to unite elegance of design with utility; and diffuse a tasteful variety over the works of art; many of which, at present, offend the eye of the classical critic by their clumsy disproportion, and unmeaning ponderosity. From these considerations I am led to wish an institution, in this country, similar to the Gratuitous School of Drawing in Paris, the importance of which, is noticed in Mr. Elines's Account of the State of the Fine Arts in France, published in this Magazine for October last. An establishment like this, for teaching gratuitously a limited number of students, architectural and mechanical drawing, nechanics, pneumatics, and chemistry, as far as is applicable to useful purposes, would be an object of such vast importance in this country, as to render it a kind of national reproach to be without one. I regard the encouragement given to Mr. Lancaster's new system of education, as a circumstance highly honourable to the feelings of the public; because it exhibits a triumph over that narrow and selfish policy, which threatened it with opposition, on the ground of calling into action an ungovernable portion of hu

man intellect.

In noticing an invention so extensively useful, perhaps it will not be entirely irrelevant to the subject I have been treating of in this letter, to enquire, whether it would not be practicable to teach strawing, as far as regards the outline, upon the same principle, and by the same means, as Mr. Lancaster teaches writing? If it could be so taught (and, at present, I see no objection), I leave it to him to consider its importance; particularly, in the school be is now establishing in the town of Birmingham. London, February 9, 1809.

Your's, &c.

E. LYDIATI..

lated Magazine, being justly celebrated for its impartiality, and being, likewise, much to its lionour, almost the only publication of merit, open to a candid appeal against the misrepresentations of ignorant and illiberal criticism, you will, I am confident, with pleasure allow an old correspondent to introduce a few remarks on the egregious blundering and puerile reasoning displayed by the "British Critic for last December," in the review of a work entitled, "Institutes of Latin Grammar." While pedantry, dullness, venality, and absurdity, have been, without sufficient discrimination, and, often, from improper motives, attributed to most of our periodical reviews, it is allowed by the learned, that, for party spirit, personal invectives, the unwarrantable application of illiberal epithets*, favoritism, shallow reasoning, and ignorance even of the plainest principles of the English language, this review, unquestionably, stands

See an instance of this, successfully exposed in the Gentleman's Magazine for last December, p. 1072.

The following grammatical errors and for last December, are a few out of the many improprieties, taken from the British Critic with which almost every page of that work constantly teems:-"We feel grateful to the diligence and accuracy which has brought together, &c.” p. 631. These are enough to prove that he had not sufficiently deter mined to what extent he should proceed on this point, and in some degree destroys the uniformity and systematic arrangement which is so conspicuous in every part of the work." P. 552. Alas! poor Priscian's head!" it is therefore highly cruel to torture them, unless to satisfy the mind of the patient; i. e. the patient] even to endangering their lives, &c." p. 639. "The preface annexed," mitee printed and distributed no less [not p. 566, is something like a bull. "The comfewer] than 51,132 books." p. 600. universally generally] read." p. 625. And, upon the same principle, the following is objectionable; "so sufficiently refuted." p. 640. In the position of definitives, the British Cri-" tic is scarcely ever correct; thus "It is only said to be a dictionary of gardening," p. 547, of gardening," or, if the last word is, excluinstead of "It is said to be only a dictionary sively, to be limited,-" of gardening only." the character of each geuns." p. 559. This "We at least might have been favoured with is a very presumptuous assertion; at least cannot be worse placed. "Yet we would neither detract from his fame nor his useful

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stands unrivalled. This being the case, it ought to be considered a fortunate circumstance for literature, that there does exist one work, your own, possessing a far more extensive circulation, in which its jejune criticisms may be fairly and deservedly exposed.-In the article of the Review, to which I have alluded, the critic betrays a flagrant ignorance of grainmar and of grammars, for his knowledge does not appear to extend beyond Dr. Valpy's and the Westminster grammar. So circumscribed an acquaintance with the language may, perhaps, suit the limited sphere of the British Critic; but, in the judgment of the learned, it must infallibly render him a laughingstock to British critics. Having thus far spoken in general terms, I shall now proceed to particular evidence.

1st. The reviewer observes, that the author of the work "injudiciously retains the old doctrine, and forms the participle [of Latin verbs] from the supine, not the supine from the participle." There is certainly more novelty than wisdom in this remark. The old doctrine as the

reviewer terms it, is, I can venture to assert without the fear of contradiction, almost the universal doetrine of the nas tion. If he had looked a little farther into Dr. Valpy's grammar, which is one of the latest, he would have found that he also is so injudicious as to retain the old doctrine. The new doctrine is evidently productive of confusion, and conerary to analogy. It confounds the acrive with the passive voice; for, whatever may be the origin of the supines, the first is commonly acknowledged to be active, and the second, either active or passive, but generally the latter; whereas, the perfect participle, although it may have originally had both an active and a passive signification, is, generally, considered to be passive. The reviewer seems also to forget that the passive voice is itself usually formed from the active; a mode which is certainly consonant with the nature of things, since action is necessa

ness," p. 641, instead of "We would deEract neither from his fame nor his usefulness," "We would not detract either from his

10

fame, or his usefulness." A stranger, a more

confused, or a more inharmonious sentence than the following, never, I believe, came from the gen of a critic" It is evident enough that the author is not friendly to the church; but for the rest we should suppose that he is indifferent to all sects, and thinks that the best way is for all to proceed at picasure, regardless of all the rest," p. 635.

rily antecedent to passion, But, according to the new plan, a part of the active voice must be formed from the passive. Let the British Critic, however, be allowed to state his reasons for the superior propriety of the new method.—“ Johnson's Grammatical Commentaries might have shewn the author how few Latin verbs, comparatively, have ascertained and exemplified supines; and the WestminsterGrammar, which he often copies→ [this is not true], might have told him, that they were more properly to be considered as verbal nouns, of only two cases.

Et verbalia in -um, -u, quay valgo dicta su❤ pina."

Whether the supine be a verbal noun

or not, and whether it do or do not exist be formed from it, are circumstances of so often as the participles asuully said to cal process of formation, for the conve no consequence in regard to the mechaninience of which even an active voice is often supposed, as is forming deponents and coupons, the termination o being properly deemed the root of both voices, or the part whence the perfect, supine, and infinitive, and all the other parts, It is almost unnecessary to add, since are formed immediately or mediately. every school-boy knows it, that Latin Dictionaries particularise the present, the preterite, the supine, and the infini tive, for no other reason, than that these are acknowledged as the primary parts of the verb. But, if the supine's being a verbal noun is to be regarded as a reason for not deeming it a primary part, we must, upon the same principle, exclude the infinitive also, which the critic does not seem to know is nothing else but a verbal noun, nomen verli. Nay, follow ing the reviewer's new doctrine, we must yet go further; we must exclude ever his favourite, the perfect participle; for what is this but a verbal noun? It is evident, therefore, that, according to the principles of the British Critic, strictly followed, we shall be compelled to form all the parts from only the present and the preterite; but this is a mode, to which, I am inclined to think, that he will gain but few proselytes. There are, in discussions relative to the origin and indeed, much uncertainty and obscurity nature both of supines and gerunds; and, were we to draw any practical in ference from Mr. R. Johnson's limited lists of supines, we should have to exclude, from the paradigms of our gramnurs, the supines of azzo, monico, andrego,

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for these I have not been able to find in the Commentaries. But what does the critic mean by the words terminating the preceding quotation ;-" That they were more poperly to be considered as verbal nouns?" More properly than what? Nei ther the critic or the author has either stated or hinted at any other mode of considering them. Here, therefore, is comparison without comparison. From the reviewer's half-formed insinuation, anded by the line quoted from the WestBuster Grammar, it might be supposed that the author had not considered them as verba moans; that such a charge is false, any one may discover, who takes the trouble of looking into the work, pp. 70, 238, 239, &c.

The chief, and indeed the only, end in view, in giving rules for the formation of the tenses, is, to enable the scholar to derive from the four radical parts of the verb all the rest of the verb. Now, let me ask the British Critic, what are the four radical parts as given in every dictionary? The present, the preterite, the supine, and the infinitive; and the rules given are to enable the scholar to form all the teuses, &c. from them. This is an ensy and a natural procedure. "No, wn, (says the British Critic) this is the old-fashioned way-the supine must be formed from the participle." In other words, Mr. Editor, he is for teaching the scholar to form the supine, already told him in iris dictionary, from the participle, which is not told him at all. The productions of the British Critic abound in examples of the hysteron proteron; but this is one of the finest samples of his dexterity in this way, that he has ever exibited. Who can refrain from laughing at the idea of forming what is already known, from a thing which is not known?

have a word or two more to say." What is Dr. Valpy's Grammar? Evidently a compilation; a work in which there is not a single page of original matter. Dr. Valpy has himself borrowed, both in prose and verse, without either acknowledgment, or merited censure; indeed, the notes to his syntax, which constitute the best part of the book, are nothing but compilation. That gentleman, I am confident, never intended his grammar to be considered as an original. And, yet, the officious reviewer has the audacity, or the ignorance, to talk of taking fines from this original.” Indeed, it is evident, that the reviewer has particularly selected the name of Dr. Valpy, solely for the purpose of paying him a little attention, or of doing him an act of pretended justice, at the expence of the aethor. But this he has done in a manner so bangling and impotent, as clearly proves him utterly incapable of gratifying his wishes, either by benefiting an acquaintance, or injuring a stranger. An injudicious friend is often the worst of enemics.

The last and not the least foolish charge, is, "the not having specified, in every instance, to whom the world was originally obliged for the information.”– "To what absurdities will the childish speculations of the readers of black letter lead us?" Such an antiquarian_re-” search for authorities would have beca an arduous undertaking, indced; since the same portions of information may be often found in one hundred different grammars. What grammarian, ex. 67. I would ask the reviewer, was the origimal author of the first concord?-Whe the original author of every part was, it would, I suspect, puzzle even the British Critic to ascertain in every instance, and, if he could effect it, wherein would The second charge made by the re- consist the utility of his labour? The viewer against the author, is, his not truth is, that most of the topics, usually acknowledging the taking, from a small introduced into Latin Grannars, have grammar by Dr. Valpy, a few verses long ceased, individually or separately respecting the gender of nouns. This is considered, to be known as personal protruly a foolish objection. Dr. Valpy in-perty; they are generally regarded, traduces, in these lines, no new mode of chiefly as matters juris communis. ascertaining the genders. This is only a correction of Lily's rules, which he is, by no means, engival in attempting; witness, the Annotations of the Oxford Granimar, Johnson's Commentaries, Dr. Whittenal's Gromninr, &c. all of which have anticipated the chief corrections adopted by Dr. Valpy. But, with respect to compilation," you will allow me also (so use the reviewer's words,) to

So much for the grave puerilities and the petulant cavils of the British Critic. That the work may have faults and imperfections, the author has ingenuously confessed, at the same time, stating, that he will gratefully avail himself of every judicious suggestion offered for its unprovement. But, after the reviewer has (apparently, much against his will) be- i stowed on it the epithets learned,"

"Faborious,"

46 laborious," "" elaborate;" after he has declared that it brings together a large quantity of useful information from a vast variety of sources;" in fine, that "he has not noticed either faults or imperfections in it," after so favourable a character of the work, was it not inconsistently and inconsiderately trifling with the opinion of the public, and degrading himself as a critic, to besprinkle his critique with such fooleries and absurdities as have been exposed in the preceding remarks? It is, unquestionably, a matter both of public and private justice, to hold up such grave trifling to general reprobation. And this can be done by no means more effectual than the respectable channel of the Monthly Magazine. Crouch End, Your's, &c. February 6, 1809.

J. GRANT.

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vicinity of Westminster Abbey, having invited a competition of architects; by offering an honorary compensation for the most appropriate design for the buildings intended to be erected, I take the liberty of offering, through the medium of your widely circulating Miscellany, a few hints which a serious consideration of this important subject has suggested.

It may be necessary to preinise for the information of your readers, who may not lately have visited the spot, that the whole of the dilapidated buildings which obscured Saint Margaret's Church, situate between King-street and Palaceyard have been removed; the buildings also on the west side of king-street, be tween the Abbey and Great Georgestreet, and those in the Broad Sanctuary, east and west of the new Sessions House, are cleared away; and an Act has been passed for purchasing a plot of ground how covered with Buildings, lying be

tween the Sessions House and Prince's street. The intended improvements are proposed to comprehend the whole of this area which exhibits a spacious field for the display of architectural taste and ingenuity.

On the spot of ground between Kingstreet and Palace-yard a square has lately been enclosed, in the centre of which, a statue of a late illustrious statesman is to be placed; and it has been determined that the buildings to be erected west of King-strect shall not project beyond a line drawn from the north transept of Westminster Abbey, to the Banquetting House at Whitehall, by which means a grand view will be opened from each to the other of these noble edifices, and the breadth of a narrow street encreased to One hundred aud twenty feet. Since no erections are to be made on the cast side of King-street, a magnificent view of the Abbey will continue to be exhibited at the intersection of Parliament-street and

Bridge-street. This view, again, will

derive a considerable accession of grandeur from the new stone buildings designed to cover the now-vacant ground, which are to consist, principally, of handsome dwelling houses and of chambers. adapted to the constant or occasional residence of persons who may have to attend the Houses of Parliament, or the Courts of Record in Westminster Hall. But in forming a design suitable to this situation, the architect has great difficulties to encounter, occasioned by the irregular outline of the ground itself, and

the disadvantageous position of the Ses

sions House, which though a late erection, was built before the intended improvements had been suggested, and has a situation that was necessarily determined by the buildings then in its vicinity.

The fronts of the buildings to be erected on the west side of King-street, becoming conspicuously exposed to view, should be designed in a simple, bold, and dignified style, to prevent their being overpowered by the colossal magnitude of Westminster Abbey. The Court House baving windows on all sides, must necessarily be left insulated, which will afford an opportunity of forming a square. open towards the Broad Sanctuary. The buildings on the west of King-street, will present a frout upwards of two hundred and fifty feet in extent, looking towards Palace-yard. This should form a straight line, but those in the Broad Sanctuary east and west of the Court Huuse, should

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