cept in a very few inftances, and thofe fome of the mere country parishes; fo that the proportion of individuals to a house, as taken from them, may be, and probably is, very erroneous, when applied to the parishes making part of London. We have alfo reafon to fufpect, 2dly, that the numeration of houfes is far from correct, and in many inftances is probably that of taxed houfes only; for, in the very introdu&ion to the table, Hackney is faid to have 2339 houfes; whereas in the table itself it is ftated only at 1600. We are forry to be fo often compelled to obferve, that the topographical works of the day contribute very little to enlighten us on the prefent flate of our country.

Several plates accompany thefe volumes.

ART. XXII. An Attempt to render the Pronunciation of the English Language more eafy to Foreigners: being the Abridgment of a larger Work entitled a Dictionary of the English and French Languages, upon a Plan entirely new, &c. By William Smith, A. M. 8vo. PP. 470. 6s. Boards. Dilly, &c. 1795.

T

HE English language, though admirable for its ftrength and copioufnefs, is perhaps of all the languages in Europe the moft irregular. This in a great meafure may be afcribed to its compound nature; our terms in philofophy are derived moftly from the Greek; in fortification, from the French; in naviga. tion, from the Dutch; and an incredible number of Latin words have been naturalized into our language. The pronunciation of every foreign word, thus naturalized, fhould be determined by the rules of that language from which it was derived; and this we find frequently to be the cafe: yet the deviations from this practice are fo numerous as to baffle every attempt to establish any fyftem, and are refolvable only into caprice. The power of the vowels in every language in Europe, although expreffed by the fame alphabetic character, are effentially different: hence arifes the variety of founds expreffed by the fame vowel in English; and, although the pronunciation may fometimes be regulated by derivation or pofition, yet no certain rule can be established. This is one great caufe of the difficulties of which foreigners complain in learning English.

The English language is now fpoken in every quarter of the globe; and, as it is the vernacular tongue of the States of America, it may be no unpleafing fpeculation to confider the wide diffufion of English literature at fome future period, when that vaft continent thall be thoroughly inhabited: but, while this contemplation flatters our pride, it fhould excite our induftry; and that language, which is to be the vehicle of information to fo large a portion of the human race, ought to be culti

R: 4

vated

vated with the greatest attention. Mr. Smith in the work before us appears to have bestowed much thought and labour on the subject, and his plan feems fenfible and judicious. He obferves that

To reprefent 33 acknowleged and different vowels and confonants, or rather vocal and confonant founds, there are only 26 distinct characters; and of thefe, two are fuperfluous, namely c and q, having the founds of s or k; and two others, j and x, are undoubtedly the marks of the compound founds, edzh, and gz, or ks, to be found exactly in the words, edge, eggs, axe: thus all the efficient marks are reduced to 22; which, at the very leaft, are to point out the pronunciation of 33 diftinct and different founds. It is faid, at the very leaft, because there are one or two more, concerning the nature and place of which grammarians are not agreed; fuch as y and w, when they begin words and syllables, and fo partake of the nature of confonants. From this reprefentation, it may eafily be conceived with what difficulty every attempt to teach the pronunciation of our language must be attended; having fo great a variety of articulate founds, and fo fmall a number of letters to reprefent them, the unavoidable refult has been, that many of our confonants have been the reprefentatives of two articulations; all our vowel marks ftand for three or more different founds; and fome of thefe, combined, have no lefs than nine different powers, or diftinct modes of pronunciation. On account of fuch confufion and difficulty, all our orthoepifts, or teachers of pronunciation, have been obliged either to change the orthography of the language, or to invent a fufficient number of arbitrary marks, to be placed over every fyllable in each word, in all their dictionaries. Following their example, I must be allowed a certain number of data. It will be neceffary, likewife, that these be well underflood, and treasured up in the memory; but above all, I think it advantageous, both to foreigners and natives, who wish to acquire a just articulation and true pronunciation of the English, that we proceed from what is more eafy and fimple, to what may be more difficult and complicated. As I mean to make no alteration in the common way of fpelling the words, but only to use indifcriminately the Roman and Italic characters, I begin with laying before the reader thefe two alphabets, in their ordinary arrangement, however improper I may think it, and place oppofite to each letter a French word, or combination of French letters, to afcertain, as nearly as poffible, the ufual manner of naming them.'

The preface is fenfible, and well written; and we think that we can fafely recommend the work as a most useful aflistant to thofe foreigners who wish to acquire a just pronunciation of English, and it may be read with profit even by the English fcholar. We shall not at prefent enter into a minute examination of it, as we are told that it is only an abridgment of a larger work, which the author intends very foon to make public.

IN DE X

To the REMARKABLE PASSAGES in this Volume.

N. B. To find any particular Book, or Pamphlet, fee the Table of Contents, prefixed to the Volume.

monaftery of, 43. Hiftory of,

45.

Billing fley, M. His valuable ac-
count of experiments on differ-
ent breeds of sheep, 409.
Binns, Dr. treatment of hæmor-
hages, 399.

Black, Dr. cafe of Angina Peloris,
with remarks, 398.
Blackbird, Mrs. Darwall's verfes

on hearing one fing, 95.
Blood, natural hiftory of, 75.
Serum, &c. 76. Vascular
fyftem, 77. Inflammation, 78.
abfceffes, 84.
Blumenbach, Prof. his anatomical
ftudies, 571. note.
Brecknock, journey from to Tre-

caftle defcribed, 270.
Broughton, Mr. his account of the
turnip-cabbage, 408.

Me-

thod of dreffing for the table,
ib. Valuable as a fea-store,
409.
Brunonian doctrines, in medi-

cine, fome account of, 291.
Buffalo, of America, defcribed,
4c6. Affecting circumstance
refpecting the cruel flaughter of
Buffaloes by the hunters, ib.
Great value of this animal,
407.

C

Cafar, his literary character, 373.
Camper, Prof. general contents

of his works, 570.
Cartwright, Major, his notions
refpecting commonwealth go-
vernment, 38. On the ter-
mination of the prefent war
with France, 41. His alarm
on account of the late bills for
altering the criminal law of
England, 453. Acknowleges
his former friendship for Mr.
Pitt changed into enmity,
454.

Chemistry, curious papers relative

to, from the Irish Tranfactions,
181.

Chemistry, queftions and definitions
in, 565.

Christ, conjectures whether any
images or pictures of him were
preferved among the primitive
Christians, 576.

Clergy of Scotland, forry charac-
ter of them in the 11th and 12th
centuries; 401.

Coke, Sir Edward, deficient with
refpect to his knowlege of the
history of Ireland, 365.
College feaft, see Ode.
Commerce styled a will-with-a-wifp,
and why, 187.
Commonwealth, Maj. Cartwright's
nctions of, 36. Dr. Hodgson's
notions of, 55..

Condorcet, Marquis de, fome ac-
count of, 544. Pofthumous
work of, on the human mind,
ib. Analyfis of, 545. Brief
judgment of the talents of this
celebrated perfon, 547. Charg-
ed with ingratitude to the Duke
de la Rochefoucald, 557..
Corn, the prefent fcarcity of, how,
in one refpect, to be remedied,

.

433.
Cornwallis, Lord, his conduct in
India compared with that of the
great Duke of Ormond in Ire-
land, 364. The preference
given to Lord C. ib.
Correspondence with the Reviewers,
R. Hall, on the impreffion of
reality in theatrical reprefenta-
tions, 119. B. Edwards, en
negro flavery, 288. The Li-
brarian of Ayr, on the difficulty
of procuring Monthly Reviews
in Scotland, 360. A borderer,
relative to the article on He-
raldry, in November Review,
479. A. Frefton, relative to

paffage in Parfons's work en
Monuments, &c. ib. The Editor
of Curiofities of Literature, rela-
tive to Virgil, 480.
Cromwell, Richard, fuppofed to
have loft the protectorate
merely