exertions and passing encomiums on the temper | ral or political science that would lead him to certain truth, as in mathematics. Thus he asked if any one would resort to a priori principles if he were now to make a constitution for En and sobriety which have generally characterized the debate, he spoke of the claims of the west for their services in the late war, and said they had been often before insisted on, always ac-gland, and give a free and equal representative knowledged, and more than once requited; and government to that country; and suppose he he asked if these claims were to endure forever, decided to get rid of king, nobles, clergy &c, and whether it was like our obligation to the cre- would he give to every man an equal portion of ator, a debt immense of endless gratitude-still political power? "Equal numbers he said, had paying, st ll to owe?" He said he had full faith not always equal value," and larger masses of in the sincerity of the professions and disclaim-population united in a common interest, and diers made by the west, but he knew how possi-rected by one will, could not have as much power ble it was for the strongest minds and purest hearts to be deluded in favor of their schemes of public good. 66 He complained that the question had been regarded as if it were before the primary assemblies of the people in their sovereign character; and as if the numbers represented by a majority of the members here, should prescribe the terms of the constitution, and the minority have no voice. This he denied to be correct, and said if it were, the qualities required of the members were not prudence and knowledge and virtue, but merely "the capacity to add, subtract, and strike a balance." This was totally inconsistent with the course the people had pursued, in choosing the patriarchs of the land, and with the proceedings of the convention itself. archs, he said, are to stand before the people as instructors, and not as the passive instruments of a foregone decree." as the same population when divided and dispersed without destroying the very political equality that was amied at. He thought we should rather imitate the policy of Massachusetts in limiting the number of representatives from Boston whatever may be its population or wealth. From the same considerations, he said, he would not give to the city of New York the weight its numbers might entitle it to. He then went into the consideration of the principle" that all men are by nature free,” and urged that the moment he who insists on it tries to put it in practice, "the case categorical became a case hypothetical," as that all men are by natnre possessed of equal rights, ergo, all men in society should have equal portions of political "Those patri-power, if they are not women; if they are not under twenty one, if they are not paupers; not insane &c-which limitations had been conceded by the most thorough going supporters of this new patent for republicanism." As he advances his case categorical becomes more hypothetical. The reports of the legislative committee has ifs in abundance; as if the voter owns land; if it is so many acres; if he has paid taxes, &c. and thus before he gets to work, he will have stricken from the numbers of the people two thirds of the whole." He admitted the propiety of these exclusions, but said "why make your opinions the standard" He trusted then that this argument would be disarmed of the reproach that our present government, was anti republican and oliarchical." He said the argument which had been most frequently used on the other side, was the argument of epithets, which has always a potent one, in all political themes," as that the basis for which the east contended was, anti-republican aristocratical and oligarchical. He first noticed that the proposition imputed to Judge Upsher, there were no principles in government," when that gentleman rose and disclaimed having uttered the opinion. Mr. Stanard then spoke at length on the various principles of government, according to the character of the people and the circumstances of the country, and that they all ought to be respected--" no one to have a despotic sway, and to hush into silence all the rest." The other side, however, he said, would give to a single principle this overruling sway, which he compared to the operation of the chemist, who extracts from the materials of wholesome aliment a single ingredient, which thus separated maddens the brain, without nourishing the body. He reminded the gentleman from Brooke, who would set out with certain a priori pinciples, that there were no postulates and axioms in mo 66 TRANSLATION. To make a good translation is neither so easy as the generality of bookmakers seem to think, nor so useless as some philological pedants have pronounced it to be; nor is the occupation of a translator so contemptible as under the hands of so many unqualified scribblers, it threatens to become in the eyes of the public. Translations are chiefly made for the use of those who of ideas, vividly retrace in the mind the image of the object in question, as well as those which manifest the peculiar spirit of the author. All those epithets. that are characteristic and only serve as embellishments lay less constraint on him; these he may, without any disadvantage to his trans omit. If the translation from a good work does not read well, it is a sure sign that it is a bad performance in itself, for besides its want of beauty, it does not represent, at least as far as diction is concerned, the spirit of the author which we admire in the original. To do justice in this respect the translator with a practised ear and a refined taste, must have at his command all the copiousness and all the niceties of language, to select from among a number of expressions those which, in the given combination, are the most beautiful, appropriate and happy. A serious reflexion on the indispensable requisites for making a good translation might, if not augment the number of good authors, at least sensibly diminish that of bad translations. OBSERVATORIES. B. have neither time nor opportunity to make themselves acquainted with foreign languages. We desire that by reading a translation we should derive as much profit or pleasure as we should have done, had we understood and read the original. The first duty, therefore, of a translator is to transmit faithfully and completely the lead-lation, sometimes change and sometimes ing ideas of his origina!; as these are the most important to him, who by the study of an author, wishes either to correct and increase his former acquirements, or in a general manner cultivate and improve his inental faculties. For this purpose the translator must possess, not merely a perfect knowledge of the language in which he writes and of that from which he translates, but he must also be familiar with the subject matter of his author, whose peculiar manner of thought and expression he must copy with fidelity and truth. Words and sentences, expressing in the original, besides the principal, also collateral ideas, must in the translation be rendered by such as will, in the mind of the reader, awaken the same association of images. The words, however, of an author, ever so faithfully rendered, will often not merely be insufficient to express his meaning, but will entirely change it; the same word, the same phrase, the same position of words and phrases, especially when they are to affect the feelings, may in different languages make an entirely different impression on the reader. And even should the genius of both languages, with regard to a particular expression, be the same, it may still, if literally translated, distort, or render but faintly, the sense of the original. For it may happen that the thing signified is now changed, or that its relations and circumstances are no longer the same, or that now other ideas are associated with it than were at the time when the author wrote, or that allusions, which formerly gave it strength, brilliancy and life, are now weak, colorless, and without interest. In such a case, the translator, if he have an accurate knowledge of the genius of both languages, a sound judgment and a matured taste, will not fail to find a substitute, which being equivalent to the expression in the original, shall produce the same effect, and epithets alone, in works of poetry and eloquence, may exercise the ingenuity of a translator, whose chief attention ought to be directed to those, which by association The public were lately informed by a Boston Journal that an observatory was erecting at that place, (perhaps it might have said, "being erected,") and it was remarked that this would be the first building of the kind in the United States. We have indeed been culpably remiss in providing this indispensable requisite to the successful cultivation of the useful and dignified science of astronomy, but our reproach has not been quite so great as the above remark conveys, since there was an observatory in Philadelphia in the time of Rittenhouse, who we know made a most profitable use of it; there has been another very recently, if we mistake not, at Columbia college in South Carolina; and we have been for some short time provided with one at this University. The latter, though, a small building, is well constructed for its purpose; and we flatter ourselves that, it will afford the means of astronomical observations, at once curious and useful. PUBLISHED BY F. CARR. University Press.-JAMES ALEXANDER, Printer. AND JOURNAL OF BELLES LETTRES, ARTS, &c. Published every Wednesday.-Terms, five dollars per annum, to be paid in advance. "POSCENTES VARIO MULTUM DIVERSA PALATO."-Hor. Lib. ii. Ep. 2. No. 34.-VOL. 1. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. THE SIAMESE TWINS. We cannot but regard this very singular sport of nature as the most interesting to philosophy of any which have ever come within our knowledge; and we greatly regret that, while every thing relating to the physical part of the phenomenon should have been so minutely scanned and so accurately reported, that which relates to its nobler part, the mind, should have been so utterly neglected, both in this country, and as far as we have yet seen, in England. Never was so fair an opportunity presented for throwing light on, and perhaps settling, some controverted questions in mental philosophy, because there never was such an occasion of subjecting them to the test of experiment. Thus the disciples of Helvetius maintain that genius, as well as virtue, is the creature of education; that any one, having all his senses in the ordinary state of perfection, is capable of being moulded to any character, intellectual or moral; and that the diversity we see in the powers and dispositions of men may be ascribed to minute early influences, and unequal exercises of their several faculties, before regular and ordinary instruction begins. FEB. 3, 1830. pened before to any twins, however similarly educated and fondly attached to each other. As, too, they appear to have enjoyed good health, and may be supposed to have experienced the same treatment, their pleasures and pains may also be presumed to have been the same, both in character and degree. If then, on a careful and judicious course of examination, there should appear to be a decided difference in their mental powers or propensities, it would seem sufficient to refute those who deny that men are born with minds of a different character. Should, however, no difference be discovered, the converse of the proposition would not be established, because it might happen that the resemblance which we often see so perfect in the qutward forms of twins, may here exist as to their minds from the beginning; and in the case last mentioned, therefore, the inquiry would be unsatisfactory. We apprehend however, that many points of difference would have been perceived between them, especially as some slight diversities have been already noticed; and we must repeat our regret that the fact was not determined by actual experiment. We use the term experiment, because To elucidate this question and such as their mental faculties and more simple have affinity to it, we here have two indi-emotions might be subjected to the closest viduals who were born at the same time, and most accurate comparison. Thus their have, throughout their subsequent lives, memories might have been compared by been placed in circumstances almost pre- putting the same questions separately to cisely the same. They have breathed the each, and by imposing on the memory of same air; partaken of the same food; wit- each the same exercises. Their associanessed the same scenes; conversed with tions, both as to their liveliness, variety and the same persons; waked and slept-eaten peculiar kind, may be compared by the and fasted-taken exercise and rest at the mention of the same interesting objects same time, and in the same portions. separately to each; such as their naTheir means of knowledge may then be tive country-the ocean—the ship that considered to be more equal than ever hap- brought them here-America-London their protector, &c. In these cases it is impossible that the same trains of thought, excited in their separate minds, would be precisely the same, and the comparison, being made in numerous cases, may show the characteristic difference of their minds. In like manner, their answers to questions exercising their reasoning faculties, and their powers of generalizing, may be compared in the same way, as well as their proneness to resentment, gratitude, jealousy, and other emotions. It is scarcely necessary to add that, in these experiments, the questions put to each, as well as the answers given by each, should be without the knowledge of the other; and that as each would be liable to the peculiar influence of some bodily feeling-some sensible object-or some train of thought--when giving his answers, the experiment should be repeated frequently and at different times, so as to make these disturbing forces evanescent in the general average. These brothers afford perhaps a still better occasion of giving support or contradiction to the Phrenological Hypothesis; for after making an accurate comparison of their mental powers and propensities, in the way proposed, it may be seen whether in those qualities in which they agree, they both have the appropriate protuberances, to the same extent; and in those in which they differ, whether they have correspondent differences in the outward form of their heads. The common resource of Gall and his followers, where the exterior of a skull does not respond, on their principles, to the qualities its owner is known to possess, is, that the natural propensity has had extraordinary developement by education, (where the quality exists, and its outward sign, the protuberance, is wanting,) or has not been sufficiently developed, where the protuberance exists, and the quality is wanting. But that resource will not avail them in this case, where "the developements," made by education and circumstances, have been precisely the same with the two individuals compared. Should, therefore, these boys be found to have similar propensities and dispositions with different phrenological indications, or differerent propensities with the same outward signs, the result will go far to overturn the ingenious fabric which science, real or pretended, has built up on a small basis of facts. The affectionate disposition which these brothers shew towards one another, and their amiable deportment generally, are what might have been inferred a priori from the principles of sound theory, according to which, every faculty, passion, or propensity, whether it be regarded as the effect of original organization or of subsequent circumstances, acquires strength from exercise. The consciousness that these boys must have had, from the moment they could perceive any thing, that their natural comfort depended on a mutual spirit of accommodation, and the constant habit of conferring and receiving kindness, have kept their sympathetic and benevolent feelings in continual play, almost every hour of their lives. And should their acts of self denial and of kindness to each other be referred to love of self, in the first instance, yet after frequent repetition, what was regarded as a means is afterwards sought as an end, and each seeks the comfort of the other for its own sake. Besides, the habit of mutual accommodation would receive a new impulse from the subsequent conviction that no serious injury could happen to one without affecting the other, and that their safety and well being were inseparably linked together. This state of things would naturally render them obliging, docile and complying to all, and as to each other, make them exhibit, probably, the most perfect model of affection and friendship which the world has ever seen, between persons of the same sex. The future history of these twins will continue to be one of great interest; and we confess that we regard it with solicitude as well as curiosity. In case of the sickness of one, or of both, the effects would be most inconvenient and distressing. It remains too to be seen whether that consentaneousness of mind, cemented as it is by habit, may continue to exist in manhood, and whether new wants and new passions which time may develope, may not be too strong for the sympathy which has hitherto given them, as it were, one mind and one soul. It is the opinion of an eminent surgeon in London, (Sir Astley Cooper,) that though these boys have all their vital functions distinct, it would be hazardous to separate them, on account of the shock that would be given to the nervous system. This seems probable enough, as it respects their minds alone, | peeart child." The former expressing if the separation were by death, or other-"sauciness, petulance," the latter "life wise involuntary, but it might, we pre- and animation." sume, make a great difference, if the separation should be made in pursuance of Poke. "A bag." On this word Mr. Pickering remarks, that in England, he presumes, it is never used, except in the old proverb, which is familiar to every body in both countries. He is mistaken. There is not a more common provincial their own vehement desire. We cannot but hope that, before their union is dissolved in any manner, they will fall into hands at once competent and willing to give to their immaterial nature that investigation, which the interests of mental sci-ism in the northern counties of England. ence seem to require and invite. Q. AMERICANISMS. "She suddenly unties the poke DRAYTON. Poked, in Yorkshire, in rural econo "Words are the people's but there is a choice my, signifies" consumptive"--sheep, sub of them to be made." BEN JONSON's Discoveries. REPUTED AMERICANISMS. (Continued from page 499.) Mad. "Angry, vexed." This is an old English meaning of the word, but is now nearly, if not wholly, obsolete amongst good writers. It is so used in holy writ. At present it is often heard in England colloquially, particularly in the Provinces. The old English verb "to mad" to make furious, to enrage is also heard in many parts of this country: but is not, so far as we know, in use in any part of England. In Ireland "mad," in the first sense, is universally prevalent. Mought. for might. This antient preterite, often heard with us, is common in many of the English counties. It is excellent old English, although obsolete. Our word "may" was once mowe-a good Saxon radicle, constantly employed by Chaucer, and from mowe came the preterite mought: "Yet mould with death then chastise, though he mought.-FAIRFAX. ject to this disease, having generally a poke or bag under the jaw. Polk, in the same sense, is old Scottish. Poorly. "Indifferent in health." This word is used colloquially more or less over all England: very poorly is likewise employed for very unwell. Pegge has given it as a northern provincialism. It is by no means confined to that region. Profanity. "Profaneness." This word in common use in this country is not English, so far as regards the written tongue. It is at times used colloquially. It is not, however, of American formation: but has been often employed by Scottish writers. To Purchase. We hear this word employed technically by mechanics both in this country and in England, in the sense of " a firm hold." As "get a good purchase"-" get a good hold.”—We have even known the splitting of a pump ascribed to the "sun's having had such a purchase upon it." It is an extension of the old English meaning of the word, Perk. "Lively, brisk." This old still in use, which means "Obtained at English word, now obsolete amongst any expence as of labour or danger." writers and very restricted in its use in the To Quackle. "To almost choke or Provinces, is said to be used in the interi- suffocate." This is another importation or of New England, but commonly pro-rom the the east of England-Norfolk, nounced as peark (the ea as in pear.) | Suffolk, Essex' &c. It is not known in In the southern states the connate word other parts. Chaucer uses the word pert is employed in the same sense, pro-"Quack" for an inarticulate noise, occanounced as peart (the e as in be.) There sioned by obstruction in the throat. is the most important difference between the phrases, "a pert child". and a Quarrel. "A pane of glass." This was probably, at one period, a good |