ESTHWAITE AND CONISTON WATERS.*

LEAVING Curwen's Island, I landed at the ferryhouse on the Lancashire shore, and, proceeding towards Hawkshead, soon came in sight of Esthwaitewater, a small lake about two miles long, and half a mile broad, which is almost divided into two by a peninsula, stretching forward on each side. Its banks are, for the most part, covered with verdure, and ornamented with little patches of wood. Pursuing my route through pleasant winding lanes, I came to the little market town of Hawkshead, pleasantly situated on the declivity of a sloping ridge, which commands an extensive view over the lake just mentioned. At a short distance from the town, the road branches off to Coniston-water, along which I directed my course ;the country soon began to assume a ruder appearance, affording little more than a scanty pasturage for the sheep, which are seen grazing on the sides of the surrounding hills. Having surmounted one of these barren steeps, I was gratified with a view of this picturesque lake, extending six miles in length, cut into numerous little bays, and encompassed by an assemblage of rocky mountains. The road by which I travelled wound along the margin, sometimes exhibiting the entire surface of the water, at others, concealing it from the view. Having reached the foot of the lake, I returned by the same road; the view in this direction was extremely grand: looking toward the North, the hills rose majestically one above the other, behind which, the larger mountains of Westmoreland reared their lofty heads and overlooked the whole. When arrived at the upper end of the water, I sought for Waterhead inn, which I presently discovered, beautifully situated near its edge, and commanding a delightful view down the lake. After partaking here of a comfortable dinner, I returned by a nearer road to Ambleside, where at length I arrived much pleased with my excursion.

VIATOR.

Note. For a " Glance at Windermere," the first article of this series, see Volume I. p. 220.

Sir,

FOR THE POCKET MAGAZINE.

I take the liberty to beg of you to insert, in your next Number, the following defence to a violent and gross misrepresentation which I found in your last. In thehope you will not refuse me this favour, I subscribe myself Your obliged servant, E. JARRY.

Halifax, October 12, 1818.

An answer to the polite observations of Mr. J. H. V—y; on the absurdities of the French language.

MR. J. H. V Y is grossly mistaken in thinking the French suppose and hold their language to be perfect. They are not ignorant of its imperfections; but of these, some have been introduced by custom, the arbitrary ruler of every language, from which there is no appeal. As to the natural vanity of a Frenchman; let us admire the humble modesty of Mr. J. H. V—y, who presumes to criticise a language being so little acquainted with it, for in the few words he had given as proofs of the absurdities of the French language, two are incorrect, as well as one of his phrases, though these are but two in number; we will examine them by and by. Mr. J. H. V-y speaks of French vanity; what a beautiful occasion he affords me of dilating on English Modesty. But I forbear; it would be unfair to average the virtue of the nation to the height of Mr. J. H. V-y's standard: and, indeed, to say the truth, among the English with whom I have the honour to be acquainted, in the narrow circle in which Providence has been pleased to place me, I see none, amongst whom Mr. J. H. V-y could be classed with propriety; then let me only oppose Mr. J. H. V-y's modesty to the French vanity.

Mr. J. H. V y declines disputing whether the preference given to the French language is deserved or not; if at some future time he should think proper to debate the question, I send him my answer before hand; "the preference given to the French language, whether deserved or not, has raised a sentiment of

gratitude in the hearts of those whose knowledge has been wanted, and they have endeavoured to express this gratitude by their exertions in teaching their language, or in composing books for its acquire

ment.'

To the third paragraph of Mr. J. H. V-y I shall give no reply. I may undertake to defend my own language, but I disdain to answer an insult which, taking common sense for my guide too, reflects only upon the insulter.

Does Mr. J. H. V-y find it so absurd to sacrifice the agreement of a word with another, or to introduce or suppress a letter to smooth the language. If I presented a rose to a lady I would take off the thorns. But that eminent critic is not aware that this objection, if objection it be, applies to his own language; must I remind him that "a becomes an before a vowel or before a silent h.

In answer to the Grossièreté found out by Mr. J. H. V-y, in our attributing genders to inanimate objects, I ask, why does Mr. J. H. V-y make that reproach to the French language only? Why does he not print a circular letter, and send it to the Latinists, Greekists, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, &c. &c. Poor Mr. J. H. Vy is not aware of the number of languages in which there are two or three genders; it is on the French only that he vents his rage, which will be of no more use than une cinquième roue à un Carosse.

As to the French Ne mentioned by the logician Mr. J. H. V-y, I refer him to the Greek language, to the 162d page of the 2d vol. of the Art de parler et d'écrire correctement la Langue francoise par M l'Abbé Lévizac; and to the 304th page of the Principes généraux et particuliers de la Langue françoise par M. De Wailly, a fine opportunity for Mr. J. H.V-y to correct the grossièreté of his style.

A person of common ears undoubtedly will be more pleased with the sound of ya-t-il than of ya-il; as any one's ears will prefer an answer to a answer; but surely Mr. J. H. Vy must have uncommon ears!!!

I have said the examples put forth by Mr. J. H. V-y are incorrect; let us examine them; Mr. J. H.

Vy spells grossièreté leaving out the grave accent of the first e; it is true he makes a kind of compensation in placing an acute one on the second e of étourderies. This is uncommon sense of Mr. J. H. Vy, for people of common sense acquainted with the French language know the importance of its accents not only on account of their great utility in the pronunciation of our vowels; but very often they give a different meaning to the word in which they are used. I shall give here a few instances for Mr. J. H. V-y's own improvement; a, has; à, to. at ;-de, of, from; dé, thimble ;-du of or from the; dú, owed;la, the; là, there;-ou, or; où, where ;-cure, living or cure; curé, vicar; pêche peach; péché sin;pécher, to sin; pêcher, to fish ;-tache, stain, tâche, task;-tacher, to stain; tâcher, to endeavour, &c. &c. It is true Mr. J. H. V-y, by the omission of the grave accent in grossièreté and the addition of an acute one in étourdéries, has not altered the meaning of these words, but he has, in their pronunciations, suppressed one syllable in the former, and added one in the latter.

The French attribute genders to inanimate objects; Mr. J. H. V-y calls this grossièreté. Let Mr. J. H. V-y take Boyer's French and English dictionary, he will see that the meanings of the word grossièreté are coarseness, rudeness, clownishness, clownery; he will see the same in Nugent's; in M. De Wailly's he will see grossièreté, ce qui est opposé à la délicatesse, à la politesse; he will see in our Dictionnaire des Synonymes, édition Stéréotype de 1811, la grossièreté est le défaut, de ceux qui ont, eu une mauvaise éducation; I will add; de ceux qui n'ont pas profité d' une bonne, (out of respect for those who have had the care of Mr. J. H. V―y's.) I will terminate this article by some examples illustrating the proper meaning of our word grossièreté; Mr.J. H. V—y a écrit des grossièretés, son style est grossier, il s'exprime grossièrement.

The word étourdéries is not more properly used De Wailly has in his Dictionary,; Etourdi, ie, qui agi avec imprudence, avec trop de précipitation; Boyer and Nugent give Blunder for étourderie;

Walker calls a blunder a gross, shameful mistake: now I appeal to Mr. J. H. V-y's common sense, in giving genders to inanimate objects, in using two words to form a negative, or in putting a masculine word before a feminine one, and adding a letter to soften the pronunciation, is there in that any mistake?No, since it is done purposely. If no mistake, no blunder; if no blunder, no étourderie; then the word étourdérie is misapplied. For Mr. J. H. V-y's instruction, I will give him two instances of étourderies, (supposing he has not sinned through ignorance) the accent omitted in grossiereté is one, that added in étourdéries is another; but the misapplying these two words is a blunder in the sense of Walker.

I proceed to the incorrect phrase of which I have spoken; Je vous n'aime pas !! oh from a man of common sense, here is an uncommon phrase!! "I have but one remark to make to this, it won't be a bitter one, for my pupils laughed so much at Je vous n'aime pas, they have had so much fun about it, that now I think of it, I cannot but laugh myself, Some of them will for a long time remember Mr. J. H. V-y. Who would ever suppose Je vous n'aime pas comes from a critic who takes common sense for his guide, who thinks perhaps the French are not logicians, (and who perhaps thinks he is one.) Out of charity for our poor critic, I endeavoured to attribute this blunder to the printer, whom I supposed ignorant, of our language; I had not the satisfaction to attain. my aim; it was so in the copy; for if the printer is unacquainted with the French language, how does he know that the e of ne is to be cut off before a vowel; the ne should have been before vous, and then without elision. To this let Mr. J. H. V-y give an an

swer.

By way of concluding I will here observe;

1st. That there may be found in these lines many mistakes and much incorrectness of style; I beg for indulgence of every candid reader.

2dly. Aware of my incapacity I have not allowed myself one reflection against the English language; still less against the English nation; in the first in stance 1 should have been rash, in the second ungrateful.