the extremity of the former is the governor's houfe, in which there is a very handsome state-room, furrounded with portraits of Charles I. and II.; William III. and his Queen; George II.; their prefent Majefties, &c. In the centre of each of thefe wings, and in that of the north front, are pediments of freeftone, fupported by columns of the Doric order. In the centre of the fouth front is a portico, fupported by fimilar columns, and on each fide a piazza, on the frieze of which is the following infcription: "IN SUBSIDIUM ET LEVAMEN EMERITORUM SENIO, BELLOQUE FRACTORUM, CONDIDIT CAROLUS SECUNDUS, AUXIT JACOBUS SECUNDUS, PERFECERE GULIELMUS ET MARIA REX ET REGINA, 1690." The internal centre of this building is occupied by a large vefibule, terminating in a dome; on one fide is the chapel, and on the other the hall. The former was confecrated by Bishop Compton in the year 1691. It is about 110 feet in length, paved with black and white marble, and wainscotted with Dutch oak. The altar-piece, which reprefents the afcenfion of our Saviour, was painted by Sebaftian Ricci *. A rich fervice of gilt plate, confifting of a pair of maffy candlesticks, feveral large chalices and flaggons, and a perforated fpoon, was given by James II.; the organ was the gift of Major Ingram. The hall, where the penfioners dine, is fituated on the oppofite fide of the vestibule, and is of the fame dimenfions as the chapel. At the upper end is a large picture of Charles II. on horfeback, the gift of the Earl of Ranelagh; it was defigned by Verrio, and finished by Henry Cooke +. The whole length of the principal building, as it extends from east to weft, is 790 feet; a wing having been added at each end of the north fide of the great quadrangle, which forms part of a fmaller court. Thefe courts are occupied by various offices, and the infirmaries; the latter are kept remarkably neat, and supplied with hot, cold, and vapour baths. To the north of the college is an inclosure of about thirteen acres, planted with avenues of limes and horse-chefnuts; and towards the south, extensive gardens. The whole of the premises confifts of about fifty acres.

• The establishment of the Royal Hofpital or College at Chelsea, confifts of a governor, lieutenant-governor, major, two chaplains, an organist, a phyfician, furgeon, apothecary, fecretary, fteward, treafurer, controller, clerk of the works, and various fubordinate officers. The number of ordinary penfioners is 336; these men must have been twenty years in his Majefty's fervice; but fuch as have been maimed or difabled, may be admitted at any period. The number of thofe who can enjoy the advantages of this establishment, being fo fmall in proportion to that of the brave veterans who stand in need of them, the prefent governor, very much to his credit, has made a rule, that except under very particular circumstances, no perfon fhall be admitted into the houfe under fixty years of age; by this means the benefit of the charity is appropriated with much greater certainty to those who are its most proper objects. The penfioners who live in the house (commonly called the in-penfioners) are provided with

* Anecdotes of Painting, vol. iii. p. 142.'.
Ibid. vol. iii. p. 92.’

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clothes

clothes, (an uniform of red lined with blue); lodging and diet; befides which they have an allowance of eight-pence a week. The college being confidered as a military establishment, the penfioners are obliged to mount guard, and to perform other garrifon duty. They are divided into eight companies, each of which has its proper complement of officers, ferjeants, corporais, and drummers. The officers, who have the nominal rank of captain, lieutenant, and enfign, are chofen from the most meritorious old ferjeants in the army, and have an allowance of three fhillings and fixpence per week; the ferjeants have two fhillings; the corporals and drummers ten-pence. Two ferjeants, four corporals, and fifty-two of the most able privates, are appointed by the King's fign-manual, to act as a patrol on the road from Chelfea to Pimlico, for which duty they have an additional allowance. The patrol confits of half the number here mentioned, the duty being taken alternately. There is likewife in the college a fmall corps, called the light horfemen, thirty four in number, who are allowed two fhillings per week, and are chofen indifcriminately out of any of the regiments of cavalry. The various fervants of the college, among whom are twenty-fix nurfes, make the whole number of its inhabitants about five hundred and fifty. There are also belonging to the eftablishment, four hundred ferjeants, who are out-penfioners, and receive a fhilling a day; these are called King's letter-men, and are appointed, half by the Governor, and half by the Secretary at War. The number of private out-penfioners is unlimited; their allowance is five-pence per day, and they are always paid half a year's penfion in advance. Their number has been much increased fince the paffing of the militia act; they are now upwards of twenty-one thoufand, and are difperfed all over the three kingdoms, at their various occupations, being liable to be called upon to perform garrifon duty as invalid companies in time of war. The expences of this noble inflitution (excepting about 7000l. which arifes from poundage of the houfehold troops, and is applied towards the payment of the out-penfioners) are defrayed by an annual fom voted by parliament. The yearly expence of the houfe eftablishment, including the falaries of the officers, repairs, and other incidental charges, varies from 25,000l. to 28,000l. The internal affairs of the hofpital are regulated by commillioners appointed by the crown, and confifting of the governor, licutenant-governor, and fome of the principal officers of ftate, who hold a board, as occafion requires, for the paying of out-penfions, and other bufinefs.'

At the end of the third volume is a table of the population of the different parifhes, which would be highly inftructive were its accuracy worthy of reliance; fince feveral of them are among the most populous in the outskirts of the metropolis, as Stepney, Pancras, Marybone, &c.:-but two things appear on the very face of it, which are material deductions from its utility: ift, we find that the people have not been actually numbered ex

troops.'

Since Mr. Burke's bill, the army poundage is confined to thofe

cent

cept in a very few inftances, and thofe fome of the mere country parifhes; fo that the proportion of individuals to a houfe, as taken from them, may be, and probably is, very erroneous, when applied to the parishes making part of London. We have alfo reason to fufpect, 2dly, that the numeration of houfes is far from correct, and in many inftances is probably that of taxed houses only; for, in the very introduction to the table, Hackney is faid to have 2339 houfes; whereas in the table itfelf it is flated 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 fate 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. pp. 470. 6s. Boards. Dilly, &c. 1795.

THE

8vo.

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 measure may be ascribed to its compound nature; our terms in philofophy are derived mostly from the Greek; in fortification, from the French; in navigation, 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 eftablished. 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 vast continent thall be thoroughly inhabited: but, while this contemplation flatters our pride, it should 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

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vated

vated with the greatest attention. Mr. Smith in the work before us appears to have bestowed much thought and labour on the fubject, 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 least, 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 fyllables, and fo partake of the nature of confonants. From this reprefentation, it may eafily be conceived with what diffi- ̄ culty 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 result 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 these, combined, have no less 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, likewise, that these be well understood, and treasured up in the memory; but above all, I think it advantageous, both to foreigners and natives, who wish to acquire a juft 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 spelling the words, but only to use indifcriminately the Roman and Italic characters, I begin with laying before the reader these two alphabets, in their ordinary arrangement, however improper I may think it, and place opposite to each letter a French word, or combination of French letters, to afcertain, as nearly. as poffible, the usual 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 affistant to thofe foreigners who wish to acquire a juft 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.

INDEX

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.