is that of.

multiplied the

ern tongues.

This sound of the t has greatly hissing in our own language, and has not a little promoted it in most modThat p and b, t and d, k and hard, s and a, should slide into each other, is not surprizing, as they are distinguished only by a nice shade of sound; but that i should alter to s seems a most violent transition, till we consider the organick formation of these letters, and of those vowels which always occasion it. If we attend to the formation of t, we shall find that it is a stoppage of the breath by the application of the upper part of the tongue near the end, to the correspondent part of the palate; and that if we just detach the tongue from the palate, sufficiently to let the breath pass, a hiss is produced which forms the letter s. Now the vowel that occas sions this transition of t to s is the squeezed 'sound of e, as heard in y consonant: which squeezed sound is a species of hiss; and this hiss, from the absence of accent, easily slides into the s, and s as easily into sh; thus mechanically is generated that hissing termination tion, which forms but one syllable, as if writ ten shun.

But it must be carefully remarked, that this hissing sound, contracted by the t before certain diphthongs, is never heard but after the accent: when the accent falls on the vowed immediately after the t, this letter, like's or in the same situation, preserves its simple sound; thus the in social goes into sb, be

cause the accent is on the preceding vowel; but it preserves the simple sound of s in society, because the accent is the succeeding vowel. The same analogy is obvious in satiate and satiety; and is perfectly agreeable to that dif ference made by accent in the sound of other letters.

As the diphthongsia, ie,io, or iu, when coming after the accent, have the power of drawing the tintosh, so the diphthongal vowelų, in the same situation, has a similar power. If we analyse the u, we shall find it commence with the squeezed sound of e, equivalent to the consonant y. This letter produces the small hiss before taken notice of, and which may be observed in the pronunciation of nature, and borders so closely on natshur, that it is no wonder Mr. Sheridan adopted this latter mode of spelling the word to express its sound. The only fault in Mr. Sheridan in depicting the sound of this word, seems to be that of making the u short, as in bur, cur, &c. as every correct ear must perceive an elegance in lengthening the sound of the u, and a vulgarity in shortening it. The true pronunciation seems to lie between both.

But Mr. Sheridan's greatest fault seems to lie in not attending to the nature and influence of the accent and because nature, creature, feature, fortune misfortune, &c. have the t pronounced like ch, or tsh, as if written creachure featshure, &c. he has extended this change oft into tch or tsh, to the word tune, and its

compounds, tutor, tutoress, tutorage, tutelage, tus telar, tutelary, &c. tumult, tumour, &c. which he spells tshoon, tshaon-eble, &c. tshoo-tur, tshoo-triss, tshoo-tur-idzh, tsboo-tel-idzh, tshoo-tel-er, tshoo-teler-y, &c. tshoo-mult, tshoo-mur, &c. Though it is evident, from the foregoing observations, that as the u is under the accent, the preceding t is preserved pure, and that the words. ought to be pronounced as if written tetor, tewmult, tewmour, &c. and neither tshootur, tshoomult, tshoomour, as Mr. Sheridan writes them, nor tootor, toomult, toomour, as they are often pronounced by vulgar speakers.

Here, then, the line is drawn by analogy. Whenever comes before these vowels, and the accent immediately follows it, the preserves its simple sound, as in Miltiades, ele

cedes the t, it the Put when the accent pre

goes into sh, tch, or tsh, as natsbure or natchure, na-shion, vir-tshue, or virtebue, patient, &c. or nashion, pashent, &c. In similar circumstances, the same may be observed of d, as arduous, hideous, &c. Nor is this tendency oft before long u found only when the accent immediately precedes; for we hear the same aspiration of this letter in spiritual, spirituous, signature, ligature, forfeiture, as if written spiritshual, spiritsbuous, signatshure, higatshure, forfeitsbure, &c. where the accent is two syllables before these letters; and the only termination which seems to refuse this tendency of the t to aspiration is that in tude, as latitude, longitude, multitude, &c.

This pronunciation of extends to every word where the diphthong or diphthongal sound commences with i or e, except in the terminations of verbs and adjectives, which preserve. the simple in the augment, without suffering the t to go into the hissing sound, as I pity, thou pitiest, he pities, or pitied, mightier, worthier, twentieth, thirtieth, &c. This is agreeable to the general rule, which forbids the adjectives or verbal terminations to alter the sound of the primitive verb or noun. But in the words bestial, celestial, frontier, admixtion, &c. where the s, or n precedes the t, this letter is pronounced like tch or tsh, instead of sh, as bes sabial, celes-tebial, fron-tcheer, admix-tchian, &c.; as also when the t is followed by cou, whatever letter precede, as righteous, piteous, plenteaus, &c. pronounced righ-tcheous, pit-cheous, plentcheous, &c. The same may be observed of t when succeeded by uou, as unctuous, presumptu-. ous, &c. pronounced ung-tchuous, presump-tchuouis, &c.

Ir those who have a very high opinion of themselves, and treat others with a supercilious air, were sensible how ridiculous they appear in of the persons whom they affect to hold in contempt, they would soon lower their sails, and behave with more politeness, humanity and decorum,

the

eyes

MARRIAGE Secrets should never be revealed, for wives and husbands, by divulging them, only proclaim their folly and imprudence. The wise, among the wedded, keep their pleasures and their pains within their own bosoms.

STRAWS Swim upon the surface, but pearls lie at the bottom. Shewy parts strike every common eye, but solid ones are only to be discerned by the most accurate observers of the human head and human heart.

As often as we are oppressed by evils, resulting either from our own mismanagement, unexpected accidents, or the inscrutable views of Providence, our business is to suffer with decency and our duty to improve by suffering.

No flashes of good humour, no sudden starts of liberality, can make amends for the pain we endure, from the freaks of imperiousness and the insults of oppression.

THE most necessary virtue, that gives woman the greatest degree of power, is modesty. This amiable quality influences the features, the air, the mind, in such a manner, that every thing shocks us where this is wanting.

WE must allow that there are some virtues, which, though one would be glad to have within call, one wishes never may be called for. Patience is one of them. She is an excellent physician to a diseased mind, but would any body desire to be sick for the sake of having a doctor, even though it were the infallible Esculapius himself?