\IQ NATURE OF MUSICAL SOUNDS. 



his fervice. The only plea that I can offer in oppoiition to 

 this formidable confederacy, confilts in the following plan: 

 remark : I contend for the truth and not for fuperiority, a 

 motive which obliges every difputant to difregard all autho- 

 rity, except the conviction imprefled on the fenfes by a judi- 

 cious experiment, and the aflTent given by the underftanding 

 to found arguments. Notwithftanding the preceding decla- 

 Pcrfonal refpcc- ration, I acknowledge the weight of perfonal refpectability, 

 lability is of j n many inftances of an experimental nature; becaufe the re-, 

 weight in ml- • r « «t r * a * « • i t i c i 



t or y . putation of one philoiopher lianas higher than that or another 



does, as a conductor of experiments ; on this fuppofition, the 

 decisions of the former ought to be preferred to thofe of the 

 latter, when they happen to difagree in their conclufions ; in 

 fact every man's confidence in the juftice of an experiment 

 which he has not feen, amounts to nothing more than hifton- 

 cal evidence, the credit of the narrative refting entirely upon 

 the character and abilities of the eye witnefs. 

 but not jn argu- The foregoing obfervations on experimental knowledge 

 ment or reafon- ^ ave no thing to do with argument ; for every fpecies of true 

 logic, including the mathematics, confifts of a train of induc- 

 tions ; all of which are drawn from maxims, admitted by every 

 party, in a well conducted difpute. On this account, argu- 

 mentation is not an appeal to a perfon's faith, but to his ra- 

 tional faculties ; and an unprejudiced judge will prefer the 

 logic of a ploughman to that of Ariltotle himfelf, mould the 

 ruftic happen to reafon better than this matter of the art. After 

 what has been faid on the weight of authority in philofophical 

 controverfy, it will not be expected that I (hall pay the leaft 

 deference to the dogma of any man in the world, unlefs his 

 opinion is fupported by demonftration ; for this is the only 

 literary authority to which an enquirer after the truth ought to 

 The prefent bow. Confiftently with this declaration, an attempt has been 



controverfy not ma d e { demonilrate every propofition that has been advanced 

 determinable by . / ,. r , ,. r ... 



authority. on my part, in the prelent ditputej a dilpute which com- 



menced in the tranfactions of the Royal Society, which pafled 

 from that publication to the Manchefter Memoirs, and is now 

 prolonged, Sir, in your Journal. But my care in this refpect, 

 and attachment to proof have not been imitated by my oppo- 

 nent ; for nothing appears in the courfe of the controverfy* 

 relembling a refutation of any one of my conclufions, except- 

 ing an obje&ion which was offered in Dr. Young's lafl letter, 



to 



