his Principles for Tuning Instruments, £s*c. 293 



just cause. It has been purely out of regard and tenderness 

 to the unfortunate situation of a musician of the very first 

 rank, whose mental aberrations had been much aggravated 

 by the part he was led to take, and made appear to act, in 

 explaining and defending a noble Earl's reveries on the sub- 

 ject of Tuning musical Instruments, that I have been so long 

 kept back from replying to such parts of the two Letters 

 of Earl Stanhope, printed in your Magazine (vol. xxviii. 

 p. 144, and xxx. p. 34,) as relate to the scientific principles 

 of Tuning: and similar feelings towards the very respectable 

 individual alluded to, alone induce me to refrain from again 

 touching on the two " Plain Statements," and the " Narra- 

 tive," further than to declare, as injustice to Dr. C.'s mu- 

 sical reputation I think I ought, that he never, I believe, 

 perused or saw the Stanhopian " Plain Statement," mention- 

 ed by His Lordship in vol. xxx. p. 25, previously to its pub' 

 licaiion*, except in the hands of Mr. Ferguson, from whom 

 he refused to take tlie proof sheets, or look at them : but, as 

 Mr. F. himself told me, directed him to take them again to 

 the printer ; intending, as he (Dr. C.) has often told me, 

 that His, Lordship should be responsible for what he had 

 written and got printed, and not suspecting, under the cir- 

 cumstances, that the name of J. W. Calcott would be 

 affixed to it when published. After this, there needs no more 

 for me to say at present, than request those who happen to 

 have the two pamphlets, to compare them together, as the 

 worthy and unfortunate Doctor intended, by stitching up and 

 distributing them, as I mentioned in a former communication. 



There are six questions touched upon in His Lordship's 

 two Letters referred to, on each of which I wish to be in- 

 dulged in saying a few words : — these are shortly, 

 1st, Whether a monochord board should be divided into 120 



or 100 parts ? 

 2d, Whethe.^the difference of the lengths of string, can a$- 



curately measure the interval between the sounds of two 



strings, of the same size, weight, and tension ? 



-V Indeed I saw Dr. C. write a Note to you, Sir, to this effect, in February 

 4S0S, with an intent that you should publish this fact in your Magazine. 



T3 3d, 



