566 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 163. 



1784, the time when it was written. The Facetics 

 Cantabrigiensis does not contain the whole of Hop- 

 kinson's paper, which occupies twelve or fifteen 

 pages in his works. Thus much is due to the 

 memory of an American patriot. Francis Hop- 

 kinson was a member of the American Congress in 

 1776, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, 

 and an active politician in his day. He was the 

 author of The Battle of the Kegs, a satirical poem, 

 composed whilst the English army occupied Phi- 

 ladelphia, which was very popular at the time, 

 and is yet popular among Americans of the present 

 generation. T. Westcott. 



Philadelphia. 



Junius, Letter L VI., and the Continuation of Tom 

 Jones (Vol. iii., p. 188. ; Vol.vi., p. 341.). — The 

 continuation of Tom Jones is entitled The History 

 of Tom Jones, the Foundling, in his married State : 

 Utile dulci : Lond., printed for J. Robinson, 1750, 

 12mo. p. 323. Its author is not known, nor is the 

 point material, as it is a very poor production. 

 Black George is not introduced in it, nor does it 

 throw any additional light upon the allusion in 

 Junius. I must confess, however, that I do not 

 see any difficulty in the passage. Blifil and Black 

 George, by different means, though not acting in 

 concert, used their best endeavours, from interested 

 motives, to ruin Tom Jones. The " union of Blifil 

 and Black George " merely seems to express the 

 concurrence of two different actors — one a hypo- 

 critical and sanctimonious cheat, and the other a 

 bolder ruffian — to work injury to the public. 

 The personal allusion in the two names is obvious 

 enough. Jas. Crosslet. 



The Word Brow, or Brough, in Essex (Vol, vi., 

 p. 411.). — This is called clam in Devonshire, 

 being a rough tree thrown across a river or brook 

 for a foot-bridge. I find clamber (in Johnson), 

 to climb up, pronounced, in Devonshire, to climm. 



w.c. 



Harlow. 



Phonetic Spelling (Vol.vi., p. 357.). — In 1730 

 there was published at Amsterdam, in seven vols. 

 ]2rao., a work entitled Abrege chronologique de 

 THistoire d'Angleterre. Throughout this book 

 the author, who calls himself M. J. G. D. C, has 

 deviated in a remarkable manner from the cus- 

 tomary orthography of the French. He justifies 

 himself thus : 



" In the neglect with which this part of the French 

 language is now every day treated, I should be suffi- 

 ciently shielded from criticism if I only cited in my 

 favour the authority of Menage, Richelet, Furetiere, 

 Amelot de la Houssaie, and others of the like weight. 

 ... I have wished to avoid disorder, and restrict my- 

 self to exact uniformity. By this means my aim has 

 been to reduce the system of orthography to fixed but 

 general rules, to remove the crowd of inconvenient and 



repulsive exceptions, and to proscribe the ridiculous 

 intermingling of antiquated spelling, which is now 

 foreign to the pronunciation introduced by modern 

 usage. In one word, I have not hesitated to refer the 

 letters to their natural functions, as assigned to them by 

 the first elements of language. It is noticeable at the 

 same time, that this operation presents us at once with 

 the true pronunciation and facility of writing," &c. 



The author developes his plan, and enters into 

 Its details in the remaining pages of his preface ; 

 but I am unwilling to extend this Note, my rea- 

 son for writing which is to add another to your 

 authorities quoted on the subject of phonetic 

 spelling — a system which appeal's to me opposed 

 to all that Is venerable In antiquity, dear in asso- 

 ciation, and sacred In philology. B. H. Gowpeb. 



Earlier attempts than that of Howell (1650) were 

 made to reform our orthoepy. The first who ap- 

 plied himself to effect this change was Sir Thomas 

 Smith ; and, according to Strype, in his life of this 

 most learned personage, pp. 27, 28., the new alpha- 

 bet framed by him was compiled in 1542. A second 

 similar attempt was made by Sir John Cheke, In 

 1557. A third scheme, with alike object in view, 

 was offered in 1621, by Dr. Alexander Gill, the 

 famous master of St. Paul's School, in his rare 

 and curious Logonomia Anglica, qua Gentis sermo 

 facilius addiscitur. In addition to these we have 

 many other works advocating the use of phonetic 

 spelling, which preceded that of Howell ; e. g. the 

 Orthographie, &c. of John Hart, Che^ter Herald, 

 1569 ; BuUokar's Booke for the Amendment of 

 Orthographie, &c., 1580 ; Mulcaster's Right Writ- 

 ing of our English Tongue, 1582 ; Peter Bale's 

 Order of Orthographie, In his Writing Schoole- 

 master, 1590; and Charles Butler's English Gram- 

 mar, 1633. Then, there Is the well-known scheme 

 of Bishop Wilklns ; that of George Dalgarno, ia 

 bis Ars Signorum, &c., 1661 ; and the proposals set 

 forth in the Friendly Advice to the Correctour of 

 the English Press, &c., 1682. CowGiix. 



Simile of the Sotd and Magnetic Needle (Vol. vL, 

 pp. 127. 207. 368.). — A much older author than 

 Leighton, or others mentioned recently In the 

 " N. & Q.," made use of the comparison of the 

 magnet, namely, Raimond Lull, of Mujorca, wha 

 died in 1315. These are his words, as given by 

 Neander, in his "Memorials of Christian Life," 

 Works, vol. vil. p. 429., Bohn's edition : 



" As the needle turns by nature to the north, when 

 it is touched by the magnet, so it behoves that thy ser- 

 vant should turn to praise his Lord God, and to serve 

 Him, since out of love to him He willed to endure sore 

 griefs and heavy sufferings in this world." 



M. L. 



Sea Water (Vol. vl., p. 290.). — In answer to 

 the Query concerning the use of sea water, either 

 Humboldt, Prichard, or Mrs. SomervIUe mention 



