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HAR PS: 1:CH OR D. EQI 
- Having fucceeded to the extent of my expetation in a 
more advantageous way of applying the crow quill in com- 
mon ufe in a harpfichord, I thought to reft content with 
that improvement; which had principally for its object the 
duration of the quill’s elafticity, and of courfe the durati- 
on of the equality of touch. But notwithftanding the 
long eftablifhed prejudice in favour of the crow quill, and 
the prevailing opinion that no fubftance can fupply its 
place to advantage, I think a candid critic will allow that 
one of the following pofitions is founded in fact, and the 
other in reafon. 
Firft. Although the three ftops of a harpfichord fhould 
be quilled to the beft advantage, the refult of the whole 
will be an obfervable jingle or tinkling between the quills 
and wires, which depreciates the dignity and {weetnefs of 
the inftrument. The beft harpfichords are fo cenfurable 
for this imperfetion, that the Forte Piano, which is free 
from it, ftands a chance of rivalling that noble inftrument, 
for this caufe only; being far inferior in every other 
refpect. . 
Second. Is it not reafonable to fuppofe that fo long a 
ftring, fo advantageoufly ftretched over fo large a box, 
fhould yield a greater body of tone, than that which is 
produced by the impulfe of a quill? Ifthe quill be made 
very ftiff, this will render the touch difagreeable and en- 
creafe the jingle, but not add to the ody of tone. One 
reafon why the quill does not draw a fuller tone from the 
ftring, I fuppofe to be the fmallnefs of its contact. The 
back of a quill is a portion of a circle, the extended ftring 
is a right line, and a circle can touch a right line only in 
a point; the contact therefore muft be fo very fmall, that 
mere ftrength of impulfe is not fufficient to put the ftring 
into full vibration. 
The method I am now to defcribe of quilling, or rather 
tonguing a harpfichord, I have found by experiment, to 
draw forth the powers of the inftrument to a furprifing 
Bb 2 effedt, 
