1805.] Errors In French TrayJIatkn.-^Grlnding Malt, t^c. S05 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR., 



YOUR Correfpondent A. M. is gene- 

 rally corre6t in his teprehenfi n of 

 our tranfliturs from the Frtnch, yet per- 

 haps not entiiely fo, in tlie example he 

 gives of the word aimable, whiph is ufed 

 rather anomaloifly in both the French 

 and Englifti languages. The French ot- 

 cafionally admit the word in the fame 

 fen'e in which we generally ufcit in Eng- 

 lifli ; and theEi^lifl), In particular cafes, 

 adopt it according to its general accepta- 

 tion in French ; for inliance, when a man 

 is the fubjefl. In the particular cafe, 

 •uoted from M. Segur, A. M. has, be- 

 yond a doubt, detefted an ertor. He 

 might alfo have inftanced the French 

 word majjacre, which univerfally figni- 

 fies put to the pword, not maflacred, or af. 

 faffinatedjin the Englifli acceptation. This 

 error was of infinite ufe to our party newf- 

 papers, during the war of the revolution, 

 as, ill tranflaiions from the French papers 

 where it was ftated, that, in taking a fcrt 

 cr town, fuch a number of men were 

 majfacres, i. e. put to the fword, the word 

 was invariably rendered maflacred, with ! ! ! 

 tacked to the end of it. But a much hea- 

 vier accufation lies againit our modern 

 Iranflators, namely, that of garbling, alter- 

 ing, and obfcuring, thefcnle of their origi- 

 nals, and even of omitting whole paflages, 

 fr«m the bafe and degrading appreheniicn of 

 difobliging their faltidious and ariftocrati- 

 cal cuftomersof thiscotintry, orof fliocking 

 their delicate prejudices with the promul- 

 gation of wholefome truth. We have even 

 an edition of poor Gil Bias, garbled of 

 all the naughty pafTiges, and rendered 

 wholefome food (by fome worthy member 

 of the Society for the SupprefTion of Vice, 

 I ween) for the younger and elder children 

 of the conventicle ; but that which grates 

 my indignant feelings the moft, is, that I 

 cannot read Bruce** Travels entire and un- 

 garbled, as the original ; but, ftrange to 

 relate, to attain that advantage, muft have 

 recourfe to the French tranflators I 



Another Correfpcndent, in the fame 

 page, defires information on the fubjeft of 

 trui/mg malt. I am a brewer of more 

 than thirty years Handing, but yet may 

 be unable to anfwer precifely and fitisfac- 

 torily the quell ion of Z. With rtfpeft to 

 the method o) breaking malt, crufliingor 

 bruifing has ever been preferred, where 

 The operation is performed by grinding 

 with Hones, and there are (tone mills fui- 

 ficiently light to be turned by hand) but 



MONTHLV Mac. No. 135. 



the fteel-mills, as they are called, are ftill 

 lighter, and do the bufinefs very well, al- 

 though I think them ftil! inferior to ftonesj 

 which befides receive no damage from any 

 rubbiflior hard bodies that are accidentally 

 mixed with the malt. Bruifing machines, 

 or mills compofed of iron, mult ever be 

 blunted and injured, in fome degree, by 

 the intervention of gravel or ftones. I 

 know of but one way to obviate the diffi- 

 culty complained of by Z. It is, after 

 fkreening the malt, to fpread it, a buftiel 

 at a time, upon a clean ficor, and to care- 

 fully hand-pick it free from all extraneous 

 bodies. If yonr Correfpondent, Mr. Edi- 

 tor, fhould deride the idea of fuch trouble, 

 let him be informed, that I have often 

 had, in days of yore, and of rural felicity, 

 (alas departed) a company of women, 

 young and old, marfhalled around a wide- 

 fpread heap of wheat, and picking out all 

 defective grains, and impure feeds, pre* 

 vioufly to the corn being Town. 



Intorm.ation is reqnefted of your nume- 

 rous Correiponder.ts, whither I muft have 

 recourfe for the nioif ample details of the 

 proceedings of the Councils df Liooiicea 

 and Nice, held about one thoufand five 

 hundred years fince ? alfo whether any late 

 French cr coiitir.ental writer lias given aa 

 impartial hiftnry of the tirft two or three 

 centuries of the Chriftian sra ? Gibbon 

 is not fufficiently full on thofe points, in 

 which I chance at this time lO be in- 

 terefted. 

 . May 19, 1805. HiSTORiCus. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



IN the 3d vol. of your Magazine, 

 p. 36, Dr. Beddoes gives t!ie plan of an 

 Indian fortification on the Muflcingham, 

 and at the fame time promil^s a further 

 communication on the fubjedV. I think 

 that promife is not yet fulfilled ; and as 

 many of your readers may be anxious to 

 know (omething more on a fuhjeff (b wor- 

 thy of inquiry, permit me Xo refer them 

 to a book intitled «• Obfervations on lome 

 Parts of Natural Hiflory, to which is pre. 

 fixed, an Account of feveral remaikable 

 Vefiigcs of an ancient Date which have 

 been diCcovertd in feveral Parts of North 

 America, by Benjamin Smith Bnrton, 

 Member of the Medical Society of Edin- 

 burgh." They will alfo find that book 

 noticed in the Gentleman's Magazine, ai 

 part of th* 57th vol. \i. 87, 



Your's, &c. John Ci.£NNeil. 

 Qj for 



