112 ObftnationsonEarlSlanliope'smuficdIWork, [Sept. I, 



that engine of fudden and irxcffant 

 llaughtpr, the rifle, let us aJfo bave our 

 clouds of riflemen — no matter whether 

 the weapon be actually a nfle : it is a mif- 

 tiike to imagine that the formidublenefs 

 of the Iicncli ecloireitr contilts in his pe- 

 culiar weapon ; it is veiled in his accura- 

 cy f»f aim. Let our pcafantry have their 

 fowling-piecc:), and our volunteers their 

 mulkets: method and prati ice will ren- 

 ck'r thcfe wea])ons l(:arcely lefs defiruciive 

 thcin the French rifle. The difperlin* 

 and re-aftcndjlinu, tlic loofe advance, 

 an] irregular Ikirmilhing retreat, are of 

 <]uick and cafy acquireniont. Let the 

 inafls of our people Iwarni like loculls 

 over the fin-face of the land ; let them 



hh Lordfliip has made all thefe Iiis ene- 

 mies. Thole who were for equal tempe- 

 rament are of courfe againit him ; and 

 the reft, Avho " reprobated that mode of 

 tuning as never fatisfying the ear perfect- 

 ly in any one key whatioevcr," mufr, if I 

 hiue any car, object to the " new and 

 improved metiiod" for the fame reafon. 



His LorcUhip then propofes to ha\c 

 three iultnmients by which the ditferencc 

 between a real 0(^tave and one coniillin" 

 of fix major lonef, or tweWe fjVis, may 

 be compared ; viz., the dilierence be- 

 tween YSjharp ffonnd by tunins twelve 

 perfect _/////j.s CG—GD—T)A—AE— KB 

 — BF Jhuip — V Jhurp V, Jhurp—C Jkiirp 

 Gjharp — jhurp ]) J/wrp — D J/ii 



_ - . ,■ - J r -- J J- ^ jnarp A 



aurk f )r their prey ; every tree, every in- Jhurp— \ /hurp E Ihurp—Ejimrp H Jhurp) 

 equality of earth, will ijrcfcnt a^bulwark. and C natiirut. this Y\ Jhurp " will yield 



" "" " '"'' ' ' '" ' a more aculc found" th;ni the C 7i(/f«;-«/-; 



— " a beating will be heard between 

 thcin ; and a kind of difagrecable found 

 wii'l be produced, not "very unlike the 

 howling of a wolf at a dillance. Now 

 tlie difierciice of pitch between C [or R 

 Jhurp] derived from the (jiiiiilx [fifths], 

 and the correfpondingC derived from the 

 oBuvc.n, is what is technically called bj 

 tuners the uolj'." I believe his Lordlhip 

 is in an error. If I am not miltaken, 

 Cand I have made fome in(puries on this 

 fubjed,) tuners who ufc the unequal tem- 

 penmient call the worll Jifth of the 

 twelve the xiolf\ and this is generally the 

 fifth from O Jhurp to Tt) Jhurp. But there 

 is no wolf in eijual temperament, becaufe 

 ail thv Jifthx are equally imperfe6t. 



" Alulicians and tuners are in the liabic 

 of talking of the wolf in the lingular num- 

 ber. 1 Ihall, however, fliew in the fequel 

 that there are as many as five volves in 

 tlie giiiiilx iuid major thirds taken toge- 

 ther, in all thofe inflruments which have 

 cxaSly twehe fixed keys, or exadtiy 

 twelve fixed tones in cxchj'rptavc." 



His Lordlhip then Ihews that on a key- 

 ed inllrument three major thirds make an 

 oQave, but that if they are tuned pcrfeft 

 they will fall ihort of an oflave. Thus if 

 CE — ECrJharp — G Jharp BJhurp, are all 

 confonant major thirds, then li Jhurp will 

 not be a true o&avc to C, but will fall 

 fliort of it. This imperfection his Lord- 

 fliip calls the C unJj', and the thirds 

 which fupport it the C column. The G 

 ccilunm (conlifting of GB — "BD Jharp — D 

 Jharp F double-Jhurp,) fupports the G 

 uolf; and in like manner the D column 

 fuppoitb the D ri'olf, and the A column 



feift. This is called equal temferamcnt : all other 

 tempevanient is called unequal tcm^srantcnt. 



th« 



and covering of defence : let them ad- 

 vance with rapid caution, and delibe- 

 rately recede ; hovering on the tiaiiks, in 

 the van, and in the rear of the enemy, 

 and dealing around them diihiay, havocic, 

 and death. Your's, &c. 



Brifiol, ^'£^LRA^us. 



June il, 130G. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 



SIR, 



YOU will oblige me by infertiiig in 

 your Magazine the following obier- 

 vations on Earl Stauhope's late publica- 

 tion, iiitilled " Principles of the Science 

 of Tuning Inltrumcnts with Fixed 

 Tones." 



The work commences with the follow- 

 ing fentence : " Several of the firll mathe- 

 nniticians, as well as many of the moft 

 diliinguilhed inuficiaiis, have fpent much 

 lime in endeavouring to difcover the belt 

 nianner of toning inflruments with fixed 

 tones — [His Lm-dlliip means keyed in- 

 itruments] ; — but their efforts have not as 

 vet been attended with the defired fuc- 

 cefs." 



His Lordfliip then remarks, that of 

 ♦■ightccn mulicians whom he confultcd, 

 ouc-half were for equal, and the other 

 fur unequal temperament.* I am afraid 



* Temperament is that imperfection in 

 keyed inftrunieius which receiTarily ■ refults 

 from the limited number of founds. In na- 

 ture G p.'rp and A f.•.^t are diftincl founds ; 

 but on a l<eyed inftrument they are both re- 

 prefented by the lame key. Twelve nerfeft 

 jj'iks exceed an ef/ave, and three major cun- 

 lonant thirds fall rtiort of an cBanjc ; there- 

 fore the art of tuning confilts in flattening 

 fome or all of the fifths, and ihavpcning the 

 tbtrds- Whenth.e ^^/ij are tempered equal- 

 ly, the t.birdi v.ill likcwifc be equally iciper- 



