28 
could not read at all, a large majority 
were altogether) insensible of the uses 
of such presents, and were totally igno- 
rant of the ndture, object, and end of re- 
ligion itself! 
I have often interrogated a’ groupe of 
these persons as U have seen them stand- 
ing together ii their yards and wards, and 
I have found generally that about three 
in ten unite the qualifications of reading 
and writing, and one or two others in 
every ten are able to read, but unable to 
- 
write. At the present ume, of the men’ ~ Nothing can shew this abgatfity more 
in the condemiied cells, under sentence 
of death, five can neither read nor write; 
and the three women now uider the 
same sentence can neither of them 
either read nor write. } 
[have thus answered your questions, 
and Ihave no doubt but, on the average 
the same state of ignorance will be found 
to exist in other prisonsnow, and in New- 
gate at all other times. ‘I shall forbear 
to specify the conclusions which cannot 
fail to be drawn from these facts, but I 
should hope they will tend to shake the 
confidence of those who oppose plans for 
the general education of the poor, and in 
due time be the means of diminishing the 
number of anfortunate persons WHO COM- 
MIT Crimes in perfect ignorance a 
LAWS AND OBLIGATIONS OF SOCIETY, AND 
IN THE TOTAL ABSENCE OF ALL MORAL 
AND RELIGIOUS FEELING. 
rd 
Tam, Dear Sir, faithfully, your obe= reading that author Ll was obliged to re- 
dient servant m 
y R. Purtires. 
Bridge-street, June 29, 1808. 
—ast 
To the Editor of the Monthly Mugazine, 
a SIRS 
N absurdity in livggure, the com- 
mencement of which is scarcely 
known, and the inconvenience of which 
most remarkable; I allude to the custom 
formerly so prevalent, and in my opinion 
so very ridiculous, ¢ f translating the pro- 
er natnes of places and persons. ’ 
Both the Roman and Grecian histo- 
rians were addicted to this fault, and 
have contributed not a little by their 
ractice to confound and perplex chrono- 
Wsbers: in the arrangement of events. 
In modern times, the Italians having 
been the first translators at least, into 
the vulgar vpn ad all the other na- 
tions, (who are in ‘Some degree their imi- 
tators) into a continuance in the error, 
and at this day, they are the last who re- 
main in it. ; f 
catried this di- 
The French have 
is generally felt; has often struck me as), for instance, the town of Roche ‘Yon 
ri ahiite: 
im Ve 
Absurdity of Translating proper Names. # [Aug. 1, 
which the 
4A Lod “, o, 
ty nearly as far’as the Italians: the En- 
glish imitating the French, adopted the 
custom for a long period, but ite 
years nae mei a reformation in 
this respect, which I hope to see happi 
ly coig plete: In the days “of Boliee. 
broke, we used perpetually to hear of 
Tully the orator, instead of his proper 
appellation of Cicero; but Horace 
Virgil, have gained too strong a. 
our soil, for us to attempt 
move them. ‘ 
clearly, ae ridiculous manner in 
ench have prem orphodi 
the classic nan of Tits Polybius, 
Aulus Coe into Vite Live, Po- 
lybe, Aulu Gelle, &c. But 
venience arising from this castom, is nat 
so much felt in reading or treating of clas= 
tented themselves with altering the termi- 
nations Only, according to the genius of 
their respective lay ves. But modern 
historians in treating of other countries 
besides their own, particularly t i 
and Italians, have not been nt with 
pe merely termination have 
stually translated proper names’ altoge- 
ther, 
consult D’Avila’s Storia delle Guerre Ci- 
vile di Francia; ee ¥ “this practice 
carried to extremes, and I felt the incon- 
venience very forcibly, insomuch that in 
tentalthe for these translators have cons 
fer to scme other treatise on the 
in order to find aut real nam 
most every town he has occasion to 
tion... The names of capital citi : 
translated in almost cverg lange, a 
it would. pegs to attempt to eradi- 
n evi! inveterate: but D’Avila 
a step further, b rules himself 
to translate the name of every yillage: 
e translates, Rocca Su 
there is an an ancient 
the place, he makes use of 
to the Italian language, instead of th 
proper one. ~~ » 
The absurdity has no! ted here, it 
has found its way into maps also;!inso- 
much that an Englishman ignorant of the 
German lan e, purchasing ap of 
Europe, at any town i Germany, would 
~ have considerable difficulty in finding out 
any place he had’ occasion for; being 
used to translated names, he would 
hardly disgover Austria and Saxony, in 
Oesterreich and Sachsen, or the Dutchy of 
Deux Ponts in Zwey-Briicken, and per- 
haps would not be able 
a 
ie; 
name for 
yh 
4 
i 
t 
neon- _ 
Having lately had occasion, to” 
t adapted = 
*" fica 
: 
~s 
» 
‘ts 
