1 823.] On the Articulation of Harsh Sounds in the Welsh Alphabet. 49 1 



Passions;" and we thiuk very properly ; 

 for we conceive we are not paying a 

 Lad compliment to that elegant au- 

 tboress when we say, that there ap- 

 pears in many parts of Mr. Neele's 



poems evidence of a kindred genius Tjie loves, tlie feuds, tliy'pages may untold, 

 tf'.tU ♦l.o* ,i:<,r,lo,-^,1 ;.. ^.n.^,c. «r 4i,„ '' r™"i with lialf so piomiit a hand unlocli 

 With that displajed in some of the His virtnes as his failings, we shall find 



much-admired productions that have '^' ' 



proceeded from her pen. 



We here take leave of this gentle- 

 man's volume in our critical capacity ; 

 as readers, we are convinced tliat we 

 shall often return to iiis pages with 

 pleasure, and we beg him to accept 

 our thanks, on behalf of all those who 

 can feel and admire true poetry, for 

 the treat his publication will afford 

 them, more particularly at a period — 

 ♦' Kite with unmeaning rhyme, and maud- 

 lin song." 



Fables for the Holy Alliance. 

 . Another volume of poetry has made 

 its appearance from the pen of Mr. 

 Thomas Moorc A writer of such 

 eminence could hardly fail to produce 

 sonjcthing respectable on any subject 

 that he might select ; and we do not 

 think his present publication can be 

 considered as any thing more. On a 

 topic which, from the many recent 

 attempts of sovereigns to oppose tho 

 progress of human intellect, has be- 

 eome so trite, as the ridicule of legiti- 

 macy and divine right, we must per- 

 ceive something much beyond the 

 decent mediocrity of talent that the 

 •' Fables for the floly Alliance" exhibit, 

 before we can feel justified in award- 

 ing any meed of praise. They are, 

 generally speaking, very deficient in 

 point, and are principally distinguish- 

 ed by an inveteracy of punning, which 

 the author appears to have mistaken 

 for wit. The best are — " the Little 

 Lama of Thibet," and " Louis the 

 Fourteenth's Wig." To the Fables 

 are attached " Rhymes on the Road," 

 and some miscellaneous poems, « hicli, 

 though they do not in general add to 

 Mr. Moore's reputation, in some meu- 

 fiure redeem it from the injury it is 

 likely to sustain from tlie preceding 

 parts of the volume. We ought, how- 

 ever, in justice to observe, that the 

 Ktanzas from Florence, and the " Lines 

 to his Mother," appear to us not to l)e 

 exceeded by any tiling we have seen 

 from this writer. 



Perhaps we ciinnot present our 

 readers with a more interesting ex- 

 tract from Mr. Moore's volume, (h:in 

 Ihe following passage iu the lines writ- 



ten when about to peruse Lord Byron's 

 autograph Memoirs : — 



Eventful volume ! whatsoe'er the change 



Of scene and clime,— th' adventures bold and 



stranije, — 

 The f liefs,— the frailties, but too frankly told,— 

 ■" ■ ■ ifold, 



nlocka 



The record there of friendships, held like rocki. 

 And enmities, like snn-touch'd snows, re»ign'd,— 

 Of fealty cherish'd without change or chill, 

 In those who serv'd him young, and serve him itIU, 

 Of gen'rous aid, giv'n with that noiseless art 

 Which wakes not pride to many a wounded heart. 



For the Monthly Magazine. 



FACILITY of ARTICULATING what are 



deemed harsh sounds in the WELSU 



ALPHABET. 



f Translated from the JVehh.J 



I BELIEVE that there are but two 

 sounds pertaining to the Welsh 

 language that are not to be found in 

 the English, namely, ch and II. The 

 ch is to be found in the Greek, He- 

 brew, and all the ancient languages ; 

 but as for our pronunciation of the 

 //, I am not aware that it is used in 

 any language except the Welsh. 

 Many of the English, and some of the 

 tribe of Die Shon Davys,* assert that 

 the above sounds are unnatural and 

 difficult, enough to rend one's jaws 

 asunder in articulating them. 



I allow, sir, that every unusual 

 sound is difficult and troublesome to 

 adults. It is too much for a French- 

 man, after he has advanced to man- 

 hood, to learn the sound of th, accor- 

 ding to the English manner, iu this 

 and that; and no Englishman can ever 

 learn to pronounce the French as the 

 natives of France do. Although tho 

 language of Scotland is English, with 

 some difference, yet a good education 

 can never teach a Scotchman to pro- 

 nounce as an Englishman does; be- 

 fore even the renowned, erudite, and 

 eloquent Dr. Chalmers can speak for 

 two minutes, his English auditors will 

 have sufficient grounds to say, " He is 

 a Scotchman." And in the same man- 

 ner, sir, as to every sound, not ac- 

 quired by us in our youth, the only 

 time of acquiring true articulation. 

 Nevertheless, this does not prove the 

 natural difficulty of one or the other 

 of those sounds. If it be difficult to a 

 Frenchman to pronounce that, it is as 

 easy as breathing to an Englishman ; 

 and, although the latter cannot pro- 



• Persons who, being born in Wales, 

 oppose the cultivation of the Wel»h lan^ 

 g\xagQ.—Translalvr, 



Dounc* 



