Kot.kcs rsspecting New Books. 36g 



We shall find, perhaps, that this is to content ourselves with 

 a too distant approximation : the Roman alphabet, if we 

 renounce exotic letters, certainly agrees better with facilita- 

 ting some comparison of the languages with each other — 

 the Russian language for example — because the first prevails 

 among the most enlightened people in the world ; but it 

 will only procure incomplete or inaccurate notions of the 

 numerous and important foreign languages, and most of 

 ■which have peculiar sounds and articulations, such as the 

 Roman alphabet cannot be used to express. It is necessary, 

 in order to represent faithfully these languages with the letters 

 of the Roman alphabet, to add to this alphabet some new 

 characters, as the inhabitants of India, when writing the 

 Shanscrit, when they neglect to employ the Deva/iaaari 

 characters, add certain letters to the alphabets of their Chasha 

 or vulgar languages, because the Shanscrit is generally richer 

 in sounds and intonations than the Chas/ta. 



M. Volney has suggested that the Roman alphabet might 

 be employed for writing the languages of Asia : see his 

 Melhode nouvclle el facile d' apprendre les langiies ylrabe, 

 Persane ct Turque. Paris, 1795, in 8vo. This idea may 

 succeed with the assistance of the learned ; it would save 

 Europeans much time and trouble. An entirely new lan- 

 guage has been agreed upon for chemistry : is it more diffi- 

 cult to grant, for certain languages, an alphabet already 

 completely known in a great measure, and which, in time, 

 might becoirie the universal alphabet of the country ? 



Whatever may be the imperfection which results in the 

 new Mithridates, from the exclusive employment of the 

 Roman alphabet, deprived of the additions necessary for the 

 comparison of languages, we admit that this booic is singu- 

 larly rich in facts relative to this comparison, and that it 

 will be very useful even to those who possess the most 

 novel works of this nature. It will be particularly so to ex- 

 perienced travellers, who may wish to procure a good guide in 

 their inquiries upon the idioms of the countries they visit. 



[To t)c continueil.j 



Dr. Reer, a celebrated oculist of Vienna, has addressed 

 Vol. 2<j. No. 116. Jan. 18u8. A a a small 



