On lyaition m Charcoal in Atmospheric Temperatures. 71 



Remarks on the Letters : — 1st. No letter-is mute, and each 

 preserves the sound ascribed to it iu the alphabet. 



2d. M is the only consonant which terminates a word ; 

 some words when not fully pronounced seem to terminate in 

 z. s, or v; but when fully pronounced, a vowel is heard after 

 «ach of them, as, amanzi, amasi, inthlovu, umfazi, pezu, 

 umnquzi, umalusi, &c, 



3rd. The letters a, e, i, o, u, b, d, g, k, 1, m, n, w, and y, 

 are employed as serviles. By means of them tlie whole business 

 of Flexion, Numbers, Persons, Tenses, &c. is effected. The 

 servile power of d, m, and g, is comparatively very limited. 



Of the Division of Syllables : — 1st. M and n are the only con- 

 sonants which terminate a syllable. When m terminates a syl- 

 lable, the first letter of that which succeeds may be any one 

 of the consonants. N is more limited : when it terminates a 

 syllable, the first consonant of the succeeding one is d, t, g, k, 

 2, q, and x. It does not terminate often before either of the 

 last two, viz. q and x. Example : Iten-qi, in-qo, kon-xa. 



2nd. The first leltcr ot a word, if a vowel, and not being 

 joined with m or n, is itself a syllable. 



3rd. Every syllable not terminating in m or n, nor consist- 

 ing of a single vowel, has one of the vowels as its final letter. 



Of the Accent of words: — Caffrarian words are accented on 

 the penultimate, as, bo'pa, be'ta, aman'zi, ukaka'nya, and if 

 they rccei\ e an increase by inflexion, they draw the accent for- 

 ward, as, bopcle'la, bete'la, ekukanye'ni, eraanzi'ui. 



In a few exceptions the accent is on the final syllable, as, 

 uma', itenqi', ditenqa'. 



I shall foT" the present close this imperfect sketch of these 

 people. Should I at any future period acquire any further 

 observations respectinj their manners, &c. I will again trouble 

 you with their perusal. 



Observations on the Circumstances producing Ignition in 

 Charcoal in Atmospheric Temperatures. By Mr. 

 William Hatfield.* 



The spontaneous combustion of charcoal under certain cir- 

 cumstances has been long observed, though it has not excited 

 the attention which it merits ; nor would it now, perhaps, have 

 possessed much general interest, had it not been for the serious 

 onsequences which may result from its occurrence in some 



* Abridged from the London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine) 

 &r. for July 1833. 



