84 A TRACT OF MISCELLANIES. 



nexed to the consonant that represented a town, 

 would indicate a town of the first magnitude, the 

 second vowel annexed would represent a town of 

 the second magnitude, and so on down to the last 

 vowel of the alphabet, which would represent a 

 hamlet. So also with mountains, and lakes, and 

 rivers, and seas, and islands, &c., &c. each having 

 a consonant to represent it, and the vowel annexed 

 to indicate the magnitude of each. The names of 

 oceans, lakes, countries, and islands would require 

 to be indicated by the longitude and latitude of the 

 central parts of these respectively, and that of a 

 river by the longitude and latitude of the mouth of 

 the river. Thus a Geographical Nomenclature so 

 constructed would, analogous to the chemical no- 

 menclature of the neutral salts, enable us to accom- 

 plish in a few hours what cannot now be achieved 

 in a lifetime. 



ON THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGES. 



149. Montaigne, when he had passed the years 

 of infancy, was put under the tuition of a Latin 

 master ; and when six years of age, it is said that, 

 without Dictionary, Grammar, or any preparatory 

 task-work, he could speak pure Latin. How very 



