211 



as last determined by Dr. Brinkley, namely + 25 m 22 s , 0, 

 should be diminished by about a second. 



The Rev. Dr. Drummond read " An Essay on the Struc- 

 ture of English Verse, by the Rev. William Bruce, D. D." 



This Essay enters into a critical examination of the con- 

 stituent parts of English verse, commencing with its simplest 

 elements, and following them up through their various com- 

 binations. As the melody of a language must depend on 

 the classes of letters in which it most abounds, the poet 

 should introduce as many vowels and liquids as possible ; 

 availing himself of those sounds which are most agreeable 

 to the ear, and avoiding those which are guttural and harsh, 

 unless when the latter may be more expressive in making 

 the sound an echo to the sense. A propensity to imitative 

 sounds appears through the whole of our language, and, in 

 general, English has an advantage over the ancient lan- 

 guages, so far, at least, as expression depends on the ter- 

 mination of words. 



The next element of verse is the syllable ; and this must 

 be considered as to quantity and quality. According to quan- 

 tity, syllables are long or short; as to quality, smooth or rough. 

 Accent affects particular syllables or letters, and the quan- 

 tity or length depends on the manner of pronouncing the 

 vowel, and on the number of consonants following it; for 

 every consonant that is sounded must require some addi- 

 tional time. Whether the structure of English verse de- 

 pends on quantity or accent, has long been a subject of 

 controversy, and able critics are found on each side of the 

 question. Sheridan affirms, that we have a peculiar advan- 

 tage in having two sets of feet, the one depending on quan- 

 tity, the other on accent. After all, it is little more than a 

 dispute about words ; accent alone will constitute verse, and 

 there can be no verse without it ; in fact its power is such, 

 that we can hardly deny it to be the governing principle of 



