MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 
use throughout 'Asia for centuries, and 
wl)ich probably received its designation 
fiom being always employed among a tribe, 
called the Coonjoors, or Sampareahs, who 
get a livelihood by catching and shewing 
snakes. It is beat with the fingers of the 
right band; and in possession of a good 
performer yields a variety of intonations, 
far from disagreeable, and partly caused 
by the pressure of the fingers of the left 
hand, by which it is held. This instrument 
rarely exceeds nine inches in diameter, nor 
is the hoop usually more than three inches 
broad, generally less; the head is either 
of bladder, or of raw kid-skin, scraped ex- 
tremely thin. The ancients had drums of 
various descriptions ; such as the timbrel, 
which appears to have much resembled the 
common Asiatic long-drum, or dole ; and 
the rainaghinim, which cannot be classed 
with any otlier instrument, it being a hol- 
lowed board, over which a chain was 
stretched, and which passing through balls 
of iron, &c. was beat, and swung round, 
so as to occasion a deafening noise. 
The Triangle is a round steel bar, about 
the third of an inch thick, made into an 
equilateral triangle, and beat with a little 
piece of the same metal ; it forms a passable 
accompaniment in a military band, and in 
country dances seems to give a life to the 
music. It appears to be of a very ancient 
invention, though revived only wilhin these 
few years. 
The Castagnet was originally made of 
two hollow chesnut shells, which being 
connected by a string passing round the 
outside of the middle finger, were rattled 
together according to the measure, while 
dancing, each hand having a pair. Castag- 
nets are in general use among the Spanish 
women, but instead of chcsnut shells, as 
their name indicates they should be, they 
are now commonly made of sonorous wood. 
There is anotlier kind made of small shin- 
bones of animals, of which one being held 
between the fore and middle fingers, and 
another between the middle and third fin- 
gers, they are rattled together for the same 
purpose. 
We believe these to be all the instruments 
of percussion known to us ; excepting, in- 
deed, some of the most trifling, which do 
not merit a place in this work. The next 
class, namely, instruments of inflation, now 
comes under consideration ; the principal 
of these is 
The Organ, an instrument of the highest 
;^ntiquity ; in the structure of which the 
greatest ingenuity has been displayed. The 
reader cannot expect to find here a detailed 
description of so very complex an instru- 
ment; but we shall endeavour to atford 
such a perspicuous and general outline, as 
may exhibit the principal parts sufficiently 
for his purpose. The most difficult to make 
properly is the wind-chest, which is an ex- 
tensive, horizontal box, so closely fitted and 
prepared, as to retain the wind impelled 
into it by various large bellows, w'hich must 
be numerous, and capacious, in proportion 
to the size of the Wind-chest. The quantity 
of wind in it is always known to the or- 
ganist by means of a tell-tale, or index, 
which rises and falls in proportion thereto. 
The top of the wind-chest is bored with 
several lines of apertures, proportioned to 
the sizes of the pipes they are to receive, 
those of the bass notes being the largest ; 
but all the pipes in each row being differ- 
ent as to their interior construction, and con- 
sequently producing very different sounds ; 
each row is called a stop, and has a plug 
appropriate thereto, acting upon a slide, 
which shuts or opens the whole of that row 
at pleasure : this is called a register. There 
are as many of such rows of apertures or 
registers, as there are kinds of tone or stops 
on the organ : some having few, others hav- 
ing numerous stops. The wind is prevented 
escaping from the wind-chest into the 
pipes, by valves, which are opened only 
when the performer presses the keys re- 
spectively ; when, by means of communicat- 
ing wires, the valves are pressed down, and 
the wind passes into the pipes. When the 
key is quitted, the pressure of the wind, 
aided by a spiral wire spring, shuts the 
valve, and the sound of that pipe instantly 
ceases. In order to regulate the force of 
the sound, most church-organs have either 
two or three rows of keys, whereby a 
greater or "less number of pipes may be 
filled, and the powers of the instrufhent be 
controlled into what is called the small or- 
gan, or be let loose so as' to become the 
fiill organ. The pipes suited to the higher 
notes are made of mixed metals, chiefly 
grain tin and lead ; they increase in length 
and diameter in proportion to the note ; 
until, metal pipes being no furtlier applica- 
ble, square ones of wood are substituted in 
their stead for all the lower notes. The 
dimensions of all the pipes of an organ are 
regulated by a scale or diapason, formed 
for the use of manufaclurers in this tine, and 
apportioned to every size of instrument 
usually made. Many designate the organ 
