3821 .] Form of the Spade.—Sound of “ad’ 109 
A reef between them also now began complete, and soon afterwards the boat 
To shew its boiling surf and bounding upset. 
spray, Escape in an open boat of six deserters 
Eut findingno place for their landing better, from the artillery at St. Helena. 
They ran the boat for shore, and overset 
her. 
-—ecaSESREn**- 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HAVE been much pleased with 
the sensible observations of W. P. 
in No. 354, p. 415, of yojir deservedly 
popular and esteemed Miscellany, on 
the best form of that useful instrument 
the spade. As your correspondent does 
not seem to be aware of the fact, it will 
give me pleasure to inform him through 
the medium of your pages, that a spade 
similar to the figure which bears that 
name on playing-cards, and which he 
describes as being used in the north of 
England and Scotland for raising turf, 
is exclusively employed in the opera¬ 
tions of gardening and agriculture in 
some of the western parts of England. 
It is a singular circumstance that the 
negroes of Western A frica have a spade 
of nearly a similar shape; as we find, in 
an engraving given of it in that portion 
of the entertaining series now publish¬ 
ing by Ackerman, under the title of 
The World in Miniature , relating to 
Africa. 44 It is worthy of remark,” 
says the editor, 44 that a spade, nearly 
resembling in shape, the implement 
used by the negroes, is also common 
in some parts of our own country, for 
instance, Cornwall. The latter only 
differs from the other in this respect, 
that it forms a longer triangle, and it is 
furnished with a long straight handle, 
like that of the Africans. This spade, 
at first sight, has an uncouth appear¬ 
ance, but it is said to be much more 
convenient than the ordinary kind, 
especially because the length of the 
handle relieves the labourer from the 
necessity of stooping to his work, and 
the fatigue consequent on a continuance 
of that posture.” 
I can bear witness myself to the cor¬ 
rectness of these observations, and 
know too, that the pointed spade here 
spoken of is asserted to work with 
much greater ease than one with a 
square end. 
Agricola Surreiensis. 
July 14 th, 1821. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N re-reading the 32d Vol. p. 543, I 
am reminded of my old prejudice 
against Dr. Johnson, for the injury he 
has done to the native boldness and 
force of our English tongue, by his 
maimer of sounding the (a) as ai ; 
which ought to have been a broad, or 
aa. 
Your correspondent L. at p. 543-4, 
is satisfied that the Romans sounded 
the 44 a ” broad, and there are many 
arguments for this mode of pronunci 
atra, as to «, but not as to 44 ?,” which 
should be sounded as we in England 
sound the word 44 high,” but without 
the aspirate. 
If these two points of improvement, 
or rather restoration, of pronunciation, 
were strictly enforced, the beauty of 
our language in eloquence would be 
greatly increased. 
How often have I wished many a 
parish clerk asleep, instead of his mas¬ 
ter, on hearing the finical sound of 
44 AimeW —how have my ears been 
grated with the sound of I cain't , in¬ 
stead of cannot. A minister was pro¬ 
nouncing, a few days since, Aibel for 
Abel; Laimech for Lantech; Jaiphet 
for Japhei ; Aishur for Ashur ; Aibrai- 
ham for Abraham. I wished Dr. John¬ 
son had felt the same sensations that I 
did, he would have corrected his Gram¬ 
mar and Dictionary, I am sure. To 
enumerate the injuries our language 
sustains by this one radical error, would 
occupy half a volume of your Magazine. 
19t/i June, 1821. Philglogus. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine . 
SIR, 
OU and your readers, I feel no 
doubt, are particularly obliged 
by the communication of your intelli¬ 
gent correspondent Warminsteriensis ; 
but as he has not been sufficiently ex¬ 
plicit upon some points, I hope, for my 
curiosity, he will answer the following 
questions : 
1. Can your correspondent assign any 
reason for the 44 Fair Quaker” being 
sometimes called Wheeler and some¬ 
times Lightfoot ? 
2. What was the motive that induced 
Miss Chudleigh to offer a 44 cousiderable 
sum of money” to Isaac Axford, on his 
marrying Hannah Lightfoot ? 
3. When and where did the marriage 
take place, of Hannah Lightfoot, aqua- 
ker, to 1, Axford, and where is the evi¬ 
dence 
