226 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR» 
-FTER having learned the ftrange 
A and unhandfome mode that Claudius 
and X. Y. adopted to raife the reputation 
of Mr. Joffe’s Grammar on the ruin 
of mine, as it appeared in the Monthly 
Magazine of laft December, I have been 
prevented, by feveral occurrences, from 
replying and undeceiving Suditone (if he 
is a different perfon from the others). 
One of thefe was your refufal of room on 
account of its Jength: for which reafon I 
thought myfelf obliged to change its form, 
and publifh it under the titlk—A Vimdica- 
tion of Fernandex’s Spanifh Grammar, &c. 
of which there is already a fecond edition, 
carefully corre€ted and improved; and 
from which a fenfible man will find that 
Mr. Joffe has not read the Spanifh Aca- 
demy (fince he quotes them falfely, and 
attributes to them many errors); and that 
his work does not corre{pond to its title ; 
that it does not follow a rational method ; 
its chapters being all under the fame or- 
der, they are not members of any divifion, 
nor of an homogeneous nature ; and that 
the other divifions have not fhared a better 
fate. I alfo prove that his Grammar con- 
tains many errors, not only with refpect 
- to the Spanifh language, but alfo to the 
general rules of grammar. And it is alfo 
my firm opinion, that all its errors ought 
to be pointed out and made known to all 
learners and to the public, that every one 
may judge as well of the work as of its 
author and admirers, and that it ought to 
be expofed more particularly to thofe who 
may fall into the temptation of becoming 
authors or cenfors, that they may avoid 
fuch errors; fince, if it is not done, they 
will run the rifk of expreffing themfelves 
as Mr. Joffe and his admirers do. 
Lam, oir, 
Your moft humble Servant, 
FELIX FERNANDEZ, 

For the Monihly Magazzne. 
SKETCH of AMSTERDAM, taken from the 
LETTER 0f @ TRAVELLER, who vi- 
fited that CATY iz JULY, 1799. 
HE traveller muft enter the Dutch 
territory by the way of Bentheim, 
and have crofled the melancholy heaths of 
the late province of Gueldres—he muft 
have performed this journey in a poft- 
waggon equally wretched, and with com- 
panions eqnally dull—to become fufcepti- 
ble of the fenfations that animated me on 
ftepping into the ¢rek/chuyt of Naarden, in 
which I had to pafs four hours more, be- 
fore I reached Amfterdam. ‘The gentle 
| Fernandez. Grammar--Shetch of Amnperdam. [OGober i 
gliding of the veffel, the cool air of the 
morning, and the uniformity of the fur- 
rounding objeéts—the canal from Naar- 
den to Muyden flows through meadows, 
which only now and then are enlivened by 
wirdmills or fmall villas—compofed the 
billows which impatience at my hitherto 
difagreeable journey had raifed in my foul, 
and rocked me into a foft repofe. I began 
to form to mylfelf a pifture of the city 
which I, now approached, a piéture as 
lovely and charming as e’er the enchantrefs 
Fancy drew of an unknown objeét, for 
which we feel ourfelves interefted. The 
fecond commercial city of Europe, the me- 
tropolis of a powerful country, the chief 
rendezvous of an honeft and diligent peo- 
ple, might juftly raife my expeétation 
high. ‘This expectation, blended with 
the recollection of the firft commercial city 
of Germany, produced a picture, which, 
to my mind, prefented Hamburg on a 
larger fcale; but, alas! the vifionary co- 
lours of the pi€ture faded on the firft touch 
of reality. a 
We changed the frek/chuyt at Muyden, 
and I rambled through the fmall town on 
foot. On the other fide of it I found an- 
other boat, which immediately fet out for 
Amfterdam. Both banks of the canal 
were now thronged with country-houles, 
whofe variegated figures at firft amufed 
‘me: but the uniformity of the architec- 
ture, and the taftelefs mode of painting 
thefe buildings, foon fatigue the eye, 
which longs for a firmer refing-point; 
and I was very glad when I found it in 
the view of Amfterdam, which, at the 
diftance of about two miles, arofe before 
me with all its fteeples, gates, and bridges, 
illumined by the bright beams of the morn- 
ing-fun. It was really a magnificent {pec- 
tacle. The fkipper greeted us with a 
joyful ** welcome ;” the reft of the com- 
pany—part of which had fallen afleep— 
gaily cheered one another, and even the 
horfe trotted quicker along. In a fhort 
time I landed at Amfterdam. Nothing 
occurred that could have difturbed my 
joy on my arrival—no toll-gatherers—no 
excifeman to overhawl my baggage. I 
drove direétly to the inn, gave my -paff- 
port to the landlord, he gaye it to the mu- 
nicipality, and now I was at liberty to do 
and go what and wherever I lifted. 
Amfterdam is one of the largeft, and, 
I believe I may add, one of the molt beau- 
tiful cities of Europe, and ftrongly forti- 
fied. ‘The ftreets are all broad, well 
paved, and—=as in the other cities of the 
Netherlands—kept very clean. The moft __ 
Beautiful of thele firgets are inconteitibly . 
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