1800. } 
them. The clergy are reprefented by the 
bifhops of the refpective diocefes, who 
have aright to fit without being elected, 
by the deputies of each provoftthip (pre- 
woté), and by a deputy chofen by the clafs 
of deacons. The 105 towns have alfo 
their deputies, of whom Stockholm fends 
ten, Gottenburgh three, Pahlun as many, 
the other confiderable towns two each, and 
every fmall town one. ‘There are many 
inftances of two or three towns joining to 
fend one common reprefentative. The 
peafants who hold of the crown depute an 
invidual for every bailiwick, or feveral 
cantons join in fending a common deputa- 
tion. The army and navy have a right 
to fend deputies to the diet, to be confult- 
ed on fubjects which concern their profef- 
fion. Every eftate has its fpeaker: the 
archbifhop of Upfal is always the {peaker 
of the clergy, and the king nominates thofe 
of the other orders. 
At the diet of 1736, there were prefent 
49 counts, 136 barons, 188 knights, 396 
ordinary gentlemen, 51 ecclefiaftics, 94 re- 
prefentatives of towns, and 165 deputies 
of the order of pealants. The ftates ap- 
point a committee to confer with the king 
on all affairs which he thinks ouglhit to be 
treated of fecretly, and for that purpofe 
this committee is inyefted with all the au- 
thority which the ftates themfelyes poffefs, 
The perfons of the deputies are inviolable, 
It is to be remembered, however, that in- 
{tances are not wanting, in which this in- 
violability has been difregarded. The 
fefflions of the diet, which have fometimes 
been prolonged to two years, ought to fit 
but three months at the moft, after which 
time, the king may diffolve the affembly. 
‘The kings of Sweden are bound to profefs 
Lutheranifm ; and they ought to te bora 
of a marriage contracted by the permil- 
fion of one of their predeceffors. They 
are reftricted from intermarrying with a 
perfon of any other religion, and trom ac- 
cepting any other crown. They are of 
age at twenty-one. 
( To be continued. ) 
ee 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
WY Have frequently been cenfured by my 
acquaintance for my /imgularity, as they 
term it, in ufing the article ‘* 4,’ not 
«* An,’ betore words beginning with 
** U,”’ where that vowel fingly conftitutes 
a fyllable, as in the words ‘¢ Union’— 
“ Univerfal”—* Unitarian,” 8c. 
_ In this praétice, however, it appears 
that Lam notaltogether fingular: forl find 
ms 
A Difrripiion of Sweden—A or AN before U ? 
-vowel ? 
419 
that I have on my fide fo refpectable an 
authority as that of the learned and inge- 
nious Bifhop of Rocheffer, uniels, unfortu- 
nately for my credit, he fhould declare that 
it was merely a typographic error which 
produced ‘* 4A Uxiformity” in page 157 of 
his elaborate treatife ** Ox the Profodics of 
the Greek and Latin Languages.’—1 can 
alfo quote the learned and liberal author of 
the ** Mode/? Apology for the Roman Catha- 
fics of Great Britain,” unlefs he tov fhould 
affert that ‘* A Univerfal acquiefcence’ is 
an error of the prefs in page 63 of that 
work. : 
But, be that as it may—-and whether 
thofe learned writers intended to print"«4” 
or **© AN”—I beg leave, Mr. Editor, 
through the medium of your valuable mif- 
cellany, to fubmit to the confideration of 
grammarians my reafons for preferring, in 
fuch cafes, the fingle ‘¢ 4’? without the 
“« N,” that my opinion may be adopted 
if it appear right, or, if wrong, refuted. 
In the firft place, I afk, whydo we make 
any difference between ‘* 4”? and “4 ?”? 
—For the fake (it will be anfwered) of 
preventing a difagreeable hiatus on the 
concourfe of two vowels, the “‘N”’ is in- 
terpofed.—Perfeétly fatisfactory; and I 
praife the man’s ear who firft made the 
diftinétion. Nay, on the fcore of ear 
alone, I even give credit to the Cockzeys 
for ufing ¢* AN” in many cafes where other 
people ufe, and every body ought to ule, 
the fingle ** 4." When, for inftance, a 
Cockney fays or writes ‘* AN dor/e”— 
“¢ AN houfe’—** AN hundred’—he is pers 
fecily confiftent and in charaéter, becaufe, 
omitting the afpiration, he pronounces 
‘© Orfe, Oufe, and Undred; wherefore 
the ** AN” is not only right but even ne- 
ceflary in Lis mouth, though unneceflary 
and wrong in the fpeech of every otber 
Englifhman who properly founds the “H” 
at the beginning of thofe words. But this 
by the way. 
To return to my purpofe—Although 
the ** NV” be neceflary before a vowel, is 
it requifite before every vowel? For ex- 
ample, is it requifite before “* 7?” or is 
“<7” at the beginning of words always a 
Some grammarians affert that it 
is, others that it is not. Although I fide 
with the former of thefe opinions, yet, ag 
that ditcuffion is foreign to the prefent 
queftion, I for the prefent content mylelf 
with obferving that I have never heard 
any man, who was accounted an elecant 
{peaker, fay “‘ AN Youth’—** AN Young 
man’—** AN Year,” but always « 4 
Youth’—“‘A Young man?—‘' A Year; 
and thg fame mode I have invariably feen 
yee followed 
