| 28e0,] | 
law of the meritorious Fohz pe Bich. 
The Altonaifchen Adarefs Contoir-Nach- 
vichien emulate the Hamburg paper of 
the fame name; but do not fo often con- 
tain interefting articles. At Gluckftadr, 
an anonymous journalift takes advantage 
of the vicinity and copioufnefs of the Al- 
tona and Hamburg newfpapers, to com, 
pile from them his .Giick/fadter Fortuna, of 
which he furnifhes weekly two half-theets, 
octavo, for the entertainment of the Hol- 
ftein politicians. 
For the ule of the paflemiens of the 
King of Denmark in the Weft Indies, a 
new(paper 1s publifhed at St. Croix, in oc- 
tavo, which ferves the purpofe of an In- 
telligencer. Of this paper many copies 
are brought to Copenhagen by the Weft 
India fhips. At Chriftianfburg in Atri- 
ca, and Tranquebar in Afia, no newf- 
papers are publifed, andthe ‘Danith fet- 
tlements are fupplied with them from Co- 
penhagen. 
The Danifh newfpapers i in general (thofe 
of Altond excepted) are diftingu ithed by 
‘neither the originality of the ‘naterials, 
nor by the editorial abilities of the com- 
pilers in felecting and arranging them. 
Nor do we find in them any traces of free- 
dom of, inquiry and difcuffion, or blind 
party-zeal.; and therefore the vee 
tions, fufpenfions, reftriétions, and penal- 
ties, which the fpirit of the times has pro- 
duced in other kingdoms, and even in the 
neighbouring Sweden, have not yet taken 
place i in Denmark. The edict for the re- 
guiation of the prefs, dated 28th of Sep- 
tember, 1799, affects newfpapers only in 
an indireét- manner. The compilers and 
publifkers are often the fame perfon; and, 
as for the price, -it is, on an average, | 
nearly on a level with that of the German 
Journals’ Except in Sweden, the Danith 
new{papers are rarely, read in foreign coun - 
tries; nor do the natives often preferve 
and collect them into volumes. 
( Accounts of the political journals in Ruffia ana) 
Sweden qwill bg giwen in our next.) 
; —S a 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SI Ry 
INDING myelf difappointed in the 
remarks of A. B. refpecting mufical 
inftruments, will you excufe my intruding 
a few lines in reply ? 
I have examined the confru&tion of 
many }iano-for tes, and never met with 
one where the grain of all the wool is pa- 
railel with the firings. 
_. Admitting an impoffibility, that the 
grain of the blocks (called reft pieces by 
, MONTHLY MaG. No, 58, 
‘Be 1ano fortei——Re eclu fuse 
“heat,. cold, 
349 
piano-forte makers) zs parallel with the 
firings ; how is it with the cafe? Is it not 
likely, that the back (where the fmalleft 
variation doubtlefs makes a wonderful al- 
teration. of the ftrings) is affected by wet 
and dry? Indced, I muft think the wooden 
part of a piano forte or harpfichord is 
more affected by our climate than the 
ftrings, confidering the bulk of wood, and 
the {mall quantity of metal; and that 
wet, and dry, occafion as 
many continual changes in thofe infru- 
ments, as there are in “the hygrometer and 
thermometer ; ; and I have no doubt A. B. 
will be quite of my opinion, if he ever 
has the opportunity of feeing the infide of 
a piano-forte cafe, in the ftate it comes to 
the inftrument-maker. 
The generality of modern piano-fortes 
have a piece of wood, half an inch thick, 
more or lefs,.into which the pegs that 
hold the wire are driven full half their 
length; the {cheme is doubtlefs good’ to 
make them fteady, but the grain of that 
wood is nearly at right angles with the 
firings, and muft of courfe be variable. 
Again, admitting an. ty ay con- 
ftructed with the grain of all the wood pa- 
rallel with the firings, and that it could be 
placed where the air is continually of e equal 
temperature ; ftill the nature of the metal 
would not be altered in one other refpect, 
for the wire would naturally ftretch, unlefs 
fomething miraculous could be found to 
prevent it. 
T have frequently heard it afferted, that 
inftruments will fometimes go out of tune. 
by a change of air, and return to tune 
again when the former temperature is re- 
ftcred; but IT have no thoughts of that 
being the cafe, in a tolerable degree, with 
ftringed initruments. 
Tunits are certainly under oreat ob- 
ligations to A. B. for the laft twelve lines” 
of his remarks, as they expofe the ig- 
norance of many wha confider themfelves 
judges. 
I thall be happy to fee, in fome future 
number, the refult of experiments made 
with mufic wires and woods; confider- 
ing, as I do, that the mufical world is 
particularly interefted ; and I ‘fincerely re- 
main A FRIEND. 
| 
To the Editer of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
A LL to whom the ftructure or varia- 
“\. tions cf language appear an intereft- 
ing object of inquiry, muft acknowledge 
their obligation to your correfpondent Mr. 
Wefley ; fince, to his remark on the pre- 
i es Ua fumed 
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