308 
Speaker. Ex. He fays he wil] not, but 
he fall.” Here the actor is compelled. 
It may be foftened into a permiffion, as 
«© he fhall if he will ;’°—** he fhall have 
my permifion ;? fill this implies inten- 
tion of the {peaker relative to fomething 
in his power, and it is not a mere future. 
Now, as our language is fo conftruéted, 
that, while we vane only toexprefs a mere 
future, we are obliged to ule one of thefe 
words, fo that we cannot get rid of animplied 
determination eitherof thefpeaker or of the 
actor, the contrivance feems to be to throw 
it off trom the /peaker; and, with refpect 
to the adfor, a degree of anbieuity i is left, 
which an interpretation, arifing out of the 
general connection, and probable inten- 
tion, of the fentence, removes in a degree 
dufficient for general ule. 
In fpeaking in the firf& perfon, the 
Jpeaker is the nominative to the verb; 
the actor and fpeaker are one and ‘the 
fame. In this cafe, ‘* weil’? implies the 
determination of the fpeaker, becaule he 
is alfo the actor. In the fecond and third 
perfon, the perfon or thing /pokex of is the 
nominative cafe to the verb; the aétor 
and fpeaker are not the fame, therefore 
the word ‘will’? does not involve the in- 
tention of the {peaker. 
This therefore I propofe as the rule, 
viz. that, when we intend a mere future, 
the word * /hall’’ is ufed in the firli per- 
fon, and ** will’ in the fecond and third ; 
and the caufe of the rule Itake to be, the 
fpeaker’s defire to avoid exprefling his owa 
Yntention. 
For thefe reafons, when fpeaking in the 
firft perfon, we fay ‘* I /hall forget,” in 
which no aétual will or determination of 
the fpeaker is implied; for the actor and 
fpeaker being the fame perfon (fince the 
meaning cannot be ** I will compel my- 
felf’’) the compulfory fignification of the 
word ‘¢ fhall’’ cannot be intended, and it 
is a mere future. 
In the third perfon, we cannot fay ‘* he 
fball torget,”’ on account of the compul- 
fory fignification of the word ‘¢ fhall ;”’ and 
we fay * he will forget.” 
In neither of thefe cafes do we find any 
ambiguity ; for to forget is not a fubject 
either of will or compultion. 
In verbs denoting any a& the fubject of 
will or compulfion, the ambiguity relative 
to the will of the afar is lett, when the 
{peaker either cannot exprefs, or choofes 
to avoid expreffing, his own wiil; as <* the 
fun wil not fhine to day ;”—** my fer- 
vant will not be in town to-morrow.” 
Tisefe are mere futures; but by poffibility 
might be confirued to exprefs a deter- 
On the Trade of the Gum of Senegal. 
[May 1, 
mination of the fun or the fervant, to 
which ambiguity we fubmit, as to a defect 
in the language. 
In thelike cafes, but in the firft perfon, 
we fhould fay, «* I hall be diftreffed with 
this burning fun 3”? in which it is out of 
the fpeaker’s power to expre(s his will; 
or, *¢ I fhall not be in town to day,” 
when he choofes to avoid exprefling his 
will; and thefe alfo are mere futures. 
We cannot exchange thefe words, and 
fay, in the firtt cafe, <* the fun /ball not 
fhine,”” or &* I wil! not be diftrefed ;”’ for 
then, inftead of a future, the words ex- 
prefs the will and determination of the 
{peaker in matters out of his controul : 
nor, in the fecond cafe, can we fay, <* my 
fervant /hall not be in town,” or 6* I aiid 
not be in town;”’ for then the words ex- 
prefs the will of the fpeaker, where he 
means merely to fpeak im the future tenfe, 
without declaring his own determination. 
on the fubject. 
Should you think thefe remarks worth. 
publifhing, I fhall take an opportunity of 
continuing the fubjeét, with obfervations 
on cafes which, at firft view, appear to be 
exceptions to the rule; particularly in 
queftions in poetry, and in folemn and pro- 
phetic diétion ; but I refrain at prefent, 
both becaufe my letter is, I fear, already ~ 
longer than I have a right to intrude on 
you,and alfo from the hope that the matter 
my have fome light thrown on it by fome 
of your philological correfpondents, 
Your's, &c. 
ee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
OBSERVATIONS on the TRADE of the 
GUM of SENEGAL. 
D. 
MONG. the various performances: 
that have appeared of Jate years, 
relating to Africa, there are few fo in- 
ftructive and fo interefting as that intitled: 
Fragments on Africa. 
Under this modef title the author, who 
had an employment in this part of the 
world in 1787, has collected a great 
number of documents concerning the peo- 
ple, the produétions, and the trade, of 
an extenfive part of the weftern coaft. 
in the inftructions he has given upon 
the gum-trade, one of the moft impor- 
tant branches of commerce, he appeared 
fo interefiing, and fo proper to be con- 
fulted, as a guide and director to thofe 
who are engaged in this bufinefs, that we 
have thought it our duty to infert in this. 
collection, fuch an extract from that ufe- 
ful work, as fhould be fufficiently com- 
preheniive. 
The 
