1808.] Mr. Pytches’s Dictionary of the English Language. + 223 
* -is induced to, slight the work, and this fa- 
tal imperfection can sometimes only be 
discovered by the failure of the wall ; nor 
its happening be certainly prevented, but 
by the constant. attendance of an over- 
looker, 
Mr. Farey’s description of the experi- 
ment made at. this place, is correct, ex- 
cept as to its introduction, in which he 
is undera small mistake. The merit of 
this, as well as the many other patriotic 
experiments at Woburn, lies entirely 
with the same noble personage, the late 
Duke of Bedford. From what Mr. Ec- 
cleston of Lancashire had done, his Grace 
was convinced of the practicability of 
making walls of earth in this way; and by 
his Grace’s desire, a foreigner was sent 
from that gentleman’s seat, to make a 
specimen here. On this specimen, and 
the mode of doing it, I immediately saw 
great room tor improvement, and, satis- 
factorily to his Grace, succeeded in ef- 
fecting the same. ‘The late Mr. Holland 
then sent persons, to learn the practice 
here, and also presented a Description 
of it to the Board of Agriculture; but 
why therein, the old imperfect mode of 
performing it, and the clumsy incenve- 
nient moulds (described in the plates of 
the French work, “ Maison en Pisé’”’) 
were copied, appears to me difficult to 
account for. 
The superiority of works performed 
with my moulds, and implements, and the 
truth and facility with which they‘ may 
by any common labourer be used, will, 
asl trust, fully appear on comparison, ei- 
ther of the moulds or of the work itself. 
Your's, &c. 
Woburn, Rogert SaLmon. 
Murch 14, 1808. 
a 
Lo the Editor of the Monthly Maggzine. 
SIR, 
AM happy in having submitted to 
your Magazine the hasty and imper- 
fect query, (No. 165, p. 528,) since it has 
been the means of producing so valuable 
a paper upon the subject, from the pen 
of Mr. Grant (No. 167, p. 5); and I 
cannot omit this opportunity of thanking 
» him for his communication. However, 
seshe does not scem to determime the 
Monyury Mac., No. J69, 
x snes | 
question positively, I trust he will excuse 
me, if, with deference, I propose a con- 
jecture, which occurred to me upon the 
perusal of his fetter, It may be ob- 
served, that none of the comparative ad-= 
Jectives which Mr. Grant enumerates, as 
requiring to be followed by fo, instead of 
éhan, possess the positive state. May 
not this, then, be the cause why these 
words are exceptions to the general rule? 
For when we say, “ He is wiser than I? . 
the sentence must be considered as ellip= 
tical; and, if expressed in full, I pre- 
sume, would be, “ He is wiser than I am 
wise.” But we cannot say, “ He is su- 
perior than I,” because this word wants 
the positive state, which would be neces-« 
sary to be understood, in order to com- 
plete the sense, Hence we are obliged 
to have recourse to another mode of con- 
struction, and say, “ He is superior to 
me;”. that is, “ He is supericr with re- 
spect to me, or when compared to me,” 
Hormer, latter, and elder, too, which 
do not admit of than after them, it is 
observable, want the regular positive 
state, Your’s, &c. 
W. SINGLETON, 
Hanslope, March 11, 1808. 
~~ 
| Lo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
J HAVE thought proper to solicit a co- 
lamn in your Magazine, to announce 
the publication of the first number of my 
New Dictionary of the English Language, 
because I know of no current so adequate 
and proper to circulate the infermation 
among men of literature, or a fountain 
so beneficent where criticism, benefac- 
tions, direction, and support, could be so 
facilely obtained by me, during the pro 
gress of the work through the press. It is 
principally for the purpose of receiving 
‘this aid, of recommending the introduce 
tory Number to the examination of able 
meu, and ascertaining a well-drawn and 
established plan for conducting the work, 
that I trouble you with this note: for 
the Plan of a Dictionary, like the Law of 
Nations, should be unalterable. 
Your's, &c. Joun Pyrcnezs, 
Groton House, Suffolk, 
' March 10, 1808, 
ce 
Gg _. ORIGINAL 
