206 
that it bears a perfe& refemblance to the 
two firft ftrckes of the written figure 4 ; 
and the third ftrcke, if carried up as high 
25 the firft, and made {loping inftead of 
upright, will very wéll reprefent the fitua- 
tion of the candle. 
When a ftrong light, for the purpofes 
of reading or writing, be required, a 
white filk or paper may be uled, as is 
common, over the fkeleton ; but when it 
be required that the light fhould be dif- 
perfed over the room, a glafs of a fimi- 
Jar fhape may be adopted, for the purpofe 
of preventing the flame from being influ- 
enced by any agitaticn of the air of the 
room. If the upper circle of the fhade be 
four inches in diameter, the apex of the 
flame will be within it during more than 
balf the time of the complete confump- 
tion of the candle; the fhade will not, 
therefore, require adjulting for the purpofe 
of preventing injury ‘to the filk, or what- 
ever elfe may be ufed over the fkeleton, 
more than once during that ‘time. 
Being myfelf muchaverfe to the in‘errup- 
tions which a candle ufed in a vertical po- 
fition occafions, and which, though fhorr, 
may, under fome circumftances, be highly. 
vexatious, I with to extend to others a 
benefit which I prize rather highly.— 
Your infertion of the foregoing will 
therefore, Sir, much oblige your con- 
fiant reader, 
Sees. 
——— 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
AVING Jately had an opportunity 
of in{peéting the earlier numbers of 
the Gentleman’s Magazine, I was much 
furprifed to find that they confifted 
almoft entirely of extraéts from, or ab- 
ftra&s of, the various newfpapers publifh. 
ed in the month. Difgufted with the 
_ perpetual repetition of old Jereain, now 
forgotten, and impudent fcurrility, long 
fince configned fo oblivion, i foon fhut up 
the book, and thought no more on the 
fubje@. But looking into Bofwell’s Life 
of Dr. Johnfon, F obferved a letter from 
him to Mr. Cave, the then editor of the 
Magazire, dated the 25th of November, 
1734 (2dvol. page 63, of the $vo edit.), 
containing the outlines of a plan for the 
extecfion of the fubjects, towards which 
he offered his affiftance. He juftly re- 
maiks, that ** the current wit of the 
month, if broughi to the ftandard of true 
criticifm, wili he ina very fmall compats,” 
and propotes to admit ** original poems 
and inferiptions, diflertatiuas in Englifh 
Dr. Fobnfon.—State of Free. Scheake 
or Latin, criticifms en authors ancient or,- 
modern, forgotten pieces worth preferving, 
or valuabie eflays on mifcellaneous fub- 
jects.” Mr, Cave acceded to the propo=’. 
fal ; and it is univerfally known, that 
Jobnfon fupplied the Magazine with many 
valuable papers. It therefore appears, 
that the Doétor has the fole merit of plan- 
ning, éxecuting, and eftablifhing, this 
{pecies of periodical mifcellanies, which, - 
by recording fingle dilcoveries, preferving 
valuable eflays and poems, and offering a- 
field for important difcuffions, has ren- 
dered fuch eminent fervices to the caufe of 
fcience and literature, and which will,. 
with your permiffion, give me an ay 
tunity of afferting a juft claim to the 
titude of the public on behalf of that ex- 
traordinary man, who, in his fervices on 
the important fubjeéts of philofophy, bio- 
graphy, philology, and efpecially in criti, 
cifing, illuérating, improving, and difful- 
ing spaliee literature, has never had an 
equal, I am, &c. 
(Epirus, 
Cr o's ON ed 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
RECENT tour through different 
counties has but too frequently and 
forcibly calied to my mind the negieéted 
fiate of many of the endowed free-fchools - 
in the county.and other towns of Eng~ 
land, in general noble inftitutions, and 
calculated, by the original regulations of 
the founder, if thefe were properly en- 
forced, to diffufe virtuous knowledge and ' 
principles among the great body of the 
community, who might otherwife be neg- 
le&ted in thefe points. Without doubt, 
anumber, and, I fhould fill hope, the 
greater number; are filled by zealous 
teachers, who, actuated by pure and difin- 
tercited motives, fulfil the end of the in- 
fitutions, by infructing the youth under 
their charge with as much affiduity and 
tenderrefs as if their income depended 
upon their attention 3 ; but, beyond dif- 
pute, many of them have been given to 
men wholooked only to the yearly falary, 
and wh», if their predeceffors had not 
“done before the fame thing, have ufed the 
fpcedictt means, either by neglect or 
harfh-treatment, to prevent all thofe enti- 
tled to the benefit of the inftitution from 
availing them(elves of it. I think we 
may obferve this to be particularly the 
caie’ where the matters are not refrained 
trom taking other pupils befides thofe on 
the foundation of the {chool; thefe latter 
are neglected, as the falary fox their edu- 
catiou. 
[April 3, . 
1 
a 
t. 
4 
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7 
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