t 
132 Mr. Wright on his New T: heory of Inflexion. [March 1, 
3 Multiplicand Product A Universal 
Multiplication, : ae es ‘ 
| 4 Multiplier Phd pit 
Exam. Mult. 32 a 160 Ansr. A 
by : 1 ay if : B 
Quotient Dividend A 
Divistén. —|! PhO PE Coes 
i Divisor B 
Exam. Divide 32 B Anan, oF A 
Pye 1 4 B 
He First Term Third Term A 
Proportion, or PSL one. i 
Hate Eneens Secund Tern Fourth Term B 
Evample. aya 42 A 
Tf 112lb,.cost 8s. what | poh 
will 42\b. cost? 8 ' 8s. Ansr.. B 
» Wishing to allow the subject to appear 
to be simple, as it really is, I will not at 
this time create any alarm by introdu- 
cing cases in the higher parts of arith- 
metic; but should this introduction prove 
acceptable, I will furnish vou with a 
number of bighly-useful formule, suited 
to the particular practice of various class- 
es, such as retailers of goods of all de- 
scriptions, mechanics and artizans in 
most branches, merchants and clerks in 
public offices, engineers civil and mili- 
tary, &c. &e. 
: Your’s, &c. 
Leighton, B. Bevan. 
Jdnuary 21, 1810. 
— Ee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
MR. WRIGHT’S NEW THEORY OF 
INFLEXION. 
(Continued from p. 40.) 
] ATHEMATICAL calculations of 
NN the proportions and differences 
wf the lengths of vibrations, and of their 
acuteness or gravity of sound, afford an 
interesting field for the speculative en- 
quiry of students in elocution, We are 
informed by those who have written on 
the fundamental principle, or acoustical 
branch ef music, that reason for the 
causes of harmony, is ascertained by the 
just, mode of explaining consonancy, as 
the coincidence of vibration in separate 
bodies producing undulations in the air | 
in certain due proportions to each other. 
Ve ace aiso given to understand, that 
what is evident to sense, in the effect on 
the medium (air,) by the agitation of a 
vibratory string or monochord, is equally 
discernible in the motions of all other 
bogies which give a tuneable sound. 
But there still remains in this pursuit, 
‘ 
abundance of theorem for the elementary 
enquirer: and though, in our progress, 
an infinite variety of objects may appear, 
which the limited faculties of man can 
never hope to reach or comprehend, 
persevering industry on our part will so 
improve the stock of knowledge which 
we have already in our possession, that 
rational study will be most amply repaid. 
The principlé which we have already 
laid down, on the theory cf inflexion, 
appears to coincide with thé opinions of 
the most scientific, who have written on 
© the philosophy of music. In the Augus- 
tan age, that great era of classical pa- 
rity and elegance, it was supposed, that 
the speaking voice of man was limited 
in compass; and Dionysius of Halicarnas- 
sus insinuated, that the distance of three 
notes anda half, above and below the 
key-note, comprised the specific tones of 
every passion that could possibly agitate 
the human mind, I believe the moderns 
have not controverted this opinion; but 
it is presumed, that the proofs which 
were advanced in our last essay, agree- 
ing exactly with the demonstrations of 
the measures of musical phenomena, 
clearly confute the idea.—But to pro. 
ceed. Having noticed the musical sound 
or monotone, and also spoken of the 
rising and the falling inflexion, it remains 
for us next to consider two other modi- 
fications of voice, called: circumflexes. 
A late writer states, that “ the Scotch 
pronounce the far greater part of their 
words with the acute accent, or rising 
inflexion: and the Irish as constantly 
make use of the grave accent, or falling 
inflexion.”* The following he adduces 
as proofs, 
* Walker’s Elements of Elocution, p. 188 
Scotch. 
