336 
The fate of earl Stanhope and M. Be- 
metzrieder, owing to their not attending 
"to the distinction between difference and 
ratio, loudly calls upon me to beware 
of adding to the confusion which has 
already arisen on thissimple subject. It 
is probable, that in the course of a 
twelvemonth, results will be published, as 
to the different schemes of the tempera- 
ment of the musical scale proposed by 
Yarious authors, and the mode of work- 
ing these calculations rendered intelligi- 
ble to those who merely understand the 
common rules of arithmetic. If any 
experienced organ-tuner would have the 
goodness to transmit to the writer of this 
article, the number of beats in fifteen 
seconds, made by the fifths and other 
intervals which do not beat too rapidly 
to be counted, such a communication 
would confer an, obligation on one who 
is engaged in a work, in which the great- 
est deference will Le paid to experiment ; 
indeed, much greater than to the antho- 
rity of. writers; who appear not suffici- 
ently to have “attended to the distinc- 
tion of a temperament bearable on the 
piano-forte, yet. intolerable on the 
ergan.  Itis highly probable, that in lay- 
ing the temperament on an organ, as is 
commonly done, the tuner fs influericed 
neither by professional policy, professi- 
onal prejudice, nor mathematical igno- 
rance, but by the sound maxims of utility. 
No reich, C. 1, Suytu. 
April 9, 1810. 
‘ Sa 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
it Thad supposed that the hasty hints 
I threw out on the subject of the 
proper designation of the Swedish Pliny 
would have been honoured with the 
notice of the learned president of the 
Linnean society, £-should have endea- 
voured to give to my argument more ex- 
tension and precision. The defect of 
these I now wish to supply, by adverting 
to the arguments of Dr. Smith; which, 
though so strongly put, that at ‘the first 
glance almost, they persuaded me to his 
brations made by G, b A, A, and C, next 
above the foregoing notes, their several 
Fic ches when tuned a fifth, minor sixth, ma- 
jor sixth, and octave, Wage the tenor-chifC, 
each beirg a true or perfect concord respce- 
ivel theref 349 384 400 480 
tively: Ce ore 389. 240 240" and 3409 
or in their owest terms a7 GN) re are 
the pl itch- ratios of these four concoids or intere 
vais, asis well known to be the case by expe- 
yimenters on the lengths of vibrating 
eerings. ' 
_On the Name of the Great Swedish Botanist. 
[May 1, 
opinion, seemed on a review less plausible; 
and in the end, I still retain my couvic- 
tion,. that iene is the name which good 
manners require us, both in wnting and 
speaking, to give to the illustrious knight 
of the polar star. 
1 admit that the curious, and to me 
new fact, mentioned by Dr. Smith, rela- 
tive to the assumption of surnames by 
the Swedes, refutes, as to the letter, my 
argument built on the assertion which I 
have seen in some work whose ttle I 
cannot now recal, that in Sweden, the 
termination @us is deemed a mark of 
plebeian origin; yet. 1. must contend 
that Dr. Smith’s subsequent admission 
proves the validity of the argument as to 
its spirit. For if, at the time of ennobling 
Linné, it were the fashion in Sweden 
for the nobles tov have a French termi- 
nation to their names, it follows irresisti-+ 
bly, that not to have this mark of dis- — 
tinction was proof of plebeian blood; and 
consequently that in. Sweden, no man 
who did not mean to insult his learned 
countryman, would think of calling him 
Linnzus, after his new dignity was once 
announced. Accordingly, the Swedes 
then, and ever since, have called him by 
his new name Linné. Now it does not 
appear to me that we can excuse our- 
selves from following their example, as 
Dr. Smith seems to think, because the 
fashion:which led to this change of de- 
signation was absurd or temporary. As 
well might we object to give his name to 
the learned bishop of Carlisle, because 
probably his ancestors assumed the name 
of Goodenough from some anti-puri- 
tanical fashion, as absurd as the contrary 
fashion introduced by the members of 
the Long Parliament. As well might we 
resolve to cail Diilenius, Dzll, because 
his German ancestors were so called. 
Nor have we any thing to do with the 
barbarisms.of a Gothic or Latin prefix 
to a French termination. It is enough 
for us that the fashion did exist, and that 
the Swedes have not seen reason to 
abrogate the change of name to which it 
gave rise. Even if all other countries 
persisted in retaining the old denomina- 
tion, I do not think their practice would 
be any rule for us; for l conceive it ought 
to be a fixed axiom in every case where 
the prescription of centuries has not 
made the change impossible, ta revert to 
the precise vames which foreigners give 
to themselves, and to their towns, when 
these can be accurately ascertained. Not 
to do this, is to admit the propriety. of 
the barbarous manglings of the praper 
UAWEg 
