116 
fiarve a poor man in England; the fean- 
tinefs and leannefs of their catile, all 
con{pire to render the continual and 
healthful fubfiftence of a large army, to 
me, almoft miraculous. Accordingly, we 
find that the French do aétuaily fuffer 
great diltrefs, not merely from the rigors 
of the climate, but from a want of the 
neceffary fupply of provifions. ‘The Ruf- 
fians have manifefily the advantage in 
both thefe refpeéts: they are compara- 
tively in a mild climate, and have been 
habituated from childhood to the coarfe 
food they muft ufe in Poland: they are 
cafe-hardened, therefore, againft all con- 
tingencies of the country, but famine, 
The French, on the contrary, bred ina 
more favoured clime, have not merely 
ehemies in arms tocontend with. Their 
{outhern confiititions muft require time 
to adapt themfelves to their new circum- 
ftances, and have to repel the conftant 
attacks of phyfical hoftility. Fortunate- 
ly for them, the fpring is approaching, 
when we may expect more effective ope- 
rations. 
Spring, in Poland, is by far the moft 
agreeable feafon of the year; though 
her f{miling countenance borrows a por- 
tion of its charms frem its contraft with 
the ftern afpect of winter. No fooner 
is the face of the earth unveiled to the 
view of the fan, than vegctation pro- 
ceeds (as ufual in cold climates) with 
great rapidity. The forefis are foon co- 
vered with verdure. Not a’day pafled, 
but [involuntarily exclaimed, as I looked 
from the window, what a wouderful 
change! The air, too, is gentle and 
bland; and all is calm and peaceful, 
while nature is arraying herfelf in her 
fummer-robes. The progrels of ipring 
is gradual, and the more delightful oa 
that account. There is never a juxta- 
polition of the extremes of heat and 
cold, as in England. The Polifh fummer 
is hotter than the Englith: the thermo- 
meter is ufually at from 65 to 75°. ‘This 
is partly owing to the fandy foil, but 
chiefiy, no doubt, to the continental pofi- 
tion of the country. 
In pafiing through a fpot of ground, 
srecn with the rifing corn, or yellowing to- 
wards harveft; where the view is contined 
by the fkirtings of a foreit, and embellifled 
by its varied futiage ; though there is a 
total abfence of that collection -of ob- 
jects neceffary to con ftitute a picture, yct 
the traveller, from the general prolpect 
of plenty and of agreeable colours, is 
diipofed to be pleaied and fatished. But 
Mr. Pickbourn in Reply to Mr. Robinson. 
followmg meaning : 
_ Feb. 6, 1807, 
[March t, 
he proeeeds not far, before the appear- 
ance of fome miferable hovels deforms 
the fair fcene; or the fight of human 
beings, in the perfons of the wretched 
boors, the faint refemblances of men, 
inftantly breaks the charm of his ilufive 
reveries, 
a 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
IVE me leave to correct a miftake 
with which Lam errozeoufly char- 
ged by your correfpondent, Mr. Robin- 
fon, m your laft Magazine. He fays, 
p. 31,—To the paffage which was quoted 
from Bilhop Hare, Mr. P. has given the 
“ Accent gives a 
little addition to a long vowel, but the 
privation of accent does not occafion a 
long fyllable to become ‘fhort.” This 
fentence was not intended by me to 
convey the meaning of Bifhop Hare’s 
words, or to have any immediate con- 
nexion with them. What I faid upon 
the fubje¢t was expreffed in the following - 
words: The acute accent, according to 
the meaning of the Greek word oét<, 
conveys the idea of quicknefs; i. e. it 
hurries to give the found of a word, aid, 
by the ftrefs which it lays on one fylla- 
ble, occafions the next to it to be fhort- 
er, or lefs diftinétly heard, than it other- 
wife would be: fo that whatever time is 
added to the accented fyllabie, is de-- 
duéted from that which is next to it, 
This, I think, ts the true meaning of the 
pafiage quoted by Mr. R. from Bitfhop 
Hare. “Hime ufu venit ut fyllaba acute 
proxima pro correpta habeatur, brevior- 
que acuté videatur, etiam cum ipfa 
quoque brevis eft.” Thefe words may, I 
think, be literally tranflated thus: Hence 
it happens, that the fyllable next to the 
acuted (or accented) one is fuppofed to 
be thortened, and feems to be thorter 
than the acuted (or accented) one, even 
when that is fhort. Acwtus is a partici- 
ple from the verb acuo. Syllaba acuta, 
therefore, means a fharpened or accent- 
ed fyllable; and confequently, /yl/aba 
acute prexima muft mean the fyllable 
next to the accented one. Mr. R. icems 
to confider acute as a fubftantive, mean- 
ingacute accent. I de not recollect that 
T ever faw it ufed in that fenfe, or in- 
deed in any other than that of a parti- 
ciple or adjective. 
Tam, Sir, your’s, &c. 
Hackney,  * J, PickpourN, 
For 
