192 
truth of this ftrange ftory,. itris enovgh to 
obferve, that Sir Francis Drake died at 
fea, near the Eithmus of Darien, in 1596 3 
and that no adventure in the leat reie:mn- 
bling this, is mentioned by his biogra- 
phers. It would, however, be gratifying 
to curiofiiy to know what could be the 
foundation of fuch a tale, and whether any 
ether Engh navigator is recorded toh:ve 
met with any fimilar difafter, Allow me 
to throw this engniry before your intelli- 
gent readers. Jam. Su, 
Your's, &c. N.N. 
P. § In Smollet’s “* Roderic Random,” 
one of the fea characters ufes the phrafe, in 
relation to a dying man, ‘* His anchor’s a- 
peak, the Jand-crabs will have bim.’ . Could 
the ftory have rifen from a miftake in apply- 
ing a phrafe of this kind ? 
a 
To the Editor of the Mouthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
S I find chat the note in page 327 
.-of your Magazine o! the ft of May, 
has been m fundertioad, in as far as it ie- 
fpects Mr. Romeuf, one of the aides-de- 
camp of M. De la Fayette; it feems pro- 
per to obferve, that I am convinced M. 
De Mouftier ailuded’ enly to the conduct 
of that young officer, in his public capa- 
city, in executing the o:ders of bis mili- 
tary fuperior, and refitting thofe. of the 
King, and not to any peculiar indelicacy 
im his manner of executing thofe orders, 
ner to any part of his depurtinent in pri- 
vate life. 
I have reafen to beleve alfo, that, M. 
De Mouftier was miftzken in deferibing 
the Count De Ferfen (page 322, cyl.i2.) 
as minifier frony Sweden: that gentleman 
being then only colon-l of a Swedifh re- 
giment in the Freneh fervice. 
Londn, I am,.. Sir, &e. 
Sept. 12, 1804. Joun DouGaLu. 
EE 
To the Editor of the Meuthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
\ N old admirer of the Monthly Ma- 
gazine wifhes the Editor’s nume- 
rovs corefioncents would infirm him, 
whether Oliver Cromwell coined filver 
halfpence? Jt he did, what value is now 
attached to them? As he has feen a 
fmaail coin, half the fize of the filver penny 
of the Protector, with St. George's Crofs 
on ore fide, and the Irifh Harp on the re- 
verfe, faid to be his Lalfpenny; which 
ccin has bcen in the poflefiion of a refpect- 
able family for more than a ceatury. 
> A neigabouring gentleman has a fhil- 
Jing (with a full face) cf Edward the 
~ 
Explanation—Queries. 
[0&1, 
Sixth 5 alfo, a fixpence of Mary the 
Firft, an admirable impreffion. What 
may thei value be now eftimated at? 
The fame perfon has a filver medal, (date 
1537,) larger than a crown-piece, cait in 
fand, in high prefervation ; reprefenting, 
on one fide, Abraham offering up Ifaac ; 
and, on the reverfe, the Crucifixion. This 
was cug out of the rubbifh, near Clepfton- 
Caitle, and is fuppofed to 5e an anique. 
By any uvotice refpecting thefe coins from 
your learned correfpondents, a favour will 
be con‘erred on your conftant friend, 
Aug. 9, 1804. ARCHAOLOGUS. 
N. B. The writer has the common penny 
of the Proteétor. 
= . 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
ILL ary of your philological cor- 
re{poncents do me the favour to 
inform me, what authority can be alleged 
for the introdu@ticn of the found of y be- 
fore uw long, or the dipthong ew, when 
following aconforant in the fame fyllable ; 
as in duke (dyuke), new (nyew), &c.? 
This prastice is, I believe, almoft univer-= 
fally upheld in ove of our depa:tmenis of 
puolic crato'y, (the tage). Quere.—How 
do fuch gen-lemen pronounce Few and 
ruin?’ Y¥athe courts of law, on the con- 
trary, I have very lately cbferved the 
prefent Chancellor pronounce duke, dooke. 
We have, indeed, fezw and cure, and a 
very numcrous clafs of words in which 
this found is indiftputably efiablithed ; but 
certainly nothing can be lefs de-fenfible, 
or would lead to more ridiculous confe- 
quences in praétee, than pupdving analogy 
alone, in a point fo extreme y ureoular as 
that of pronounciation. I aétually know 
at this time a perfon who always talks of 
dure, and flure, and cullum, (door, and 
Jbor, and column,) because we have fool 
and colour; and qguerrel, I fuppofe, be. 
caufe, forfoth, the French is querelle. 
I write this haftily ; but I fhould like to 
fee the fubject difcuffed by fome of your 
ingenious correfpondents. I beg to tub. 
mit, whether ir is deciced from any writ« 
ten authority, by precept; and whether 
in its nature it admits of being decided 
-by any written authority (either profe or 
poetry) by example? | 
On the ftage I alfo obferve the word 
kind pronounced kyind. Yn the name of 
criticiim, what is the rule for this?—-Do 
thefe reformers know tuat a numerous 
clafs of the populace pronounce the word 
lever, lovyer ? 
=: 
Ta 
