breast, Repaid his toils, and sooth'd his soul to rest : Thus o'er thy subject wave shalt thou behold Far happier realms their future charms unfold; In nobler pomp another Pisgah rise, Beneath whose foot thy new-found Canaan lies, There, rapt in vision, hail my favourite clime, And taste the blessings of remotest time." He ascends with Columbus to an eminence above the loftiest of the Pyrennees; and the Mount of Vision is pour trayed with the most expansive and magnificent efforts of poetical description: Led by the Power, the hero gained the height, New strength and brilliance flush'd his mortal sight, When calm before them flowed the western main, Far stretched, immense, a sky encircled plain : No sail, no isle, no cloud, invests the bound, Nor billowy surge disturbs the vast profound; Till, deep in distant heavens, the sun's blue ray Topt unknown cliffs, and called them up to day; Slow glimmering into sight, wide regions drew, And rose and brighten'd to the expanding view; Fair sweep the waves, the lessening ocean smiles In misty radiance loom a thousand isles, Near and more near, the long-drawn coasts arise, Bays stretch their arms, and mountains lift the skies; The lakes high-mounded point the streams their way, Slopes, ridges, plains, their spreading skirts display, The vales branch forth, high walk the ap proaching groves, And all the majesty of Nature moves." In Hesper, by the exertion of his supernal power, presents to the eyes-of Columbus the whole of the vast and diversified extent of the northern and southern regions of America, which are depicted through the medium of her guardian deity, with an incomparable felicity and grandeur of poetic expression. I would select the descriptions of the Lakes Erie and Superior, the rivers Maragnon, Laurence, and Missisippi, as the most resplendent instances of the facility and gigantic energies of Mr. Barlow's muse. his delineation of those noble streams, there is a bold and surging tide of verse, strongly imitative of the swelling waves and resistless current of the ocean, like rivers of the New World, and which will not suffer in competition with the sublimest efforts of any poet with whom we are acquainted (not excepting Milton,) from the remotest ages of antiquity to the present period: its length will not admit of insertion; but in the ensuing papers upon this beautiful production, L shall indulge myself in the transcription of such passages as appear to form conspicuous features in the general plan. of the poem. In the mean time, the apostrophe from the illustrious Drake, and the rapturous address of Columbus to Hesper, in which, prompted by a burst of enthusiasm on the view of the straits of Magellan, and recalling to memory his long and fondly-cherished idea of the existence of a western passage to the shores of India, he beseeches Hesper to restore the vigour of his youth, and shelter him from the rage of tyranny, in some of the delightful and yet undiscovered countries of the new continent, are too interesting not to claim the immediate attention of your readers. "Where the cold circles gird the southern sky, Brave Magellan's wild channel caught his eye; The long cleft-ridges walled the spreading way That gleams far westward to an unknown TH HERE are few instruments of greater practical utility than the common sliding rules, for calculations of all kinds, and particularly such as daily occur to almost every individual, engaged either in business or study. This induces me to offer to the readers of your Magazine, a mode of expressing the universal formula for ing this instrument, which for several years to be misunderstood by any person who I have practised, and found impossible is in the least degree acquainted with the first rules of arithmetic. Considering the accuracy and great expedition of these calculations, I am much surprised that they are not more fre quently employed, and can only account for it from the supposed difficulty in learn. ing the method of using the rule. It cannot be denied, by those who have tried to calculate by the directions commonly given, that a good degree of perseverance is requisite to follow them; whereas nothing is more easy when shown upon the rule itself. The method then which I practise is, to represent in a simple manner, a picture of those lines upon the rule (or their relative position) which are immediately concerned in the operation, with the respective figures and quantities belonging to the question: and this is a tolerably good substitute for the actual rule. The only difficulty remaining to a person not at present acquainted with the use of the slide-rule is, learning to read the divisions upon the different lines of the rule; and which may be very soon surmounted by any person that will take the trouble to look at a common slide-rule. In general there are four divided lines upon the cominon rules, 'two upon the stock and two upon the slide; and for distinguishing them they are marked at the end with the letters A, B, C, D. I shall presume that the learner is able be learnt by almost all the common treato read the divisions; for if not, they may tises on that instrument. It remains only to exhibit a few for. mulæ, with examples, to make the subject plain. Multiplication 3s. Ansr. B If 112lb. cost 8s. what 8 will 42lb. cost? Wishing to allow the subject to appear to be simple, as it really is, I will not at this time create any alarin by introducing cases in the higher parts of arithmetic; but should this introduction prove acceptable, I will furnish you with a number of highly-useful formulæ, suited to the particular practice of various classes, such as retailers of goods of all descriptions, mechanics and artizans in most branches, merchants and clerks in public offices, engineers civil and military, &c. &c. Leighton, January 21, 1810. Your's, &c. B. BEVAN. For the Monthly Magazine. MR. WRIGHT'S NEW M INFLEXION. THEORY OF (Continued from p. 40.) ATHEMATICAL calculations of the proportions and differences of the lengths of vibrations, and of their acuteness or gravity of sound, afford an interesting field for the speculative enquiry of students in elocution. We are informed by those who have written on the fundamental principle, or acoustical branch of 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. We are also 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 bodies which give a tuneable sound. But there still remains in this pursuit, abundance of theorem for the elementary enquirer: and though, in our progress, which the limited faculties of man can an infinite variety of objects may appear, persevering industry on our part will so never hope to reach or comprehend, improve the stock of knowledge which rational study will be most amply repaid. we have already in our possession, that laid down, on the theory of inflexion, The principle which we have already appears to coincide with the opinions of the most scientific, who have written on the philosophy of music. In the Augus tan age, that great era of classical purity and elegance, it was supposed, that the speaking voice of man was limited in compass; and Dionysius of Halicarnassus insinuated, that the distance of three notes and a half, above and below the key-note, comprised the specific tones of the human mind. I believe the moderns every passion that could possibly agitate have not controverted this opinion; but it is presumed, that the proofs which ing exactly with the demonstrations of were advanced in our last essay, agreeclearly confute the idea.-But to prothe measures of musical phænomena, ceed. Having noticed the musical sound rising and the falling inflexion, it remains or monotone, and also spoken of the fications of voice, called circumflexes. pronounce the far greater part of their : * Walker's Elements of Elocution, p. 183 Scotch. The student will take notice of the propriety of distinguishing these turns of voice, by the names affixed to the examples. The circumflex A in the first example, falls a fifth, and, in returning, the voice does not ascend above the key note: and, vice versa, the circumflex B in the same example, rises a fifth, and, in returning, it does not descend below the key-note. To form the cadence, the circumflexes must be reversed, as in the second example. Our initial proposition is somewhat Supported by two observations in the learned work of the Rev. James Adams. Speaking of the dialect of the Scots, he says, every word has some peculiar twang, or twist, discordant with received classical English sounds." "The IrishEnglish," the same gentleman observes, "may be said to be chiefly confined-to the singular tone, or false rise and fall of voice, approaching to the note of restrained interrogation." These peculiar turns of voice are given to the pronunciation of certain words in oblique phraseology, wherein more is understood than the mere words scem to express. Tropes of this class convey their meaning either by the known acceptation of the nature of the persons or things to which they are applied, by the mode of pronunciation, or by eduction from the context. If the following series be pronounced according to the marked words, and accompanied with a sneering smile, the student will discern more satisfactorily the true nature of circumflexes. "There is no doubt of it; thy integrity got thee absôived; thy môdesty drew thee out of danger; and the rising circumflex innocency of thy past life saved thee." This form of phraseology may be consi dered peculiarly characteristic of the Scottish people; and if, in the foregoing example, the words "doubt, absolved, modesty, innocency, past, and saved," were marked the same as the rest of the accented words, viz. with the falling circumflex instead of the rising circumflex, we should then have an instance of the turn of voice in their pronunciation. The following is an instance of the turn of voice in the Irish pronunciation: "Good morrow my pretty fellow; upon my word thou hast acquitted thyself very handsomely." Better pronounced thus: "Good morrow my pretty fellow; thou hast acquitted thyself very handsomely." By the circumflex, the contrary is under stood. I SIR, To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. INF N an extract which I lately read from Fischer's Picture of Valencia," I observed an account of a remedy for that most dreadful of human maladies, the hydrophobia; which ought to be more generally known, as it never failed of producing the desired effect when admi nistered in time. It is composed of seaholly, viper's bugloss, and Cretan balm.The plants are taken when they are beginning to run to seed, and hung in the shade till all their humidity is evaporated. On this each is separately pounded, the pow der is passed through a hair sieve, mixed in equal parts, and put away in wellcorked bottles. It is to be observed, that none of the roots must be employed, except those of the sea-holly, which pos sess very great strength. book, I may not be as satisfactory on this SIR, A. AM disposed to think that the process for preparing aromatic vinegars, recommended by Mr. I, in one of your late Magazines, is not so cheap nor so effective a method as the author has stated. If chalk be added to common vinegar, in small quantities, taking care to stir the vinegar upon every addition, and no more chalk be employed than is just sufficient to destroy the acidity of the vine gar, little or no sediment will be formed, chalk being for the most part readily soluble in this acid. The white matter, To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. therefore, that is found in the liquor prepared according to Mr. I- -'s process, can only be the chalk that has been added in excess, or that was more than salicient to destroy the acidity of the vinegar. If this white matter, by being treated with oil of vitriol, is found to afford aromatic vinegar, the vinegar can be produced from the small quantity of acetate of lime only, left in it after the supernatant liquor has been decanted; for if this sediment be well washed, it will be found to consist of mere chalk, and with sulphuric, to afford nothing but carbonic acid. The decanted liquor, so far from being “insipid," possesses a very marked taste, leaving a very unpleasant sensation of bitterness in the mouth. The usual method of purifying rooms, with a mixture of common salt, oil of vitriol, and manganese, is not only cheaper but more expeditious, and bet. ter calculated to produce the required effect, than the process recommended by Mr. I The fumes of muriatic acid are more elastic, and more readily diffuse themselves, than vinegar in the state of vapor; besides, they are more active in destroying the principle of contagion. Bristol. Your's, &c. E. T. I. OOKING a few days ago, by way of amusement, into John Stowe's Chronicle, Edinburgh, 1573, year 1464, I was much struck with the following, which now literally copy: "Shepe transported into Spain.-This yere King Edward gave a licence to pas over certein Cotteswolde shepe into Spain, by reason whereof, it has come to pass, at this day, that the staple of wolls, of Spain, kept at Brydges, in Flanders, is so great that our staple is nothing comparable to it." From which it appears, that the wool which we have for centuries imported from Spain, and upon which our finest fabrics of woollen are manufactured, is the produce of sheep originally bred in our own country. It appears to me, therefore, worthy of enquiry, whether the Cotteswold breed has degenerated, and from what cause whether the breed of 1464 is extincthow it was improved in Spain, and still holds its value above British wool, in countries whose agricultural improvements have not kept pace with ours; and how far it is possible to produce the finest wool in this country, without the importation |