spect to gravity or acuteness of sound. These inflections of the voice, however, seem to affect sentences rather than single words. Accent appears to be the most unstable part of the English language. We can all remember words differently accented from the present practice; and many might be collected which still are fluctuating with their accent unsettled.

Advertise.

Wherein he might the king his lord advertise.

As I by friends am well advertised.

Ibid.

Shakspeare.

Hence advértisement is the ancient accentuation.
My griefs are louder than advertisement.

Ibid.

Co'njure, in the sense of to enjoin solemnly.

O Prince! I conjure thee, as thou believest
There is another comfort than this world.
Shaks. Meas. for Meas.

Among foreign modern languages, the general character of the accentuation in the Italian, the Spanish, and the modern Greek, is the same as in the English. In all these, and I believe I might add the Portuguese, the German, and those of the same origin with the German, one syllable, of every two or more in one word, is made eminent by its tone. We are well assured that, so far at least, the accentuation of the ancient Greek and Latin, agreed with that of these modern languages. It may be important then to observe, on account of the more extensive familiarity with the French than with any other foreign speech, in our country, and still much more throughout Europe, particularly on the continent, that the French language differs in this from all others. The French grammarians and critics universally hold, that no syllable of any word in their language is entitled to any characteristical accent. It is not here meant, that no syllable, in French polysyllabical words, is ever, in proper French pronunciation, made eminent by force of utterance; but only that no one syllable is, in French, as in the other European languages, constantly entitled to such preeminence. Hence a consequence, obvious to those who have had any opportunity for observation is, that the accentuation of all the other European languages has peculiar difficulties for the French people. That of our own, in particular, little among the difficulties for an Italian learning our speech, is to a Frenchman, after boyhood, in general unattainable. The French are, above all other foreigners, distinguished among us, by what is commonly called, and properly enough, a foreign accent.

In some languages, different accentual marks regulate not only the tone or modulation of the voice, but also supply the place of our sentential stops.

The Greeks have three grammatical accents, viz. the acute accent (') which shows the tone of the voice is to be raised; the grave accent () which marks a depression of voice; and the circumflex accent (^or^) which is composed of both the acute and the grave, and points out a kind of undulation of the voice. The Latins have made the same use of these three accents. The Hebrews have a grammatical, a rhetorical, and a musical accent, placed sometimes above and sometimes below the syllable; thus serving not only to regulate the risings and fallings of the voice, but to distinguish the sections and periods in a discourse, and to answer the same purposes with the points in other languages. The tonic accents are essentially necessary to the Jews, as they may be said to sing, rather than to read their language.

The use of accents is remarkable in some of the eastern languages, particularly the Siamese and the Chinese. Among the people of China every word, or, what is the same thing syllable, admits of five accents;

and thus stands for many different things. The union of the two letters, ya, according to the accent fixed on them, signifies God, a wall, excellent, stupidity, and a goose. Their talking is a kind of music or singing. Hence the great difficulty of their language to foreigners. If they deviate ever so little from the true accent, they say quite a different thing from what was intended. Thus, meaning to compliment the person you are talking to, with the title of sir, you call him a beast, with the same word, only a little varied in the tone.

The Siamese have also a great variety of accent.

But the English, having no more than one accent, have only one mark in writing to point it out, viz. the acute accent of the Greeks (') which is universally adopted.

Accent is either principal or secondary.

The principal accent is that which necessarily distinguishes one syllable in a word from the rest. The secondary accent is that which we may occasionally place on another syllable besides that which has the principal accent, in order to pronounce every part of the word more distinctly, forcibly, and harmoniously: thus privateer, domineer, caravan, have an accent on the first, as well as on the last syllable, though a somewhat less forcible one. The same may be observed of violin, repartee, complaisant, referee, &c.

In accenting words, care should be taken to avoid all affected deviations from common usage. There is the greatest occasion for this precaution, as a rule has been arbitrarily and injudiciously introduced upon this subject by some superficial orthoëpists, which has no foundation either in the structure of the English language, or in the principles of harmony, viz. that in words consisting of more than two syllables, the accent should be thrown as far back as possible. This rule has occasioned much pedantic and irregular pronunciation, and has perhaps introduced all the uncertainty which attends the accentuation of several English words.

Accent generally dwells with greatest force and propriety, on that part of the word, which from its importance, the hearer has always the greatest occasion to observe; and this is necessarily the root or body of the word. But, as harmony of termination frequently attracts the accent from the root to the branches of the word, so the first and most natural law of accentuation seems to operate less in fixing the accent than any other. Accent seems to be regulated in a great measure by etymology, and a regard to the classical laws of the different languages from which words are derived. In words of the Saxon, the accent is generally on the root: in words from the learned languages, particu larly the Latin and Greek, of which there are many, it is generally on the termination. And if to these we add the different accents we lay on VOL. 1. 3 д

some words, to distinguish them from others, we seem to have three great principles of accentuation; the radical, the terminational, and the distinctive: the radical, as love, lovely, lóveliness; the terminational, as harmony', harmoníous; the distinctive, as a convert, to convért.

Dissyllables have necessarily one of them accented, and but one. The word Amen, is the only word which is pronounced with two accents, when alone. Dissyllables formed by affixing a termination, have generally the former syllable accented, as childish, faírer, kingdom.

Dissyllables formed by prefixing a syllable to the radical word, have commonly the accent on the latter; as to return, to besee'm.

Dissyllables, which have two vowels that are separated in the pronunciation, have always the accent on the first syllable; as Kon, rúin, ríot, except the word create.

As words increase in syllables the more easily is their accent known. Trisyllables formed by adding a termination, or prefixing a syllable, retain the accent of the radical word; as, lóveliness, ténderness, contémner, cómmenting, comménding, assúrance.

Trisyllables which have in the middle syllable a diphthong, as endeavour, or a vowel before two consonants, as doméstic, accent the middle syllable.

Trisyllables which have the accent on the last syllable, are commonly French, as magazíne, reparteé, acquiésce; or they are words, formed by prefixing one or two syllables to a short syllable; as, immatúre, overcharge.

When the true accent of dissyllables is known, those polysyllables, whose terminations are perfectly English, have likewise their accent invariably settled.

These rules respecting accent, are a few of the most essential; others may be obtained from Lowth, Johnson, Murray, Walker, and other writers upon grammar.

Of accent, as well as of spelling, and of idiom, there is a standard in every polite nation; and in all these particulars, the example of approved authors, and the practice of those, who by their rank, education, and way of life, have had the best opportunities to know men and manners, and domestic and foreign literature, ought undoubtedly to possess considerable influence. Hence that accent and that pronunciation is generally in every country accounted the best, which is used in the metropolis, by the most polite and learned persons. Yet every language has some peculiar, essential, general rules. For the Latin those rules were very few and simple; for the Greek more various. The accentuation of English speech also is not without its laws, of which Dr. Samuel Johnson, in his grammar prefixed to his dictionary.

has given a collection, in which, however, there prevails a consideraable degree of irregularity.

The fluctuation of our language, both with respect to the significa tion of words and the accentuation of them, is a subject of general and just lamentation. Frequent and strenuous exertions have been made to correct this evil, but they have hitherto proved ineffectual. It should, however, always be considered by classical scholars and literary men as an indispensable duty to oppose such innovations as violate the prosody, and consequently destroy the harmony of our best poets, who should always be considered as an authority sufficiently high to be appealed to as a standard.

The foregoing observations upon that important principle of correct pronunciation, Accent, have engaged so much of your time and attention this evening, that I must reserve those upon emphasis as the sub ject of my next lecture.

SMITH'S NARRATIVE.

The capture of Major Andre was an event so important in the American evolution, and his fate was so generously deplored even by his enemies, that every account of the transaction which led to it, must be interesting. The following notice of a new work on this subject, which we extract from a late British Review, will, therefore, be read with interest, making proper allowances for the opinions, prejudices and situation of Mr. Smith.

An authentic Narrative of the causes which led to the death of major Andre, adjutant-general of his majesty's forces in North America. By Joshua Hett Smith, Esq. counsellor at law, late member of the convention of the state of New-York. To which is added, a Monody on the death of major Andre. By Miss Seward.

THE author of this narrative was supposed by the Americans to have been an agent of general Arnold, and upon the apprehension of major Andre, and the escape of Arnold, was arrested and tried on a charge of treason. Circumstances, no doubt, were strongly against him; but, if we credit this relation, and we can see no reason for disputing the author's veracity, he was very innocently engaged in the communications between Andre and the American general. Of this,