administration,in which he perfevered, that I can praife, I mot willingly praife, his adoption of the plan which Lord North, on the fuggeftion of Dr. Price, * and other able men in the other part of the Iland, loft the folid glory of adopting, the establishment of a Sinking Fund. But it is fit to justify whether the living or the dead, fo far as it can be done on fatis factory grounds, and efpecially when that juftification turns on principles of the utmost importance to the community in general.

None, I think, can fufpect the late Duke of Richmond of being led by prejudice, or any unbecoming motive, to ftand forth in fupport of the principle of univerfal fuffrage. That he yielded to clamour or abufe, or apprehenfion of the unfitncis of the times, and ceafed to fupport that, or fome comprehentive plan of parliamentary reform, feems more difficult to justify and much to be regretted. Trofton, Your's, &c. February 3, 1807. CAPEL LOFFT.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

AVING received an anonymous

and Tierces, by giving to every scale a more decided character. By thus encreafing the effect of modulation, former defects become useful ornaments, and prove that nature did not constitute these defects in vain.

5. That modulation would fail, if the new feales had not a decided difference of charafler, &c. &c.

My friend Dr. Clement Smith, of Riclunond, in Surry, thinks that the laft fentence in my former letter on this fubject, is rather ambiguous. I had not then time to explain fo fully my ineaning as I can now, and at the fame time am happy to answer the queries of Mr. A.

Every thinking mutician admits, that different fcales produce different effects, or, in other words have, what Lord Stanhope calls variety of character. This is a general termi, applicable not only to poetry, painting, and mufic; but even to inorals, politics, religion, &c. &c. &c.

In a mutical fenfe, it may be subdivided into three diftinct claffes, natural, orcheftral, and partitional, and perhaps a further Analytis may throw ftill further light on the fubjett.

1. By natural character, I mean that

1. Mr. A. fhews, that the third of the fcale of A with three tharps differs from that of the equal temperament, and that Mr. C.'s objections are unfounded.

2. That the dominants of the fame fcale are better, according to Lord Stanhope, than thofe of Kirnberger. This is fo evident, that it needs no comment.

3. That Mr. C. probably never heard the Stanhope fyftem of tuning, and therefore, I am happy to announce, both from Lord S. himfelf, and Mr. A. that Mr. Loefchman, No. 82, Newman-ftrect, is employed in the practical method abovementioned.

4. That Lord Stanhope divides and disposes the natural differences of Quints

In his Tract on Civil Liberty, during the American war.

the pitch, and confequently on the com pafs of the leading melody. This was by the ancient church writers termed Ambitus.

2. By orchestral character, I mean that brilliancy which arifes to the fcales with fharp fignatures, from the open strings of the violins, &c. in G, D, A, and E; while the flopped tonics and dominants of F, B flat, E flat, and A flat, are foft, &c.

3. By partitional character, I mean that more fully described by Lord Stanhope, at page 19, of his pamphlet; and upon which Mr. C. has fo curiously commented, as Mr. A. fo juftly obferves.

I have the fatisfaction of announcing, that Lord Stanhope himfelf, confiders this Analyfis as true, and philofophical; at the fame time we fhall be happy to receive any more complete ideas on the fubject.

For myfelf, individually, I can promife that no labour of refearch will be wanting on my part; and that I will take the utinoft care, that no prejudice, nor partial view of the fubject, thall, on any account, induce me to fhut my eyes against the light of truth. Your's, &c. Feb. 14, 1807, J. WALL CALLCOTT, 7, Upper Grosvenor-street.

For

For the Monthly Magazine. PARTICULARS of the PRESENT STATE of POLAND, by an ENGLISH GENTLEMAN, recently returned from that COUNTRY, after a RESIDENCE in it of

TWO YEARS.

THE foil of Poland, with the excep

&c. is almoft entirely of fand; or, if it varies, it is to a light loam, in which the fand greatly predominates. Hence its cultivation, in the manner it is there coudafted, is attended with little trouble and expence. We no where fee more than a ploughinan with his plough and a horle pair of small bullocks, not bigger than English fleers, to produce a fallow. There is fcarcely fuch a thing as manure to be feen, and the produce is proportionally finall. The average crop is fix to one of the quantity fown of thefe Ex parts, two only are calculated to go to market, the reft being appropriated to defraying the expences of cultivation, living, &c. The kilful farmer will inflantly difcover, that the agriculture of Poland is fufceptible of great improvement. It is but juft to acknowledge, however, that the Pruffian divifion exlubits various marks of increafed attention to this important object. I obfery ed that the lands, in a few inftances, begin to be enclosed: for, generally fpeaking, the whole country is without any enclofure; the ftones, which are of ten abondant, are collected into large heaps, in order to be conveyed away; and here and there is to be feen a fmall quantity of manure. The villages, too, are in fome places partially rebuilt, and the houses more firmly conftructed. In particular, the farm-houfe of a village towers more confpicuously above the reft, is fometimes built of brick, and white-walbed. There are inftances of this in Auftrian Poland, but they are far lefs frequent. The improvements in this divifion, though fome have unqueftionably taken place, are lefs obvious; and contift rather in the general benefits of greater fecurity arifing from the protection of a regular government.

The lands are commonly let out into famus; and in fome inftances farined by the proprietor, who is almost always a noble. The latter mode is rarely reforted to, except perhaps in refpect of a finall quantity of land lying contiguous to the country-feat of the poffeffor: for, as every thing muit be done by agents, thefe confume and even pilfer too large a MONTHLY MAG. No. 151.

number of villages within its circunference: for, as the population of Poland bears no fort of proportion to its vaft expantion, the first enquiry of a farmer about to contract for a farm is, how is it peopled? The population of the country is univerfally allowed to be very inadequate to the proper cultivation of the foil. I fhall give the reader a more accurate estimate of the average revenue of lands, by the following statement. The territory of a nobleman, the extent of which I had an opportunity of afcertaining with fome exactnefs, is about five thousand square miles; which produces an income of about 100,000 ducats, or 50,000l. fterling: this gives only 50l. a year for every twenty fquare miles.

Poland produces almost every species of grain, though wheat is the principal. Rye is alfo very abundant; for the bread of the peafantry confifts almost entirely of this grain. The general market is Dantzic, where farmers from the interior of the country refide, during the fummer, for fix weeks or two months together, or till they have fold the quantity of corn they have had conveyed thither. Heavy impofts, however, have been laid by the Pruffian government on all articles tranfported on the Viftula, Speaking of the navigation of this river, I ought not to forget the immenfe floats of timber which are feen every now and then moving flowly down the ftream: for the current is not rapid, except in the fpring. On thefe floats are conftructed finall cabins, which ferve for the habitation of the pilot, or floatman, during his long voyage. The ditch of the fortifications at Dantzic is fo ftuffed with pieces of timber, though not wattled together like the floats, that in fome places you may almoft crofs, ftepping from one to the other. The Dantzickers, expecting at this time a vifit from the French, muft have cleared their ditch.

The cattle are in general very fmall, and commonly very poor when killed for the table. Even at the beft houfes, the beef is frequently larded with bacon. The veal is fomewhat better. Mutton feems to be the moit rare: I have felP

dom

dom feen a flock of fheep. Not only the cattle in general, but the cows, are driven about in large herds in fuinmer, to collect a fcanty fuftenance among the ftubble. Hence, a Polish cow, from its diminutive fize and its feed, probably gives not more than a third of the milk yielded by an English cow. I have counted, forty, fifty, and even fixty cows, in thefe pafioral dairies. The chicefe is ufually poor and hard. The pigs fare in like manner, of which large droves are every where to be seen in the ftubble. The beft pafturage, exclufive of the plains, is found on the occasional green patches in the forefts. In winter, the cattle are ftalled, the ground being covered with fnow. Poultry abounds every where; obviously from the general abundance of corn.

The Polish horfes are alfo a fmall, but a hardy race. The horfes of the Huffars can be rarely, if ever, above fourteen hands high; but they are fpoken of in terms of high admiration as war-horfes, and, from their activity in performing the various military manoeuvres and evolutions, as more ferviceable than our heavy English horfes. The common poft-horfes too, though low, and ill-thaped to a high degree, will yet travel at a rate little inferior to that of our mail-coaches. English horfes are in great requeft; but though the nobles have fome good ones, it seems very clear that our jockeys contrive to impofe upon them many which were probably the refufe of the English markets. Scarcely a horfe of any defcription arrives in Poland, with out a cost of at least 2001. including the purchase-money and the expences of tranfportation. They have fome, indeed, of which the original purchasemoney was double that fum, or even

more.

Of wild animals, the roe-buck furnifles the most frequent article of food. When dreffed, its fleth is of a dark colour, like that of the hare, but more tender and favoury. It makes an admirable dith. There are hares, too, in fufficient abundance. Wild fowl is alfo plentiful.

The principal favage animals are wolves and wild boars, the hunting of which conflitutes a favourite diverfion with the Poles, during the winter. Both of these may be confidered as common, particularly the former; as a proof of which I may mention the following circumstances:-A horfe happened to die,

and the carcafe was dragged within the verge of a foreft, probably not more than a quarter of a mile from the ftable. Some perfons with guns lay in ambush, in the certainty that wolves would appear. Several came in a thort time; but the men unluckily miffed their mark on this occafion, and the animals were afterwards more cautious, though the carcafe foon disappeared, in all probability without much aid from dogs. Ou another occafion, a wolf had the audacity to enter a public houfe in the daythine; but as the house was fortunately crowded with peasants, they fucceeded in killing him. In very fevere winters, I was informed, that a whole pack of wolves will fometimes attack a carriage as it paffes through a foreft. The hortes are commonly the first and mott desired victims; though an anecdote, which commemorates the generous refolution of a fervant, proves that they occafion ally give this uncoveted preference to men. A gentleman was travelling, with his valet-de-chambre, in a fledge through a forest, when they were fuddenly attacked by a number of wolves, who leaped furioufly at the carriage. The fervant, who inftantly faw that one of them at least must be facrificed, exclaimed, Protect my wife and children; and inftantly leaped into the midst of them. His matter drove wildly on, and efcaped.

The kitchen-garden in Poland is not very abundantly furnished. Their din ners have commonly an inconfiderable proportion of vegetables. Potatoes are rare; and when produced, are ferved in flices, having been browned and batted under a roafting piece of meat. They eat cabbage only with boiled beef. It is always ill-boiled, and never looks nice. Carrots are alfo fometimes feen, and four-crout is not uncommon; but fallad-herbs conftitute the most frequent, and the most agreeable, vegetables both in winter and fummer. Upon the whole, there is a great deficiency of vegetable food at their meals; a deficiency which is fupplied by copious draughts of a light beer, which in a moderate quantity is wholefome enough, though perhaps not a very good fuccedaneum to English porter. There is alfo a weak Rheuifh wine, a fmall decanter of which is placed near each perfon, and which is always drunk mixed with water, which it flightly acidulates. The stronger wines are chiefly from Hungary, a red species of which diftantly refembles our port;

but

but the best fort is of a light colour. The highest price is not more than a thilling a bottle. This laft is frequently kept a great number of years. I have myfelf drunk wine of this fpecies, which had been kept a hundred years. It is then very strong; and no liquor can be more fine, mellow, and delicious. When new, it is fomewhat harth. The French wines, too, are not uncommon, though not in ordinary ufe. English bottledporter, likewife, is to be had in all the large towns, and even at the best publichoufes on the most frequented roads; at the high price, however, of about one and twenty pence a bottle, in English money; and, from having paffed the fea, it is commonly even of a fuperior flavour to bottled-porter in England.

The mott abundant fruits are perhaps rafpberries and ftrawberries. There are few apples or pears, and no cyder nor perry. The genuine liquors of the country are beer, and a fort of spirit refembling whifky more than any other spirit, and is ufually converted into a cordial by the infation of hot fpices. The beer met with at the public-houfes, is always fo weak and flat as to be fcarcely drinkable. The spirit is alfo wretched ftuff; but the liqueurs, which are common and of various forts, are very fine. On the roads we fometimes get a little mead, which is always very bad; as well as an ordinary French wine.

The climate of Poland, in the differeat feafons, paffes through a wide range of temperature. In the depth of win ter, the thermometer of Fahrenheit fluctuates between 16 and 24 degrees below the freezing point. I fpeak of a fituation about 70 English miles to the fouth-eaft of Warfaw, but the ftatement is alfo applicable, or nearly, to that city. The winter of the latter end of 1804, and the beginning of 1805, which I spent in Poland, was unufually long and fevere. It lafted for feven months; during fix of wluch, the whole face of the countryland, water, trees, and honfes-was completely covered with fhow. It is curious and wonderful to behold all nature thus literally a blanc-thus robed, fo many months, in a fheet of univerfal whiteness! If there be any wind, it blows Leenly, not forcibly, from the north or north-eaft; more commonly, it is perfertly fill, and fo clear, that one can aloft fee the cold; the fun, the while, pours lus glistening glory on the fubject how, impenetrable as a rock to his

beams. This is the fort of feafon which the Poles admire; this is the time for the diverfion of the fledge. In this weather, they will travel hundreds of miles, undaunted either by the cold or the wretched accommodations fometimes to be met with; and even with lefs ceremony than Englishmen occafionally make to travel a hundred miles, at the fame feafon of the year, in our mild climate. When on a journey, the fledges go at the rate of feventy or eighty miles a day; and often proceed by night, as well as by day. All forts of carriages are fo contrived as to be placed on fledges, as occafion requires. A feries of coaches, chariots, and other carriages thus fituated (as when a family travels), furnishes a very odd fpectacle to a perfon unnaccuftomed to fuch things; and what feems ftill more strange, is the very circumftance of meeting a number of handfome carriages, and genteel travellers in fuch a dreary wildernefs of froft and fnow as a Polith winter exhibits! The view of any traces of the elegant arts, or of any appearances of polifhed fociety, is fo little in unifon with furrounding objects, that it is like the effect of enchantment!

The winters moft dreaded by the Poles are rainy winters, or those in which rain alternates with froft. The roads, whether from the melting of the abun dant fnow, or from their being glazed with fubfequent froft, become almost impaffable. I myself witneffed the general thaw at the commencement of fpring; and can aver, without hazard of contradiction, that even Poland is at no time fo little defirable as a place of refidence. We are told, that during the prefent winter the rains have been continual. To me, who know what must be the phyfical condition of things in fuch a season, the grievous mortality which is faid to have afflicted the French army, can be matter neither of aftonishment nor doubt. Nor can I well conceive, how two fuch vaft armies as the Ruffian and French can be at all fubfifted in winter, for any length of time, in this wild region: at lealt, within fuch a distance of each other as to be capable of any extensive, and effective operations. They must fpeedily produce a famine throughout a circumference of space, a hundred miles diameter. The wretchednefs, and relative diftances of the towns and villages; the habitually coarfe and meagre fare of their inhabitants, fuch as would half

Barve

ftarve a poor man in England; the fcantinefs and leannefs of their cattle, all confpire to render the continual and healthful fubfiftence of a large army, to me, almoft miraculous. Accordingly, we find that the French do actually fuffer great diftrefs, not merely from the rigors of the climate, but from a want of the neceffary fupply of provifions. The Ruffans have manifeftly the advantage in both these refpects: they are comparatively in a mild climate, and have been

habituated from childhood to the coarse food they muft ufe in Poland: they are cafe-hardened, therefore, against all contingencies of the country, but famine. The French, on the contrary, bred in a more favoured clime, have not merely enemies in arms to contend with. Their fouthern conftitutions muft require time to adapt themselves to their new circumftances, and have to repel the conftant attacks of phyfical hoftility. Fortunately 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 fimiling countenance borrows a portion of its charms from its contraft with the fteru afpect of winter. No fooner is the face of the earth unveiled to the view of the fun, than vegetation proceeds (as ufual in cold climates) with great rapidity. The forefts are foon covered with verdure. Not a day paffed, but I involuntarily exclaimed, as I looked from the window, what a wonderful change! The air, too, is gentle and bland; and all is calm and peaceful, while nature is arraying herfelf in her fummer-robes. The progrefs of fpring is gradual, and the more delightful on that account. There is never a juxtapolition of the extremes of heat and cold, as in England. The Polifh fummer is hotter than the English: the thermometer is ufually at from 65 to 75°. This is partly owing to the fandy foil, but chiefly, no doubt, to the continental pofition of the country.

In paffing through a fpot of ground, green with the rifing corn, or yellowing towards harveft; where the view is confined by the fkirtings of a forest, and embellished by its varied foliage; though there is a total abfence of that collection of objects neceffary to conftitute a picture, yct the traveller, from the general profpect of plenty and of agreeable colours, is difpofed to be pleafed and fatisfied. But

he proceeds not far, before the appearance 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 illufive reveries.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

with which I am erroneously charged by your correfpondent, Mr. Robinfon, in your laft Magazine. He fays, p. 31,-To the paffage which was quoted from Bishop Hare, Mr. P. has given the following meaning: "Accent gives a little addition to a long vowel, but the privation of accent does not occation a long fyllable to become fhort." This fentence was not intended by me to convey the meaning of Bishop Hare's words, or to have any immediate connexion with them. What I faid upon the subject was expreffed in the following words: The acute accent, according to the meaning of the Greek word us, conveys the idea of quickness; i. e. it hurries to give the found of a word, and, by the ftrefs which it lays on one fyllable, occations the next to it to be fhorter, or lefs diftinctly heard, than it otherwife would be: fo that whatever time is added to the accented fyllable, is deducted from that which is next to it. This, I think, is the true meaning of the paffage quoted by Mr. R. from Bishop Ilare. "Hinc ufu venit ut fyllaba acuta proxima pro correptâ habeatur, breviorque acutâ 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 shorter than the acuted (or accented) one, even when that is fhort. Acutus is a partici ple from the verb acuo. Syllaba acuto, therefore, means a fharpened or accented fyllable; and confequently, fyllaba acute proxima muft mean the fyllable next to the accented one. Mr. R. feems to confider acute as a fubftantive, meaning acute accent. I do not recollect that I ever faw it ufed in that fenfe, or indeed in any other than that of a parti ciple or adjective.

IVE me leave to correct a mistake

J. PICKBOURN,

I am, Sir, your's, &c. Hackney, Feb. 6, 1807,

For