used simply, is supplied by i, and, where as a diphthong, by two vowels; that letter is therefore omitted as useless. The jod j is also omitted, its sound being supplied by the new letter fi, ish, which serves other purposes, assisting in the formation of other sounds; thus the fi with a d before it gives the sound of the jod j and soft g, as in "James, January, giant, gentle," "dfieems, dhanueri, dfiyiant, dfientel"; with a t before it, it gives the sound of ch, as in "cherry, chip," "tfieri, tfiip"; and, with a z before it, the French sound of the jod j, as in "jamais," "zhame."

Thus the g has no longer two different sounds, which occasioned confusion, but is, as every letter ought to be, confined to one. The same is to be observed in all the letters, vowels, and consonants, that wherever they are met with, or in whatever company, their sound is always the same. It is also intended, that there be no superfluous letters used in spelling; that is, no letter that is not sounded; and this alphabet, by six new letters, provides, that there be no distinct sounds in the lan-guage without letters to express them. As to the difference between short and long vowels, it is naturally expressed by a single vowel where short, a double one where long; as for "mend," write "mend," but for "remain'd," write "remeen'd;" for "did," write "did," but for "deed," write "diid," &c.

What in our common alphabet is supposed the third vowel, i, as we sound it, is as a diphthong, consisting of two of our vowels joined; viz. y as sounded in "unto,” and i in its true sound. Any one will be sensible of this, who sounds those two vowels yi quick after each other; the sound begins y and ends ii. The true sound of the i is that we now give to e in the words "deed, keep-?

*The copy, from which this is printed, ends in the same abrupt way

EXAMPLES.*

So huen sym endfiel, byi divyin kamand,
Uih ryizin tempests feeks e gilti land,
(Syth az av leet or peel Britania past,)
Kalm and siriin hi dryivs hi fiuriųs blast;
And, pliiz'd h' almyitis ardyrs tu pyrfarm,
Ryids in hi huyrluind and dyirekts hi starm.

So hi piur limpid striim, huen faul uih steens
av ryfiy tarents and disendig reens,
Uyrks itself kliir; and az it runs rifyins;
Til byi digriis, hi flotiy miryr hyins,
Riflekts ith flaur hat an its bardyr groz,
And e nu hev'n in its feer byzym fioz.

FROM MISS MARY STEVENSON TO B. FRANKLIN.

Kensintyn, 26 Septembyr, 1768.

Dür Syr, yi hav transkrчib'd iur alfabet, &c., huitfi yi hink myit bi av syrvis tu hoz, hu uifi to akuyir an akiuret pronynsiefyn, if hat kuld bi fiks'd; byt yi si meni inkanviiniensis, az uel az difikyltis, hat uuld atend hi brinin iur letyrs and arhagrafi intu kamyn ius. aal aur etimalodfiiz uuld be last, kansikuentli ui kuld nat asyrteen hi miiniŋ av meni uyrds; hi distinkfyn, tu, bituiin uyrds cav difчrent miinin and similar saund wuld bi iusles, ynles ui liviy rчiters publifi nu

with the above, followed by a considerable blank space; so that more perhaps was intended to be added by our author. — B. V.

idifyns. In fart yi biliiv ui myst let piipil spel an in heer old ue, and (az ui fiind it üsiiest) du hi seem aurselves. With ease and with sincerity I can, in the old way, subscribe myself,

Dear Sir,

Your faithful and affectionate servant,

M. S.

TO MISS MARY STEVENSON.

Diir Madam,

hi abdfiekfyn iu meek to rektifyiŋ aur alfabet, "hat it uil bi atended uih inkanviniensiz and difikyltiz," iz e natural uyn; far it aluaz akyrz huen eni refarmefyn is propozed; huehyr in rilidfiyn, gyvernment, laz, and iven daun az lo az rods and huil karidfiz. hi tru kuestfyn hen, is nat huchyr haer uil bi no difikultiz ar inkanviniensiz, byt huehyr hi difikyltiz mê nat bi syrmaunted; and huehyr hi kanviniensiz uil nat, an hi huol, bi grétyr han hi inkanviniensiz. In his kes, hi difikyltiz er onli in hi biginiŋ av hi praktis; huen hê er uyns ovyrkym, hi advantedfiez er lastig.— To чihyr iu ar mi, hu spel uel in hi prezent mod, yi imadfiin hi difikylti av thiendfiiŋ hat mod far hi nu, iz nat so grêt, byt hat ui myit Az to noz pyrfektli git ovyr it in a uiiks ryitin. hu du nat spel uel, if hi tu difikyltiz er kympêrd, viz. hat av tithiin hem tru spelin in hi prezent mod, and hat av tithiin hem hi nu alfabet and hi nu spelin akardin to it, yi am kanfident hat hi latys uuld bi byi far hi liist. hê natyrali fal into hi nu mehyd alreadi, az mytfi az hi imperfekfyn av her alfabet uil admit av; her prezent bad speliy iz onli bad,

VOL. VI.

Ꮓ

bikaz kantreri to hi prezent bad ruls; yndyr hi nu ruls it uuld bi gud. —hi difikylti av lyrniy to spel uel in hi old uê iz so grêt, hat fiu atên it; hauzands and hauzands ryitiy an to old edfi, uihaut ever büy ebil to akuyir it. 'T iz, bisyidz, e difikylti kantinuali inkriisiŋ, az hi saund graduali veriz mor and mor fram hi spelin; and to farenyrs* it mêks hi lyrniŋ to pronauns aur layuedfi, az riten in aur buks, almost impasibil.

Nau az to "hi inkanviniensiz" iu menfiyn. —hi fyrst iz, hat "aal aur etimalodfiiz uuld be last, kansikuentli ui kuld nat asyrteen hi miniy av meni uyrds." - Etimalodfiiz er at prezent veri ynsyrteen; byt syth az hê er, hi old buks uuld stil prizųrv hem, and etimolodfiists uuld her find hem. Uyrds in hi kors av tyim, thiendfi her miiniys, az uel az her speliy and pronynsiefiyn; and ui du nat luk to etimalodfii far her prezent miiniys. If yr fuld kal e man e neev and e vilen, hi uuld hardli bi satisfyid uih myi teliy him, hat uyn av hi uyrds oridfiinali signifyid onli e lad ar syrvant; and hi чhyr, an yndyr plauman, ar hi inhabitant av e viledfi. It iz fram prezent iusedfi onli, hi miiniy av uyrds iz to bi dityrmined.

Iur sekynd inkanviniens iz, hat "hi distinkfyn bituiin uyrds av difurent miinig and similar saund uuld bi distrayid." —hat distinkfyn iz alreadi distrayid in pronaunsiy hem; and ui rilyi an hi sens alon av hi sentens to asyrteen, huitfi av hi several uyrds, similar in saund, ui intend. If his iz syfifient

* Dr. Franklin used to lay some little stress on this circumstance, when he occasionally spoke on the subject. "A dictionary, formed on this model, would have been serviceable to him, he said, even as an American;" because, from the want of public examples of pronunciation in his own country, it was often difficult to learn the proper sound of certain words, which occurred very frequently in our English writings, and which of course every American very well understood as to their meaning. — B. V.

1

in hi rapiditi av diskors, it uil bi mutfi mor so in riten sentenses, huitfi mê bi red lezfuurli, and atended to mor partikularli in kes av difikylti, han ui kan atend to e past sentens, huчil e spikyr iz hyryiŋ ys alaŋ uih mu uįns.

Iur hyrd inkanviniens iz, hat "aal hi buks alredi riten uuld bi iusles."—his inkanviniens uuld onli kym an graduali, in e kors av edfies. Iu and yi, and чhyr nau liviŋ ridyrs, uuld hardli farget hi ius av hem. Pupil uuld log lyrn to rid hi old ryitin, ho he praktist hi nu. And hi inkanviniens iz nat greter, han huat hes aktuali hapend in a similar kes, in Iteli. Farmerli its inhabitants aal spok and rot Latin; az hi layuedfi thendfid, hi speliy falo'd it. It iz tru hat, at prezent, e miir ynlern'd Italien kanat rid hi Latin buks; ho hé er stil red and yndyrstud byi meni. But, if hi speliy had nevyr bin tfiendfied, hi uuld nau hev faund it myth mor difikylt to riid and ryit hiz on layuadfi; far riten uyrds uuld hev had no rilefiyn to saunds, he uuld onli hev stud far hins; so hat if hi uuld ekspres in ryitiŋ hi чidia hi hez, huen hi saunds hi uyrd Vescovo, hi myst iuz hi letterz Episcopus. — In fiart, huatever hi difikylliz and inkanviniensiz nau er, hê uil bi mor üzili syrmaunted nau, han hiraftyr; and sym tyim ar чhyr, it myst bi dyn; ar aur rчiliŋ uil bikym hi sêm uïh hi Thiyiniiz,* az to hi difikylti av lyrniy and iuzing it. And it uuld alredi hev bin sytfi, if ui had kantinud hi Saksyn speliŋ and ryitiŋ, iuzed byi our forfahers.

yi am, myi diir frind, iurs afekfiymetli, B. FRANKLIN.

Lyndyn,

Kreven-striit, Sept. 28, 1768.

* Chinese.