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I have known sheriffs and constables sell goods at auction, 'said Horace; are they regularly appointed auctioneers?

True, my son, replied Mr. Brown, they do frequently sell prop erty at auction, and yet they are not regularly appointed auctioneers; nor need they such an appointment, for there is a list of goods and property of various kinds which pay no duty, and therefore may be sold by any citizen of the state.

What are the powers of the auctioneer? inquired Philo; for I suppose he must be vested with some power.

He has power to appoint a deputy in case of his own inability to sell; and he has power to charge for his compensation, two and a half per cent upon the amount of sales and not more under the penalty of forfeiting two hundred and fifty dollars.

Inspectors, &c.-The last in the list of county officers which you mentioned are the Inspectors of Commodities; said Horace; from whom do they receive their appointment?

From the governor with the advice and consent of the senate; and there are quite a variety of them.

We should be glad to hear them enumerated, said Horace; for we know of only one or two.

We have, returned the father, an inspector of flour and meal; an inspector of beef and pork; an inspector of fish; an inspector of pot and pearl ashes; an inspector of staves and heading for casks; (for which purpose an Inspector General is appointed in the city and county of New-York,) an inspector of sole leather; an inspector of lumber; all of whom have their appropriate duties to perform under oath, under various restrictions and regulations pointed out by law, and for all of which they receive their respective fees, as fixed by statute.

Sealers of Weights and Measures.-I suspect, father, said Horace, you have overlooked one county officer whom I have occasionally seen attending to his official duties; I mean the Sealer of Weights and Measures.

You are right, my son, we have a county officer appointed by the supervisors, whose duty it is to see that the weights and measures used by the various dealers, are strictly true. He acts under oath, taken before a magistrate and filed in the county elerk's office.

Have we no other sealers of weights and measures? asked Philo. We have; replied the father;-the secretary of state is ex-officio state sealer of weights and measures; and he has three deputies, one in the city of New-York, one in Albany and one in the county of Oneida. Besides these there is a sealer of weights and measures in each town of the state elected by the people at their annual town meeting, who holds his office for one year.

I should suppose, said Horace, that we have quite an excess of sealers of weights and measures, or at least some of them have little or nothing to do.

I suspect, returned the father, the office cannot be a very lucrative one, for their fees are light; they are entitled to but one shilling for sealing and marking scale beams and measures, and three cents for each weight and small liquor measure; but they have a right to charge for the labour they perform in making them conform to the standard.

Now we have gone through with the county officers, said Horace, I hope you will embrace the first opportunity that offers, and explain to us the duties of the town officers.

I shall do it with pleasure, my son; and if nothing occurs to prevent, I will enter upon it to-morrow evening.

MENSURATION.-LESSON 27.

Round Timber.

Round timber with equal bases, has the form of a cylinder and its contents may be determined by the rule given under les son 35, chapter 34, to which the pupil is referred.

Suppose the girth of a round stick of timber throughout be 54 inches, and its length 22 1-2 feet; what is its cubic measure? 54X54-2916X.07958=232.05528; and 232.05528,X22.5=5221.3257÷144=36 1-4ft. Ans. OBS. If the timber be round and tapering and presents unequal bases, its contents in hewn timber may be found by the following

RULE. 1. Girth each extremity, and add to each a cypher in the form of a decimal, then divide each by 4.4, the quotient will be sides of square timber.

2. Multiply one side or quotient by the other, and reserve the product.

3. Square the difference between the two sides or quotients, and add 1-3 thereof to the reserved product.

4. Multiply this sum, by the length of the timber, and the product will be the cubic measure. Thus:

Suppose a round stick of timber, to girth at one end, 44 inches, and at the other 22, and its whole length 24 feet; how much hewn timber may be had from it?

44.0 4.4 10. a side of the larger square.

22.04.45 a side of the smaller square.

Then, 10X5=50; and 10-55X5=25; and

25 38 1-3+50-58 1-3, sum of the reserved product.

Finally, 58 1-3X24=1400÷÷144=9.72 Ans.

NOTE. Had the stick of timber presented equal bases, then two cyphers added as above to the middle girth, and the sum divided by 3.14159 would have given the diameter, which, multiplied by the girth and 1-4 of the product by the length of the stick, the quotient would show the solidity of the timber when hewn.

REMARKS, &c.- -LESSON 28.

3. Dactyle Measure.

The Dactyle verse is not in very general use; one example, therefore, will serve to show its nature.

From the low pleasures of this fǎllen nature,
Rise we to higher.

4. The Anapestic Measure.

This measure is divided into four kinds; to wit:

1. The shortest kind consists of only one anapest. Thus:But in vain, They complain,

of their pain, or their gäin.

NOTE. 1. This measure may be easily converted to Trochaic verse by placing the emphasis on the first and third syllables;-hence, the two kinds are liable to be confounded.

2. The genuine anapestic verse, consists of two anapests which admit of an additional short syllable.

But his cōurăge will fail,

and no arts căn prevail.

Or thus: Then his cōurăge will fail him,
ǎnd no arts will ǎväil him.

Thus:-

NOTE. 2. This is an easy and tripping measure, well adapted to light subjects, but inapplicable to those of a serious nature.

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3d. The third species is composed of three anapests.

Thus: o ye woods, spread your branches ǎpace,

To your deepest recesses i fly;

i would hide with the beasts of the chase;
i would vanish from evěry eye.

NOTE. 3. This measure is in very general use;--it is alike applicable to cheerful and serious subjects, and seldom fails to please.

4. The fourth and last kind of anapestic verse, contains four anapests, but admits an additional short syllable. Thus:May i gōvěrn my passions with absolute sway, and grow wiser and better ǎs life wears ǎway.

Or thus:

on the cold cheek of death smiles ănd rōses ăre blending.

NOTE. 4. The foregoing are the principal kinds of measure used in English verse, presented in their most simple forms:-but they are capable of almost endless variety by the admixture of these parts with each other, and the introduction of secondary feet.

CHAPTER 36.

SPELLING.-LESSON 1.

Words of five syllables; accent on the third.

ge-o-met-ri-cal

jē-ō-mět're-kǎl

hip-po-pot-a-mus

hip-po-pot'a-mus

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CONVERSATIONS, &c.-LESSON 2.

Town Officers.

If I mistake not, said Philo, we are this evening to have an enumeration of town officers, and hear something of their powers and duties.

You are right, my son, replied Mr. Brown; I will redeem my pledge immediately. We have no fewer than thirteen town officers, to wit:-that of town clerk, assessors, inspectors of elections, commissioners of excise, collectors of taxes, commissioners of highways, overseers of highways, overseers of the poor, commissioners of schools, inspectors of schools, constables, fence viewers, and pound master.

What a formidable list, said Horace;-they make a greater show upon paper than they do in community. For what lengths of time do they hold their respective offices?

For only one year, answered the father; but any or all of the incumbents, may be reappointed, if the people will it, and he chooses, for any number of years.

Town Clerk. I suppose, said Philo, it will be proper to consider them as they stand in the list;-the town clerk first; what are his duties?

They are more numerous than any other town officer, returned the father. They may, however, be classed under

three heads.

1. Those which devolve upon him in regard to town meetings and town elections.

2. Those which he performs as keeper and recorder of the town documents and regulations.

3. Those which he is liable to be called upon to do as special duties.

What are his duties, asked Horace, at town meetings? They are numerous, my son; I can only refer to their heads without describing them minutely.

He gives notice of the lands to be sold for taxes; keeps the minutes of the proceedings of the meeting; gives notice of the meeting when special, and certifies the clection of constables, and if he neglects his duty, he is liable to pay a fine of ten dollars.

What are his principal duties, at town elections? inquired Philo.

He prepares a box for the ballots; blank books to record the names of voters, and for other purposes; to keep the min

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