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

Dear Sir,

Your faithful and affectionate servant,

TO MISS MARY STEVENSON.

M. S.

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 karidfiiz. hi tru kuestfyn hen, is nat huehyr haer uil bi no difikyltiz ar inkanviniensiz, byt huehyr hi difikyltiz mé nat bi syrmaunted; and huehyr hi kanviniensiz uil nat, an hi huol, bi grétyr han hi inkaınviniensiz. In his kes, hi difikyltiz er onli in hi biginiŋ av hi praktis; huen hê er uyns ovyrkym, hi advantedfiez er lastig. To yihyr iu ar mi, hu spel uel in hi prezent mod, yi imadfiin hi difikylli av tfiendfiin hat mod far hi nu, iz nat so grét, byt hat ui myit pyrfektli git ovчr it in a viiks ryitiŋ. — Az to noz hu du nat spel uel, if hi tu difikyltiz er kympêrd, viz. hat av tithin hem tru speliŋ in hi prezent mod, and hat av tithiin hem hi nu alfabet and hi nu spelin akardin to it, yi am kanfident hat hi latyr 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 spelig iz onli bad,

bikaz kantreri to hi prezent bad ruls; yndyr hi nu ruls it uuld bi gud. hi difikylli av lyrnig to spel uel in hi old uê iz so grêt, hat fiu aten it; hauzands and hauzands ryitiy an to old edfi, uihaut ever büŋ ebil to akuyir it. 'T iz, bisqidz, e difikylti kantinuali inkriisin, az hi saund graduali veriz mor and mor fram hi speliy; 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 etimalodfiz uuld by last, kansikuentli ui kuld nat asyrteen hi miinig av meni uyrds." - Etimalodfiiz er at prezent veri ynsyrteen ; byt sytfi az hê er, hi old buks uuld stil prizчrv hem, and etimolodfiists uuld her find hem. Uyrds in hi hêr kors av tyim, thiendfi her miiniŋs, az uel az her speliŋ and pronynsiefiyn; and ui du nat luk to etimalodfii far her prezent miiniŋs. If y 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 yhyr, an yndyr plauman, ar hi inhabitant av e viledfi. It iz fram prezent iusedfi onli, hi miinin av uyrds iz to bi dityrmined.

66

Iur sekynd inkanviniens iz, hat “hi distinkfiyn bituiin uyrds av difyrent miniy 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 sufifient

* 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

in hi rapiditi av diskors, it uil bi mutfi mor so in riten sentenses, huitfi mê bi red lezfurli, and atended to mor partikularli in kes av difikylti, han ui kan atend to e past sentens, huyil e spikyr iz hyryiiŋ ys alaŋ wih nu uчns.

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 yhyr nau liviŋ ridyrs, uuld hardli farget hi ius av hem. Piipil uuld log lyrn to rid hi old ryitiŋ, 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 thiendfid, hi spelin falo'd it. It iz tru hat, at prezent, e mir 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 mytfi mor difikylt to riid and ryit hiz on layuadfi; far riten uyrds uuld hev had no riléfiyn to saunds, hê uuld onli hev stud far hins; so hat if hi uuld ekspres in ryitiŋ hi yidia hi hez, huen hi saunds hi uyrd Vescovo, hi myst iuz hi letterz Episcopus. In fart, huatever hi difikyltiz and inkanviniensiz nau er, hé uil bi mor üzili syrmaunted nau, han hiraftyr; and sym tyim ar чhyr, it myst bi dyn; ar aur rчitiy uil bikym hi sém uïh hi Thiyiniz,* az to hi difikylti av lyrniŋ and iuzing it. And it uuld alredi hev bin syth, if ui had kantinud hi Saksyn speliŋ and ryitiŋ, iuzed byi our forfahers.

yi am, myi diir frind, iurs afekfiynetli,

Lyndyn,

Kreven-striit, Sept. 28, 1768.

* Chinese.

B. FRANKLIN.

PETITION OF THE LETTER Z.*

From "The Tatler," No. 1778.

To the Worshipful Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire, CensorGeneral.

The petition of the letter Z, commonly called Ezzard, Zed, or Izard, most humbly showeth ;

That your petitioner is of as high extraction, and has as good an estate, as any other letter of the Alphabet;

That there is therefore no reason why he should be treated as he is, with disrespect and indignity;

That he is not only actually placed at the tail of the Alphabet, when he had as much right as any other to be at the head; but is by the injustice of his enemies totally excluded from the word WISE; and his place injuriously filled by a little hissing, crooked, serpentine, venomous letter, called S, when it must be evident to your worship, and to all the world, that W, I, S, E, do not spell Wize, but Wise.

Your petitioner therefore prays, that the Alphabet may by your censorial authority be reversed; and that in consideration of his long-suffering and patience he may be placed at the head of it; that s may be turned out of the word Wise; and the petitioner employed instead of him.

And your petitioner, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c. &c.

The date of this jeu d'esprit in imitation of "The Tatler," from which it purports to be an extract, is not known. It is inserted in this place as being somewhat kindred in its subject to the preceding article. - EDITOR

Mr. Bickerstaff, having examined the allegations of the above petition, judges and determines, that Z be admonished to be content with his station, forbear reflections upon his brother letters, and remember his own small usefulness, and the little occasion there is for him in the Republic of Letters, since S whom he so despises can so well serve instead of him.

TO JOHN WINTHROP.

Telescope and Books for Harvard College.

DEAR SIR,

London, 11 March, 1769

At length after much delay and difficulty I have been able to obtain your telescope, that was made by Mr. Short before his death. His brother who succeeds in the business has fitted it up and completed it. He has followed the business many years at Edinburgh, is reckoned very able, and therefore I hope every thing will be found right; but, as it is only just finished, I have no time left to get any philosophical or astronomical friends to examine it, as I intended, the ship being on the point of sailing, and a future opportunity uncertain. Enclosed is his direction-paper for opening and fixing it.

I have not yet got the bill of the price. It is to be made from the deceased Mr. Short's book of memorandums and orders, in which he entered this order of ours, and, as it is supposed, the price. I do not remember, it is so long since, whether it was one hundred pounds, or one hundred guineas; and the book is in the hands of the executor as I understand. When I have the account, I shall pay it as I did Bird's for