Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

furface between east and weft, was fuppofed to be in the direction length-wife or longitudinal: and any diftance between south and north, was of course broad-wife or latitudinal. Hence they formed the words longitude and latitude, to denote these particulars. From the Latins, all, or most of the languages in Europe have borrowed thefe two words: and although the original meaning of the elements of these words are well known when adverted to, and although it be as well known now that the earth is a compact spherical globe, and not a flat table of unequal dimenfions, yet no inconvenience is felt from the use of these words, because, whenever they occur, they immediately fuggeft to the mind of the person who hears them, the idea of distance on the earth's furface, in the oppofite directions already specified, and nothing elfe. We therefore find it convenient to use those words, and it would be evidently nconvenient and improper to alter the language by inventing other words, whofe elements expreffed our ideas, at prefent, concerning this fubje&, as perfectly as the original elements expreffed the ideas of the Romans, because a time may come when a fuperior degree of knowledge might fhew that this new formed word was equally improper as the old one that had been rejected; and thus the language would be rendered so fluctuating and variable, as never to be completely understood by any one who should have occafion to ftudy it.

Innumerable words occur in every language, that have been thus formed, and have varied their meaning by time, fo as, when analized, to exprefs very incongruous ideas; but when confidered merely as fimple figns, expreffive of certain notions, are perfectly good and unexceptionable. Thus, candlestick is well known to denote any fubftance employed as a stand for supporting a candle; originally this was no doubt a small piece of wood, ufually called a flick, employed for the purpose of fupporting the candle; but now it is made of various kinds of metal, all of which, however, are called sticks;

[ocr errors]

nor would the moft faftidious critic find fault with the parafes brass candlestick or filver candlestick, though evidently abfurd, if the meaning of the original elements of thefe compound words be adverted to, though the words themselves, as commonly ufed, do in fact convey as diftinct ideas as any others in the language. If fo, then, would it not be highly abfurd and improper to change them for others?

It often happens that compound words of this kind come to exprefs the moft contradictory ideas, if the meaning of the original words were confidered,—which however, when viewed as a whole, without regard to these elements, are expreffive and intelligible;-White-head is a common name; which has been evidently derived from the colour of the hair of the perfon to whom it was firft appropriated,-yet having paffed now as a common furname, no one ever thinks of adverting to the colour of the hair, when the name is mentioned, -nor would the fmalleft impropriety be perceptible in any one faying that William Whitehead had very fine black bair. Bairns-father is another furname not uncommon in one part of the country, which originally denoted that the perfon to whom it had been applied was the father of children. It is now, however, applied indifcriminately to females and to males-to thofe who are fathers and mothers of children, and to those who never had children at all, without exciting any other idea than that it is the name of the particular perfons to whom it is appropriated, and nothing elfe.

Midwife, and man midwife are words of the fame kind. And many others might be added, which are in common and univerfal ufe; but these will fo readily occur to every reader, that it is unneceffary to specify them.

In fcience, as well as arts, words of this kind are alfo common : and in those branches of fcience which are progreffive, it must happen that a word which is invented to denote new ideas as they arife, can be con

fidered as proper, but for a very fhort period of time. But when a word has been once employed to denote a certain object, and has been generally admitted by the jus et norma loquendi to denote that object, the fame object ought certainly to continue in all future time to be denoted by the fame word, without any change; although it should appear at a future period that the ideas which prevailed when that word was formed, and which are denoted by the elements of the word when analized, are extremely erroneous; for these words, like those above enumerated, will come in time to be confidered merely as names of the particular objects they are intended to denote, and nothing else. Indeed, unless we can fay our knowledge of the object is complete, so as that our ideas of them can never afterwards change, what do we gain by fuch innovations? Nothing but perplexity and confufion. The words, which according to the knowledge of the day, expreffed the properties of the object in the most complete and perfect manner, will perhaps be found in a few months, in confequence of fome new discoveries, to be altogether erroneous. This new word must then of course be abandoned, and another new one formed in its ftead, which in its turn, muft give place to another, and another still, till at length philofophers fhall become like the builders of the tower of Babel, fo much confused among this infinity of words, as to be altogether incapable of understanding each other, and be reduced to the neceffity of abandoning the ftudy of nature, merely from the impoffibility of thus giving or receiving aid to or from each other.

Confidered in this point of view, no literary enterprize of modern times feems fo abfurd, or is fo ftrongly characteristic of the mental weakness and vanity of mankind, as the attempt which has been of late feriously made in France, by a fet of men otherwife of great talents, and confpicuous eminence for fcientifical knowledge, to establish an entire new fyftem of chemical no

menclature. Philofophical chemistry has been for fome years paft a principal object of the attention of men of letters, in confequence of fome brilliant difcoveries that have been made in that fcience. Thefe difcoveries. however, though great, are evidently but hitherto imperfect. We are exploring the way with great ardour, and every day brings to light new discoveries that were not known before, fo as to throw additional light on the objects that have been before but imperfectly underftood. The theories of last year, are this year overturned; and those which are at this moment deemed unexceptionable, will no doubt in their turn give place to others. Is this the time to invent a new system of nomenclature on philofophical principles? Nothing furely but the intoxication of fyftem, and the bewitching inchantment of theorifing, could have given birth to fuch a wild idea. When the ardour of enterprize is fomewhat abated, the very men who are now keenest in promoting these innovations, will be among the first who will discover the instability of those foundations on which they have attempted to build, and will in all probability be the most active in pulling it down, and in endeavouring to obliterate these innovations from the annals of science. Let fenfible men give way to this temporary delirium; when the fever is abated, every thing will affume its proper ftate, and ingenious men be permitted to profecute thefe important purfuits in a calm, fteady, and effectual manner.

On Politeness.

7. Anderson

EXCESSIVE and too frequent marks of refpect and esteem, only tire thofe to whom they are addreffed, and on that account are the contrary of true politenefs, whofe only end is to please. It is a great art, to know how to vary these according to perfons and circumftances. That which is only due refpect to a fuperior, would be to an equal accounted over-ftrained complaifance or affectation.

Account of Mr. Ledyard, continued from page 19. THE remarks upon man and things, of one who had feen fo much of the world, must always be deemed precious. They are not the unmeaning daubing of a cafual obferver. Every word is expreffive, and has a ftrong meaning, and fuggefts new ideas to every attentive reader. The following extracts therefore from his letters no doubt will prove interesting to the public.

Auguft 26th. This day I was introduced by Rofette (the Venetian conful, at that time chargé d'affaires for the English conful at Cairo,) to the Aga Mahommed, the confidential. minifter of Ishmael, the most powerful of the four ruling beys: He gave me his hand to kifs, and with it the promise of letters, protection, and fupport, through Turkish Nubia, and alfo to fome chiefs far inland. In a fubfequent conversation, he told me I should fee in my travels a people who had power to tranfmute themfelves into the forms of different animals. He asked me what I thought of the affair? I did not like to render the ignorance, fimplicity, and credulity of the Turk apparent. I told him that i it formed a part of the character of all favages to be great Necromancers; but that I had never before heard of any fo great as thofe he had done me the honour to defcribe; that it had rendered me the more anxious to be on my voyage, and if I paffed among them, I would in the letter I promised to write to him, give him a more particular account of them than he had hitherto had. He asked me how I could travel without the language of the people where I fhould pafs? I told him with vocabularies: I might as well have read to him a ‹ page of Newton's Principia. He returned to his fables again. Is it not curious, that the Egyptians (for I fpeak of the natives of the country as well as of him, when I make the obfervation) are ftill fuch dupes to

« ZurückWeiter »