children, afleep at the bottom of the Ocean ! It appears, then, that before the enemy CAN LEAVE THEIR OWN COASTS, they have the following difficulties to overcome, each of them in all probability fatal to their defigns : 1. In order to affemble an armament of fufficient magnitude, their veffels must bave the good fortune to elude the vigilance of our numerous cruizers. hoft lity of the enemy, we were never invaded! And at this time, we are undisputed mafters of the ocean, and THE ENEMY ARE UNABLE TO SEND A FLEET, OR EVEN A SINGLE SHIP, TO SEA!!! How long, then, fhall we endure, at fo proud a period, to have our common fenfe infulted, and our national and perfonal profperity interupted, by the MISCHIEVOUS ALARM OF INVASION? COMMON SENSE. 2. In case of their fuccefs in affembling a fleet, or fleets, in any of their ports, an London, July 6, 1803. event which would be inftantly known, they must be supposed to be able to refift the reiterated attacks of our hitherto invincible naval forces. 3. Supposing that all our attempts to de froy their armaments in port are fruf trated, an ifue which cannot reasonably be anticipated, they must then (if they dare) come out, and face our naval forces, which will be affembled and prepared to receive and deftroy them. After taking this fair and natural view of the enemy's project, and of its regular and neceffary confequences, I presume that until my conclufions are proved to be unfairly drawn from the premiics, or my premiles themfelves proved to be unfounded, no reader will entertain the opinion, that an invafion of the British Ilands at this time is either probable or poffible. Having thus demonftrated that the enemy's army CAN NEVER LEAVE THEIR OWN SHORES, it would indeed be infulting common fenfe, to expatia e on the impoffibility of their making good a landing on ours, affailed as they would be by our shipping, and by our land-forces, which, apprized of their motions, would be fully prepared to receive them. Before I conclude this appeal to the good fenfe of my countrymen, let me call their attention to the prefent pre. eminence of our navy, and to the confe. quent fecurity which it confers upon this Empire. During former wars, the fleets of the enemy have boldly left their ports; and if they have met with the fleets of Britain, they have not hesitated to encounter them; their fleets without interruption have cruiled in our feas; and during the American war it will be recollected, that the combined fleets chafed the British grand fleet into Plymouth, and dared for feveral days to lie off that port. But during those wars, notwithstanding the gafconades, and the perfevering To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, SIR, IN the pre the commerce with Hamburg prefent crifis, when the interrup has occafioned fuch anxiety in the commercial world, it may afford fatisfaction to many of your readers to prefent them with a flight fketch of the course now to be pursued by travellers to Hamburgh, inftead of the direct one up the Elbe, or by land on its fouth west bank. Tonningen, to which the packets now fail once every week, is fituated in 54.20 degrees north latitude, in the duchy of Slefwig, on the north fide of the Eyder, which divides that duchy from Holstein, and is rendered navigable as far as Rendfburg, where it joins the canal which forms the nearest communication between the North Sea and the Baltic, even for fhips of confiderable burden. A fmall district furrounds Tonningen, of which it is the capital; and it has a commodious road, the paffage to which from the fea is, like the mouth of the Elbe, furrounded by fands. The firit poft-itation in Holftein is Lunden, at the distance of three quarters of a German mile, (of which fifteen are equal to a degree). From Lunden to Meldorf is three miles and a half, through Heyde, which is alfo a post-ftation. From Meldorf it is five miles to Itzehoe, a city of fome commercial importance, containing about five thousand inhabitants, fituated on the north fide of the river Stör. This poft may be divided into two, there being a polt-house and inn called Hohenhörn, about half way, where the bridge and road-money is taken on goods, carriages, and cattle, of which latter the great number that annually pass through, in their way to Holland, and for the fupply of Hamburg, forms the largest part of the revenue which is here collected. From Itzehoe to Elmfhorn, on the river Kruckau, is three miles and a quarter. This place is not a city; but it contains 2500 inhabi, tants, has fome trade, and the river is navigable but only for fmall boats. From hence it is two miles and a quarter to Pinneberg, a final town on the Pinnaw, navigable for flat-bottomed boats. Pinnelberg is only two miles and a half from Hamburgh, making the whole distance feventeen German miles, equal on the above fcale to feventy-nine and a half English miles nearly. The mails used formerly to be carried from Cuxhaven to Hamburgh by land; or, if the wind served, by a Blankenese fishing-boat; and the traveller had no alternative, (till lately that a Hamburgh and Cuxhaven packet has been established) but of being expofed, for a navigation of feventy miles, in an open boat; or in the event of his preferring the land, of riding the fame ditance in a waggon over the most execrable roads, and being fleeced by innkeepers and poftmasters at an exorbitant rate. In point of diftance, the tra veller does not lofe much; and as to expence, he will probably gain, as he certainly will not pay fo extravagantly for his fcanty comforts. The roads are better, and the character of the natives more open and friendly. The writer has traverfed the country by different modes of land. How far an intercourfe with Englihmen may sharpen the faculties of the innkeepers, may be doubtful. The only exorbi ant charge the writer met with in the country was at Ahrensburg, where the landlord had ferved his apprenticeship at London and Windfor. There can be no comparison between their modes of conveyance and an English stage-coach; but thole who are ufed to the discomforts of a German inn, and the inconveniences of German carriages and German drivers, will find the travelling-accommodations very tolerable. A passport will now doubtlefs be neceffary, as in time of peace the writer was stopped at Oldefloe for want of one; but the burgomatter being fortunately a gentleman and a fcholar, he was difmiffed with politenefs, on ftating that the object of his vifiting the place was to gratify his defire of feeing the country, and without any fee whatever; a circumftance that appeared strange to his companion, who was yet indignant at the infolence and rapacity of the English paffpert office. Leicester, June 10, 1803. H. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, HAVE added up my journal for ano conveyance; and for readiness to oblige, ther half-year, and fend you the ab intelligence, and particularly for peripicuity in their directions to a tray traveller, he thinks the boors, as they are here called, would be difgraced by a comparifon with the boors of any county in Eng ftract as ufual. [See Monthly Mag. vol X. p. 108, for an explanation of the numbers of approximation of the wind.] Mean 39 44 14 39 43 29.548 43.48 45.50 1.73 1.25 31 15 40 35 Totals 10.40 7.47 184 38 40 212 I have very few remarks to make on the weather for these laft fix months; the feafon has been on the whole a good one; the fpring-months have been very deficient in quantity of rain; so that the feventeen months preceding the laft only afforded an average of twelve. We had, however, laft month, a good two months rain, which will help to bring up the general average. B 2 The The thermometer was fo low as 16° at nine o'clock in the morning on the 26th of January; and on the 23d of the fame month it had been up at 50°. On 11th February it was at 17°; at nine in the morning the next day at 250; and during the remainder of the month never was below 34° at the fame hour, but was more than once above 50°. On 26th March, at 2 h. it was at 68, and at eighteen hours after was 20° lower. In May the weather was very fimilar to that last year, and has produced the fame effects with us. The higheft that the thermometer has been here this fummer is 86°, which was on the ad inftant, at 3 h. p. m. the wind being fouth; and although we have received a larger portion of rain during the laft month than usual, yet lying in a vale, nearly furrounded by hills or higher land at a distance of from three to eight miles, we have witneffed the lofs of many a fhower that has wafhed their fummits; and I do not doubt but had there been a rain guage on the fummit of the Chalkhill, we should have found a fall of more than fix inches of rain for the month. With THE SOCIETY FOR SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION, as propofed in your laft, by Howdenienfis, page 531, I am very much pleafed. It appears to me very practicable; at any rate it is very defirable. The importance of fuch a fociety to the public and every fcientific person, is too great to fuffer the hint to go by neglected. I hope fome of your Correfpondents, who are much better qualified than myself, would take it into confideration, and give us, through the medium of your Magazine, a sketch of the difficulties of forming, and advantages moft likely to arife from, a well-regulated fociety of this kind. To me the advantages appear confiderably to preponderate. I believe fuch a fociety, if confined to the United Kingdoms, might be establish ed in about fix months, and at the very trifling expence of five thillings per member, and might be kept up afterwards at a general two fhillings and fixpence fubfcription. This I mean as exclufive of the expence of poftage of letters, which ought always to be paid by the perfon who firft folicits the information. Suppofe on the average one person may be found willing to unite in tuch a fociety - at the distance of about fourteen miles, or that each perfon might have a district of two hundred fquare miles, there would then be about 638; to which might be added, for London and fome of the most populous places, fixty-two, making in the whole feven hundred; to which, or any more proper number, it might be limited. Suppofe fomething like the outlines of fuch a fociety were published in your Magazine for September, and also in most of the refpectable periodical publications of the day, and that all who might be defirous of becoming members, might fignify it, free of expence, to a committee, who might, in the mean time, be chofen by the favourers of the plan in London.Suppofe that each perfon, befides his addrefs, might fignify to which par s of icience he (or the, for I fee no obje&tion to ladies) was most attached. Thele names, at the commencement of the fociety, might be printed in the Monthly Magazine and other books of general circulation; but when a fufficient number of names were procured, they might be printed, with the rules of the fociety, and one copy fent to each member, and charged fufficient to pay his proportionate fhare of the general expences; from which time every member would be in poffeffion of the means of obtaining general information from any quarter. If these crude hints do but excite any of your Correfpondents to follow the matter as its importance deferves, I shall have thus far obtained my end. I am, Sir, your's, &c. Leighton, Bedfordshire, 12th July, 1803. R. BEVAN To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. Ν IN your laft Number I find some obfer vations, by a perfon who figns J. C. on the failure of a propofed fubititute for oil-paint, fift made known by Citizen de Vaux. As well to refcue Citizen de Vaux's invention from the charge of incompetency to its propofed purpose, thus preferred against it by J. C. as to furnish him with my experience of its utility, I defire to ftate the following particulars. I first m't with the Memoir of M. de Vaux in the Repertory of Arts about two years ago, as nearly as I can recollect; and in an extract which I at that time made from it, I find the proportions of the articles compofing it, and the directions for ufing it, to be as follows: Take of fkimmed milk, I pint, 6 ounces, 5 pounds, 4 ounces, Put Put the lime into a stone veffel, and pour upon it fo much of the milk as will make a fmooth mix ure; add the oil by degrees, ft rring the mixture with a wooden fpatula; then add the remainder of the milk, and finally the Spanish white. I have twice made ufe of the above, and on both occafions found it to answer very well, with the exception only of its not keeping a clear white when done upon any thing which had already received oilpaint. On my first attempt I attended ftrictly to the formula prescribed by M. de Vaux; but on the fe ond occafion of my ufing it, I left out the lime (chiefly from the inconvenience of procuring it); but it still antwered my purpose very completely, with the foregoing exception of its not keeping a clear white on thofe parts of my work which had before been oil-painted, and where it took fomewhat of a yellowish tint, while on the other parts which were plaifter, finished with what the bricklayers term fine fluff, it continues to hold a beautiful white, and in neither of the above cafes have I met with the inconvenience of which J. C. complains, viz. that of its easily rubbing off. M. de Vaux alfo obferves in the fame Memoir, that a very good paint for outdoor work alio may be made by adding to the above two ounces of Burgundy. pitch and two ounces of refin with as much oil as may be necessary to render it fufficiently liquid. I have not had occafion to try the efficacy of the mixture prepared in this manner; but would fuggeft to J. C. if his ftill fails of fuccefs, whether a fmall proportion of Burgundy-pitch or refin might not with advantage be added even for indoor work, in order to render it more ad hefive. The Burgundy-pitch would of course be the more preferable of the two for white paint, as having lets colour than refin. It should be melted in the oil with a gentle heat. ECONOMICUS. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, WRITER who has taken the A trouble of criticifing, in a weekly publication, a new Tranflation of Apollomus Rhodius, lately publifhed by me, among other remarks, fome of which appear to me fair and judicious enough, has introduced the following:-"We think it not right to ufe voyage as a diffyllable, as it is conftantly ufed all through this work, fince it is always in common speech pronounced as a monofyllable, not even though fupported by one authority from Milton." The foregoing remark was wholly new to me, though I have long been a diligent reader of the beft English, and particularly of poets. I did not even apprehend that voyage was always pronounced as a monofyllable even in the rapidity of common converfation. I knew it was fometimes fo pronounced; but I ever confidered this as a thing happening through the hafte and inattention of incorrect speakers, and rather to be excused than imitated. Certainly I never heard voyage fo pronounced in the pulpit, or on the ftage; and to thefe we generally turn for authorities in the propriety of elocution. I determined, however, to re-examine this point, and recurred to a number of authorities, particularly to fome of the most learned and claffical English poets, in whofe writings, as I apprehend, the most fterling and authentic pronunciation of words is generally to be found; the result of my inquiries is, that voyage is uniformly used as a diffyllable, and never, as far as I can find, employed as a monofyllable by any good writer. I fhall select some authorities, from an infinite number which I might quote, to show that voyage is ge. nerally used as a diffyllable: Sheridan's Dictionary : Voyage, voy.edzb, f. a travel by fea.-T Voyage, voy-edzht, to travel.-Voyager, voyedzb ur, one who travels. Dryden's Virgil, neid, book I, line made many other useful difcoveries, it will no doubt be adopted. 752: To that fweet region was our voyage bent. Tranflation of the Fifth Satire of Per fius: Nothing retards thy wovage now, unlessTranslation of Ovid, Fable of Ceyx and Alcyone: Nor could be wrought his voyage to refrain. Pope's Iliad, book IX. line 731: I fteer my voyage to the Brutian fand. When Admiral Dickfon, Commander of the North Sea Fleet during the late war, was lying off Elfineur, Captain Sir Home Popham was on board the Romney, ftationed off Copenhagen. To facilitate the conveyance of intelligence, the latter invented a fet of flags, to be used as a featelegraph; and although the diftance between thefe places is at least fix miles, yet it was conveyed in five minutes. In December, 1800, Sir H. Popham was fent out with the Romney, and a body of troops, to co-operate by the route of the Red Sea, with an army from India, and that of General Sir Ralph Aber Thence fpeed your voyage to the Spartan Crombie by the Mediterranean, for the ftrand. Again, fame book : purpose of expelling the French from Egypt. During this fervice Sir Home greatly improved his marine-telegraph, Which, voyaging from Troy, the victors bore. which here, as well as formerly, was of Book II. : A private vejager, I país the main. Again, Book III. : And crown our voyage with defir'd fuccefs. Dyer's Fleece, Book IV.ì great fervice. From the Red Sea he went to India; and while at Calcutta, he printed at the Company's preis a small volume, under the title of "A Marine Vocabulary; or, Telegraphic Signals," copies of which he entrusted to iuch navy-officers as he judged would make a proper Thofe fhips from ocean broad which voyage ufe of them. On his return to England in April laft, he fubmitted his plan to the confideration of fome of the first naval characters, who approved highly of it, and whofe opinion was, that much effential advantage might be derived from it to his The keels which voyage through Molucca's Majefty's fervice. This induced him to reprint his little work in May laft, with great additions and improvements. As Earl Spencer, the late able and truly fortunate First Lord of the Admiralty, to whom Sir Home had originally communicated his plan, was pleafed to express his entire approbation of it, the work is dedicated to him. Copies have been prefented to his Majesty and the Royal Family. Through the intereft of a friend, with whom Sir Home Popham is in habits of intimacy, the writer of this article was favoured with a fight of the work, which is now entitled, "Telegraphic Signals; or, Marine Vocabulary; by Sir Home Popham, Commander of the Illuftrious Order of St. John of Jerufalem, F. R. S. and Captain in the Royal Navy." An account of fo ufeful an invention well merits a place in the first literary Magazine in this country, and pleads my excufe for laying it before the public, which I am the more induced to do, as being a private |
