disgusted at giving the a in these words the
full long sound of the a in father."

Besides the sin of mispronouncing established
words, Walker finds his public indulging
in the equally troublesome crime of making
additions. These were sources of renewed
grief. The House of Commons must have been
genial soil for word-coinage, for we are told
that Irrelevant was one of their annual
productions; indeed, Walker becomes grimly
facetious about the House generally. There,
he says, new words and money-bills naturally
originate. He considers Irrelevant a pedantic
incumbrance to the language. Inimical was
another of these productions; "the great
recommendation being, that it is pronounced
in direct opposition to the rules of our own
language."

We owe many other new words to other
sources:—the public ear being one. To
this neglected organ we are indebted for
Intrusive; an adjective that perhaps, may be
considered as appertaining properly to that
important abstraction.

Veterinary was in only one dictionary
before Walker; but, he adopted this
word from a prospect of its becoming a part
of the language, and "as a college is founded
in London for studying the diseases to which
that useful animal is liable." Here, by the
way, we are left in a slight mystification as
to whether the college or London is the
useful animal alluded to. The word Sulky
had long been a vagabond in conversation,
and was not to be found in any of our
dictionaries, till it was admitted to a place in
Entick's; and, from its very frequent use,
may now be considered as a denizen of the
language. Incalculable may be considered as
a revolutionary word, since we never heard
of it till it was lately made so much use of
in France. Also, Paralyse: Walker says,
the very general use of this word, especially
since the French Revolution, "seems to entitle
it to a place in our dictionaries."

Caricature was so recent an innovation,
that our author was obliged to give us the
Italian of Baretti to explain the meaning of
it. Gala is another Italian arrival; and,
"as it is a good sounding word, and we have
not an equivalent for it, we ought to give it
the same welcome we do to a rich foreigner
who comes to settle among us." Swindle
was from Germany. " From the recent
introduction of this word, one should be led to
believe that this country was, till lately, a
stranger to this species of fraud; but that it
should be imported to us by so honest a people
as the Germans is still more surprising."

All foreigners are not received on the
same amiable terms. The adoption of the
French word Encore "in the theatre, does the
English no manner of credit. There, it would
be the most barbarous and ill-bred
pronunciation in the world to call for the repetition
of an English song in plain English."

It is more the difficulty of pronunciation,
than a dislike to the French words, that
distresses Walker. Thus; "the vanity of
appearing polite keeps Environs still in
the French pronunciation; but, it is
impossible for a mere Englishman to pronounce
it fashionably." Again: "sometimes a mere
Englishman exposes himself to laughter
by trying to give the nasal sound in
Envelope. Some military coxcombs have
endeavoured to introduce the French
pronunciation of the word Defile." In Poltroon,
we have "one of those half French and half
English words, that show at once our desire
to imitate the nasal vowel, and our incapacity
to do it properly." About Truffles we are
told that, " we seem inclined rather to part
with a hundred letters, than give up the
smallest tendency to a foreign pronunciation."
The last syllable of Eclaircissement
"presents an insuperable difficulty." We
are not even to endeavour to attempt it, but
are to pronounce it "like an English word at
once, rather than imitate the French sound
awkwardly." The French sound in Tour is
very much disliked. Walker says, "my
experience fails me, if this word is not slowly
conforming to the true English sound of the
vowels heard in Thou." But, "the smart
traveller to France and Italy would fear we
should never suppose he had been out of
England, were he not to pronounce it so as
to rhyme with poor."

According to Walker, it is to the parsimony
of printers that we owe the abolition
of the final k's in such words as domestick,
publick, fanatick, and the u's in favor, honor,
and labor. It is to be hoped they find the
result satisfactory.

In taking leave of our amusing lexicographer,
we will present an anecdote of Sheridan,
which he introduces in a long note
begging us to pronounce Wind, Wynde. It
must be understood that Sheridan agreed
with Walker about this word, but differed
from him with respect to Gold, which he
would pronounce Goold. Mr. Sheridan tells
us that Swift used to jeer those who
pronounced Wind with the short i, by saying,
"I have a great minn'd to finn'd why you
pronounce it Winn'd!" An illiberal critic
retorted this upon Mr. Sheridan by saying,
"If I may be so boold, I should be glad to be
toold why you pronounce it Goold!"

DOWN AMONG THE DUTCHMEN.
XII.

THERE is an ingenious Dutch painter, who
first drew breath at Dordrecht, some two
hundred years since, very cunning at his
brush, but with an especial turn for candle-
light effects. His name is Scalken, and his
countrymen swear by him prodigiously: but
those whose line it is to talk of "their
Corregios and stuff," protest that he is only
a tenth-rate fellow after all, and that his
famous candle-light effects are only so many