times so anxious for a marine, the occupation of this post, as, indeed, of the whole Dalmatian coast, must be an object well worthy the serious attention they have lately paid to it.

The territory of Cataro, as I have before hinted, formerly belonged to the republic of Venice. This, with all the other ci-devant Venetian possessions in Dalmatia and Albania, was ceded to Austria by the treaty of Lumeville, in whose possession it continued till it became a part of the price paid to France for the peace of Presburgh; but, in the meantime, the Russians got possession of it, to the surprize of all Europe. Bonaparte, as it served his purpose at that time to detain his troops in Germany, and extort further sacrifices, failed not to charge the Austrian government with a connivance in this affair: however, the following particulars will serve to prove, that Russia acquired this post by an accident, as unforeseen by the Austrians as it was unexpected by the French government. At that time a M. S-hoffs-y, an envoy from the emperor Alexander to the Montenegrins, (for what purpose it is unnecessary here to mention) resided in the town of Cataro. He saw at once the advantages this harbour would afford the Russians in their enterprizes in the Adriatic, and therefore lost no time in accomplishing his plans. What arguments he made use of I know not, but he clearly convinced the majority of the Catarini (by which I mean the Greeks) that Russia alone could protect them from the evils which threatened them under the French dominion. It seems the article of surrender stipulated, that Bonaparte should occupy Cataro "in forty days after the ratification of the treaty." I believe there is nothing unusual in this form of expression; but M. S-hoffs-y twisted the clause to his own purpose, and he insisted that the Freuch, by not arriving precisely to the day" fixed upon for its cession by the Austrians, released the latter from the charge of defending it; consequently, being French property, Russia, or any other power at war with France, might take possession without any breach of friendship or respect towards Austria. Gen. Brady at that time commanded an Austrian garrison at Cataro of 1500 men. The inhabitants, however, became clamorous; they insisted that the forty days mentioned in the treaty having expired, their former connection was at an end, and therefore requested the General to walk off about his business. This circumstance was certainly a novelty; yet, novel as it might appear, it would probably have had no effect, had not a barbarous host of free-booters at this

time.

The Montenegrins are a barbarous tribe inhabiting the chain of mountains adjoining to Cataro, free-booters by profession, declared enemies to the Turks, whom they pillage and massacre without mercy, as lawful prize, and all other of their good neighbours, as it suit their convenience. I am not sufficiently acquainted with the geography of this tract of country to ascertain with certainty whether the Montenegrins be a portion of those barbarous mountaineers, the Morlachians, whom Voltaire, in his Essai sur l'Histoire generale, calls "les Peuples les plus farouches de la Terre."

In a future number I may probably give some further particulars of these barbarians.

Gen.

time poured down from the adjacent mountains to support the arguments of M. S-hoffs-y. The ferocity of these fellows was well known; they began, therefore, to burn and pillage without ceremony -which conduct had the desired effect to frighten the Austrians, and induce them to quit on any terms. A Russian line-of-battle ship, commanded by Capt. Bailey (an Englishman) happened to put in at this moment into the harbour, and cast anchor opposite the fortress of Castel Nuovo. Her accidental arrival completed the business. Brady's situation became hourly more alarming; the Montenegrins, he knew, were little better than savages; and he immediately offered to capitulate with Capt. Bailey, who, of course, declined that honour, as he only came there under a neutral flag. The result proved, no doubt, just what had been calculated upon. Brady, reduced to this necessity, apparently by his fears, delivered up the keys of Castel Nuovo and Cataro to the inhabitants, who, thus free and independent, voluntarily submitted to the dominion of Russia. Capt. Bailey landed the marines of his ship to occupy the forts; the Austrians marched off; and the French troops, who were already on their way to take possession, were stopped in their career by intelligence of this singular coup de politique. What followed is already sufficiently known.

Nov. 6, 1807.

Yours, &c.

O. R.

SYNONYMIC ELUCIDATIONS, CONTINUED.

Essay. Dissertation. Disquisition. Tractate. Tract. Treatise. Memorial. Investigation.

All these words are employed by authors to entitle compositions of lesser or greater length. Essay means trial, attempt, and implies that a writer considers his production as immature or incomplete, as the harbinger of some future effort or performance. Disserere is to debate, or a gue; dissertation, therefore, signifies a discussion, or argumentation: it is with propriety applied to compositions having a logical form. Disquirere is to search out; disquisition answers to the English word search; it is fitly applied to the examinations of the antiquary or of the experimentalist. Tractalus signifies a handling, or, by a natural metaphor common to the classical languages, a handling in the mind, a comprehension of the different parts of a subject. Cicero mentions a tractatus artium; and Pliny quotes other books similar in title. Treatise is an impure corruption of tractale, to which the ignorance of Shakspeare has given currency.

"The time has been my fell of hair

Would at a dismal treatise rouse."

The Latin verb tractare becomes traiter in French: thence the substantive traite, whence Shakspeare ought to have formed the word

treaty;

6

treaty; but he gives a plural termination to a singular substantive. The word treaty is sometimes used with propriety, as when we say the European cabinets are all employed in the treaty of peace,' that is, in the handling, or negotiating, of peace; but the contract, or agreement, is not correctly called the treaty. To handle, is not to shake hands.

The word treatise should be banished as impure, and the word treaty employed as identical in meaning with tractate, which by some writers has been inconveniently abridged into tract, and thus becomes confoundable with another tract, from tractus, region.

Hume called the first collection of his enquiries concerning the principles of morals, treatise of human nature; but to the second and amended edition he prefixed the too modest denomination, essays. There are many admirable dissertations among the Tracts of Thomas Cooper, of Manchester. Sayers's Disquisitions offer models of attic simplicity. Milton's Tractate of Education recommends an Italian pronunciation of the Latin vowels.

The word essay has been essayed so often, that it is become a trivial title, and will probably give place to attempts, or endeavours. The word memoir, or memorial, is little used in England, much on the continent, for the designation of those disquisitions of the archæologists, which have for their object to define or preserve memorable particulars. There is a mixture of toil and thought, of research and speculation, in the business of the etymologist, which adapts his labours for the epigraph investigations from vestigium, footsteps; he pursues his quarry step by step.

On Upon.

The preposition notwithstanding, and the conjunction inasmuchas, have not lost the meaning implied in their component parts, though they are often written as single words; neither ought upon. It can only be used with propriety where the words up and on may both be employed. Set the sugar-basin upon the shelf;" but not, "Set down the coal-shoot upon the ground."

Upon means up, on the top of, and is applied to matter; as upon the table, upon the chair. Trusler.

The use of upon for on is so common in the sacred books, that wherever a scripture-style is aimed at, it must be purposely affected: the translators of the bible were better Hebræans than Anglicists.

A similar remark might be applied to the words unto and until, which are compounded of on and to, and of on and till.

Entertaining. Diverting.

That is entertaining which keeps up mirth between us; that is di verting which turns aside our attention. I am entertained by the conversation within; I am diverted by the bustle in the street. A well-placed anecdote entertains; a pun diverts.. An entertaining man is a correct companion; a diverting man is often a troublesome

one,

one. Preparations are made to entertain; that which is unexpected, diverts.

Perspiration. Sweat.

That moisture which passes invisibly through the pores of the skin, which is breathed through, is called perspiration; that moisture which passes visibly through the pores of the skin, which sues through, is called sweat. We perspire naturally, as in our sleep; warmth and exercise make us sweat. The word perspiration, not exciting any indelicate idea, is substituted for sweat, when such idea is to be shun-, ned. That lady perspires with dancing.

Landscape. Prospect.

The English formative syllable ship, like the German formative syllable schaft, is derived from the verb to shape, in German schaffen : it is used to form those abstract substantives which denote shaping, or constituting. Thus lordship is that which constitutes a lord, stewardship that which constitutes a steward, friendship that which constitutes a friend, kinship or (if the more usual, but hybrid, word be pre-, ferred) relationship that which constitutes a relative. To the English words lordship, friendship, kinship, brothership, partnership, correspond the German words herrschaft, freundschaft, verwandtschaft, bruderschaft, gesellschaft. To this class of words belongs tandscape; it is collateral with the German landschaft; it ought to be written landship; in as much as words inflected by the same rule of analogy should agree in their spelling.

The French have a formative syllable age, which we employ in rassalage, pontage, usage, murage, advantage, which approaches in signification the Saxon ship, and by means of which the French word paysage, answering to our landscape, has been fashioned. This word in Anglo-Saxon is spelled landscipe, which in fact answers to landship: for the Saxons got their alphabet from modern Italy, and pronounced their c before e and i, after the Italian manner, like ch.

Landscape, or landship, signifies therefore a shape of land, that, which constitutes or makes into a whole a given land. In some Gothic dialects, what we call the landed interest is called the landship; in English, the visible whole of a region is called the landscape-the prospect of the country. It also means the imitation of prospect in painting-a landscape-painter.

a

Prospect signifies that which we overlook: we can say the prospect of the sea, the prospect of the starry heavens, but we can only apply, the word landscape where the thing overlooked is land. Attempts have been made to introduce sea-skip, or sea-scape, sky-skip, and offskip, for the portion of prospect which respects the sea, the sky, or the offing. Perhaps it would be better to desert in these combinations the formative syllable for the substantive etymon, and to write Jand-shape, sky-shape, sea-shape. Other analogous combinations

Hardship is an impurely formed word of this class.

would

would be found convenient by writers on the theory of picturesque art. Why not fore-shape and side-shape for fore-ground and side-screen? A foreground of tall trees, is a bull. A side-screen of transparent colonnade is a bull. Yet such expressions are not scrupled by the newspaper critics of our exhibitions.

An extensive prospect makes a bad landscape for the painter.

Fear. Fright. Terror. Consternation.

Fear (Swedish, fara) signifies trembling, shuddering: in Orfried, the allied verb foraktan is still used for to shiver. Fear, therefore, in its abstract or metaphysical sense, describes that emotion, of the mind which accompanies trembling, an uneasiness at the thought of future evil. Fright, in Ulphilas faurght, is derived from to fear, and is apparently its intensive form; as from to wring, to wrench; or from to cling, to clinch; or from to hear, to hearken. Eright is strong fear, sudden fear; but as men consider strong or sudden fear as indecorous, this word is insensibly come to describe a displeasing and contemptible emotion.

Terror is that degree or kind of fear which prompts flight; and consternation that degree or kind of fear which occasions people to fall confusedly upon the ground. Teriere means primarily to drive away; sonitu terrebis aves: and sternere (whence the causative verb consternare) means primarily to strike down, to strow, slernite omnia ferro.

Plague occasions fear; ghost-stories, fright; a tiger, terror; and a thunder-storm, consternation.

Fright Fear may be well-timed, and prepare a firmer resistance. is perturbed and excessive. Terror is in earthquake the best, in battle the worst preservative. The consternation of superstition is well described in the first scene of Sophocles' Edipus in Thebes.

Learning, Literature. Erudition.

He is a man of learning, who excels in what is taught at the schools; he is a man of literature, who excels in what is generally read; he is a man of erudition, who excels in recondite information.

"Without some degree of learning, 'tis impossible to pass well through the world. There was a time when the nobility piqued A taste for erudition will furthemselves on being men of literature. Trusler. nish infinite amusement for a tranquil and retired life.'

To bind. To tic.

We bind to prevent motion on the spot; we tie to prevent motion from the spot. We bind the hands and feet of a criminal; aud we

tie