hi cabdhekhyn iu meek to rektifyüŋ cur alfabet, “hhat it uil bi atended uïh inkcaviniensiz and difikyltiz,” iz e natural uyn ; fær it caluaz cakyrz huen eni refcirme hyn iz propozed; huchyr in rilidhyn, gyvernment, lcxz, and iven daun az lo az rods and huil karidhiz. hi tru kuest fyn hen, is nat hueḥhyr haer uil bi no difikyltiz car inkcanviniensiz. byt hueher hi difikyltiz mé nat bi syrmcunted; and hueheyr hi kanviniensiz uil ncxt, aan hi huol, bi grétyr han hi inkaaviniensiz. In his kes, hi difikyltiz er onli in hi biginiŋ cav hi praktis: huen hê er uyns ovyrkym, hi advantedĥez er lastiŋ.—To yihyr iu car mi, hu spel uel in hi prezent mod, yi imadħin hi difikylti cav thendiŋ hat mod fær hi nu, iz naat so grêt, byt hat ui myit pyrfektli git ovyr it in a uiiks ryitiŋ.-Az to hoz hu du ncat spel uel, if hi tu difikyltiz er kympêrd. viz. hat cav tithin hem tru spelin in hi prezent mod, and hat av tithin hem hi nu alfabet and hi nu speliŋ akaardiŋ to it, yi am

kanfident

kaanfident hat hi latyr uuld bi byi far hi liist. hê natyrali fal into hi nu mehyd atreadi, az myth az hi imperfekfyn cav her alfabet uil admit cav; her prezent bad speliŋ is onli bad, bikaz kæntreri to hi prezent bad ruls: yndyr hi nu ruls it uuld bi gud.—hi difikylti av lyrniy to spel uel in hi old uê iz so grêt, hat fiu atên it; hauzands and hazuzands ryitiŋ can to old edf, uihcut ever biiŋ ebil to akuyir it. 'Tiz, bisyidz, e difikylti kantinuali inkriisin, az hi scaund graduali veriz mor and mor fræam hi speliŋ; and to farenyrs* it mêks hi lyrniŋ to proncans caur laŋuedh, az riten in caur buks, almost impasibil.

66

Naau az to "hi inkanviniensiz” iu men hyn. —hi fyrst iz, hat "acal caur etimcalod fiz uuld bi læst, kansikuentli ui kuld ncït asyrteen hi miiniŋ cav meni uyrds."-etimcalodhiz er at present veri ynsyrteen; but syth

* 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 frequently in our English writings, and which of course every American very well understood as to their meaning, B. V.

૩૪

"

az hê er, hi old buks uuld stil prizųro hem, and etimolod fiz uuld her fiind hem. Uyrds in hi kors cav tyim, thendh her miiniŋs, az uel az her speliŋ and pronynsiehyn; and ui du naat luk to etimalodhi far her prezent miinins. If yi huld kcal e man e Neev and e Vilen, hi uuld hardli bi satisfyid with myi teliŋ him, hat uyn cav hi uyrds oridhinali signifyid onli e lad car syrvant ; and hi yhyr, an yndyr plauman, car hi inhabitant cave viledh. It iz fræam prezent iusedf onli, hi miiniŋ crv uyrds iz to bi ditųrmined.

Lur sekund inkcanviniens iz, hat "hi distinkfyn bituiin uyrds cav difyrent miiniŋ and similar scund uuld bi distrczyid.”—hat distinkfyn iz alreadi distrcayid in pronciunsin hem; and ui rilyi can hi sens alon cav hi sentens to asyrteen, huith av hi several uyrds, similar in scaund, ui intend. If his iz sufihent in hi rapiditi cv diskors, it uil bi muth mor so in riten sentenses, huith mé bi red lezhurli, and atended to mor partikularli in kes cav difikylti, han ui kan atend to e past sentens, huyil e spikyr iz hyryiiŋ ys alcay uih nu uyns.

Iur hyrd inkaanviniens iz, hat, “ cacl hi

buks

buks alredi riten uuld bi iusles.-his inkaanviniens uuld onli kym can graduali, in e kors can edhes. Iu and yi, and yhyr nczu liviŋ ridyrs, uuld hardli farget hi ius av hem., Piipil uuld long lyrn to rid hi old ryiting, ho hê praktist hi nu.—And hi inkcanviniens iz nat greter, han huat hes aktuali hapend in a similar kes, in Iteli. Farmerli its inhabitants cacal spok and rot Latin; az hi laguedh thendhd, hi spelin fcilo'd it. It iz tru hat at prezent, e miir ynlarn'd Italien kncat riid hi Latin buks; ho he er stil red and yndyrstud byi meni. But, if hi speliŋ had nevyr bin thendhed, hi uuld naau hev faxund it myth mor difikylt to riid and ryit hiz on laŋuadh; far riten uyrds uuld hev had no rilêhyn to scaunds, he uuld onli hev stud far hiŋs; so hat if hi uuld ekspres in ryitiŋ hi yidia hi hez, huen hi scaunds hi uyrd Vescovo, hi myst iuz hi leterz Episcopus.-In haart, huatever hi difikyltiz and inkcanviniensiz nau er, he uil bi mar iizili syrmaaunted nau, han hiraftyr; and sym tyim car чhyr, it myst bi dyn; ar aur ryitiŋ uil bikym hi sem uih hi Thyiniiz*, az

* Chinese.

to

to hi difikylti cav lyrniŋ and iuzing it. And it uuld alredi hev bin syth, if ui had käntinud hi Saksyn speliŋ and ryitiŋ, iuzed byi our forfahers.

yi am, myi diir frind,

Lyndyn,

iurs afekĥynetli,

B. FRANKLIN.

Kreven-strüt, Sept. 28, 1768.

Rules for a Club formerly established in Philadelphia*. Previous question, to be answered at every meeting.

HAVE you read over these queries this morning, in order to consider what you might have to offer the Junto [touching] any one of them? viz.

1. Have you met with any thing, in the author you last read, remarkable, or suitable to be communicated to the Junto? particularly in history, morality, poetry, physic, travels, mechanic arts, or other parts of knowledge.

* This was an early performance, and carries along with it an air of singularity, accompanied with such operative good sense and philanthropy, as characterizes it for Dr. Franklin's. The club, for which it was written, was held at Philadelphia; and, if I am well informed, was composed of men considerable for their influence and discretion; for though the chief measures of Pensylvania usually received their first formation in this club, it existed for thirty years without the nature of its institution being publicly known. B. V.

2. What