If urged with a ftronger breath, it will give octaves above these; but it then becomes ill in tune: and I understood from Mr. Banks, the natives of Otaheite use no more than those first four founds. Were I to give these notes denominations according to our system of mufic, they should be diftinguished thus,

Notwithstanding the fmall extent of this feries, yet, by the aid of varying the meafure, it is capable of feveral different melodies, though the general caft of them will be melancholy. As for example,

; or,

Thefe two fpecimens of melody, adapted to the nofe-flute, are, harmonically, the fame, though rhythmically different; the latter having a degree of vivacity more than the former, in proportion to its measure of time; two bars of the first, being equal, in length, to three of the fecond.

I am, Sir, with great regard, your very humble fervant,

JOSHUA STEELE.

"Remarks on the larger Syftem of Reed Pipes from the Ife of Amfier

dam.

"The fpecific difference between this and the fmaller fyftem, defcribed before, will be understood from the following obfervations. It confifts of ten pipes, joined together in the fame manner as thofe of the smaller fyftem. The first nine pipes exhibit to the eye the fame figure as the fyftem before defcribed in the drawing; and the tenth pipe (which is the additional) is a little longer than N° 4. For in this larger fyftem, N° 8. is thirteen inches long; N° 4. thirteen and a half, nearly; and N° 10. is fourteen inches. The founds which each pipe exhibits enfily, are marked in minims, as follows, and are noted agreeable to confort pitch:

*

As the upper minims are fixths to those next under them, it follows, from the law of harmonic founds, that the lower minims are fifths to the fundamental founds of thefe pipes, which are written in quavers, to fhew that they are very difficult to be produced. The upper minims of N° 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. and alfo of 10. are sharp thirds, or rather, major tenths, to the fundamental found of each pipe. And the upper minims of N° 6. 7. 8. and 9. are nearly minor tenths to their fundamentals; which circumftance feems to agree with what I remarked in the fmaller fyftem, as an extraordinary property, touching the minor thirds. But I will not yet affert that this property is altogether natural, becaufe I found fome of these latter pipes were partly obftructed by accidental rubbish, which was drawn out with difficulty; fo that I pretend not to decide, whether the cause of their being, not quite, in the fame proportion of tune, as I found in the firft fyftem, arifes from fome cafual injury, or from original intention, or original inaccuracy. + I have faid, the upper minims of N°. 6. 7. 8. and 9. are nearly minor tenths to their fundamentals; because, in fact, I found them fomething more than minor, and yet not major; wherefore I have used the mark ), of a triple crofs, to fignify fomething more than (*), the double crofs; and the mark of (x), a fingle cross, to fignify a diefis, or fomething less than (x), the double crofs; which laft, in the modern practice of mufic, always means to fay, plus a femitone, neither more or lefs. For though the nicety of the dies is ftealing infenfibly into the fancy of fingers, and of fome other elegant mufical performers, it is not as yet adopted, or used as fuch, in the notation of modern mufic. The interval between N° 1. and 2. in these pipes, is only of two femitones; whereas, that between the N° 1. and 2. of the former fyftem, was of three femitones. The feries N° 2. 3. 4. and 5. and the feries No 6. 7. 8. and 9. (both of which I have distinctly marked within bars) have fimilar intervals in both fyftems (making allowance for what I have faid above between * and t.) Where I imagine these to have been the original extent of the whole modulating feries, like the double tetrachord of the Greeks, and that the N° 1. and N° 10. are additionals at pleafure; as, in the smaller fyftem, the interval between N° 1. and 2. was a femitone greater than that between N° 1. and 2. in the larger fyftem; and No 10. in the finaller system (first examined) was totally omitted, though I have seen two others which had it. The founds in this larger fyltem are feven tones lower than those of the smaller, which correfponds with the difference of their dimenfions; the pipe N° 4. in this fyftem measuring nearly thirteen inches and a half in length, with diameter feemingly proportional; whereas the N° 4. in the fmaller fyftem meafured only feven inches and a quarter. By increafing the velocity of the blaft, I found thefe pipes

gave

gave founds ftill higher, which were fourths above the upper minims, or octave and fixths above the fundamentals; and with a little more force, tritones, or sharp fourths, above the upper minims, which were octave and flat fevenths above the fundamentals. But these two (the 4th and sharp 4th above the upper minims) fhould rather be confidered as one note of latitude, which by more or lefs velocity, or force of breath, makes in N° 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. and 10. either a fharp 6th or a flat 7th, to each of the fundamentals; or in the N° 6. 7. 8. and 9. either a flat or sharp 6th.

"This note of latitude is common to all tubes, trumpets, horns, &c.

The following notes mark the afcending series of the founds of this larger fyftem, omitting the fundamentals, and giving only those which are more easily obtained.

The numerical figures fhew from which pipe the notes were produced.

N° 10. 4. 8.

3. 7.
5. 9. 2. 6. I.

N°

3. 7. 10. 4. 8. 5. 9. 2. 6. 1.

Fifths above the fuppofed fundamentals, produced by a gentle blaft.

Tierces, or tenths, above the fuppofed fundamentals, produced by a ftronger blaft.

The experiments on the dipping needle, made by Mr. Hutchins at the defire of the Royal Society, and contained in this volume of their Tranfactions, are curious and merit attention, though we cannot with any propriety find farther room for the prefent article.

ART.

ART. V. Archaeologia: or Mifcellaneous Tracts relating to Antiquity. Published by the Society of Antiquaries of London. Continued from page 102, and concluded.

Article XXV. Contains obfervations on the infcriptions upon three ancient marbles, faid to have been brought from Smyrna, and now in the British. Museum.

Of these marbles, their fculpture and infcriptions, are given elegant copper plates.

Art. XXVI. An account of an undescribed Roman station in Derbyshire.

Illuftrated by a ground plan of Melandra Castle, and an infcription found on the spot.

Art. XXVII. An account of fome ancient English historical paintings at Cowdry, in Suffex.

Thefe paintings are of fcenes exhibited in the hiftories of France and England, about the middle of the fixteenth century.

Art. XXVIII. An account of opening one of the largest barrows on Sandford Moor, Weftmoreland.

Art. XXIX. Discoveries in a barrow in Derbyshire.
Discoveries of no great importance.

Art. XXX. Extract of a letter from the Rev. Mr. George Law to Mr. Paton of Edinburgh.

This article relates to the opening of the ancient burial places in the Links of Skail in Orkney. Of one of which is given an engraved view and section.

Art. XXXI. On the expiration of the Cornish language.

This article is a letter from the Hon. Daines Barrington, and is fomewhat curious. The precife time, fays Mr. Barrington, when any ancient language ceafes to be spoken by the inhabitants of a country, feems to be interefting not only to the philologist, but to the antiquary: we fhall, therefore, extract the oral teftimony contained in this article refpecting the decay of the Cornish.

"My brother Captain Barrington brought a French East India fhip into Mount's Bay, in the year 1746 (to the best of my recollection), who told me, that when he failed from thence on a cruise toward the French coaft, he took with him from that part of Cornwall a feaman who spoke the Cornish language, and who was understood by fome French feamen of the coaft of Bretagne, with whom he afterwards happened to have occafion to converse.

"I myself made a very complete tour of Cornwall in 1763; and recollecting what I had thus heard from my brother, I mentioned to feveral perfons of that county, that I did not think it impoflible might meet with fome remains of the language, who however confidered it as entirely loft.

"I fet out from Penfance however with the landlord of the principal inn for my guide, towards the Sennan, or moft western point,

and when I approached the village, I faid, that there must probably be fome remains of the language in those parts, if any where, as the village was in the road to no place whatfoever; and the only alehoufe announced itfelf to be the laft in England. My guide however told me, that I should be disappointed; but that if I would ride ten miles about in my return to Penfance, he would carry me to a village called Mousehole, on the western fide of Mount's Bay, where there was an old woman called Dolly Pentraeth*, who could speak Cornish very fluently. Whilft we were travelling together towards Moufehole, I inquired how he knew that this woman spoke Cornish, when he informed me, that he frequently went from Penfance to Moufehole to buy fish, which were fold by her; and that when he did not offer a price which was fatisfactory, the grumbled to fome other old wo men in an unknown tongue, which he concluded therefore to be the Cornish.

"When we reached Moufehole, I defired to be introduced as a perfon who had laid a wager that there was no one who could converfe in Cornifh: upon which Dolly Pentraeth fpoke in an angry tone of voice for two or three minutes, and in a language which founded very like Welfh.

"The hut in which the lived was in a very narrow lane, oppofite to two rather better cottages, at the doors of which two other women ftood, who were advanced in years, and who I obferved were laughing at what Dolly Pentraeth faid to me.

66

1

Upon this I asked them whether he had not been abufing me; to which they answered, Very heartily, and becaufe I had supposed fhe could not fpeak Cornifh.' I then faid, that they must be able to talk the language; to which they answered, that they could not fpeak it readily; but that they understood it, being only ten or twelve years younger than Dolly Pentraeth. I continued nine or ten days in Cornwall after this; but found that my friends, whom I had left to the eastward, continued as incredulous almoft as they were before, about thefe laft remains of the Cornish language, becaufe (amongst other reafons) Dr. Borlafe had fuppofed, in his Natural History of the county, that it had entirely ceafed to be fpokent; it was alfo urged, that as he lived within four or five miles of the old woman at Moufehole, he must confequently have heard of fo fingular a thing as her continuing to ufe the vernacular tongue.

This name in Welsh fignifies, at the end of the fand.

† Dr. Borlafe's words are the following;That we may attend it to the grave; this language is now altogether ceased, so as not to be spoken any where in converfation." Nat Hift. of Cornwall, p. 316. If Dr. Borlafe had even heard of this old woman, who lived within four miles of him, he would certainly have here made mention of her, as well as compleated from her his Cornith Vocabulary. Nor was it probably the fact in 1758, (when Dr. Borlafe publifhed his Natural History) that the language had altogether ceased, jo es not to be spoken any aubere in converfation, becaufe it is not impoffible that the feaman who was on board Captain Barrington's fhip in 1746 might be then ftill alive, as well as feveral others. It must alfo be recollected, that ten years after Dr. Borlafe's publication, two old women (neighbours to Dolly Pentraeth) understood what the faid; as alfo that the frequently grumbled to them ia Cornith, when a proper price was not offered for her fith.