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PRONUNCIATION OF THE LATIN LANGUAGE. ( Continued .J Our false pronunciation of the Latin, moreover, separates many Latin words from words of the same root, in our own language. lor example, if we change the first root letter of ccicdo to a sibila nt, we no longer hear in it our word cut , with which it is identical. C eva is of the same elements with our HciFcr, cow, calr ; but if we pronounce it seta , we miss this analogy, as well as its coincidence with vacca, of which it is but an inversion. In ccrvus, (a fork and a stag,) when pronounced servus , we no longer hear our word fork ; nor do w r e feel the force of this word as the name of an animal with furcated horns. The name of Ceres, in our pronunciation, ceases to be .emblematic ; it loses its connection with cu co* and grow, and their derivations, conn, gr ain, and grow*. We, indeed, speak inaccurately when we call this alteration of a root letter, a mere change of pronunciation. The pronunciation of words is varied by raising or lowering the vowel tones, or| by the interchange of different powers of the same articulation, —as when a Welchman says coot for good; but it we make s the radical, in stead of c, we substitute one word for another. When we say that sensus means a valuation (census,) we say what is not; scrcus is not a stag (cervus); Wot does not mean I(caedo,) but I soothe; when we call ciccr, siscr, we call a chick-pea a parsnip. The change of the sound of the guttural c to a sibilant is commonly called, by English gramma rians, a softening of that sound. But wholly with out propriety. Sis not the soft sound of c (k).f I It is a letter of another class, and of far inferior value. The guttural maybe said to be softened, when it passes from its hard sound c, to the milder g , and from this again to the j consonant (English y.) If not carried to excess, these changes hardly deserve to be branded with the name of corrup tions ; since, by this softening process, language, while it resigns something of its rude strength, yet gains in softness and delicacy. It is a change in harmony with man’s progress in civilization ;• an amelioration of manners leading to an increas ed refinement of speech, and gentler ideas calling for corresponding sounds lor their expression.— But the further change into the coarse sounds rep resented in English bv the characters ch and j is a true deterioration. Vet even these corruptions, however unpleasant to a refined ear, follow the regular laws of change, and throw no obscurity over the origin of words. It is otherwise with the change from the sound of Jc to that of s. The gut tural is the most important and the most deeply sig nificant of articulate sounds. The s , on the con trary, is most commonly a servile. It is used in grammatical formations ; or, employed as an affix to roots composed of other elements, it acts as a privative or as an intensive. It cannot be a matter of indifference, that we substitute an inferior ele ment for one of the highest dignity. The suppres sion of an important rootle tier, or the substitution of a letter of another class, destroys the inherent significance of the word, and reduces that to a be mere arbitrary notation of thought which was its most expressive emblem. It will perhaps be satisfactory to the general reader, who may not have leisure or inclination to collect the evidence on this subject for himself, to see a brief summary of the principal proofs by which it has been established, that it was not the practice of the ancients to vary the pronun ciation of the c and g ; but that these letters had with them one uniform sound before all the vowels. One strong proof is the evident correspondence between the Roman c and Greek k . When the Romans wrote Greek words in Latin characters, they used c to represent k before the vowels c and i as well as before the other vowels and liquids; Cecrops, Kc-lcrops; Cibyra, Kibura. The Greeks, on their part, evidently supposed their k to have the force of the Roman c in all cases; since, in writing Latin names, they write the syl lables ci, cc , with k, and not with s , as Kikcro , Cicero; Skipion , Scipio. Suidas, speaking of the crescent the Roman Senators wore on their shoes, calls it the Roman Kappa or k. In like manner the Greek Gamma ( g ) precisely answered to the Roman g. We have, in the words of St. Augustine, evidence that the Greek Gamma and the Roman g were pronounced alike. He says “Cum dico lege , in his duabus syllabis, aliud Graecus, aliud Latinus intelligit;” showing that the word lege sounded the same to the Greek and Roman ear. [N OW in Greek the g is always hard, consequently it must have been so in Latin before the vow’d e.] [Ainsworth, in his Thesaurus of the Latin tongue (Morell’s Edit, Lond. 1783.) upon the letter c, remarks thus, : “ The name of e , if we attend to analogy, is always kc , as is its sound be fore all vowels, and never sc. And here, with much reluctance, I remark, that foreigners who own we understand Latin perfectly, and write it correctly, account us little better than barba rians in several parts of pronunciation ; but in none more justly than in our depraved sound of this letter before ae, oc , i and y , as if it were s ; which at the same time, our learned men con fess to differ from the ancient usage of Greece and Rome, to be unreasonable in itself, and to in troduce a strange confusion in words and things; so that caedo and sedo , coepi and sepi, census and * The older form is certo. f We pronounce caedo, cedo , and sedo , precisely alike. t The s is itself the hard sibilant, whose softer sound is z . sensus , ciccr and siser , cygni and signi , and many thousands more , have with us one and the same sound. Hence also it comes to pass, that its sound is en tirely lost after s, so that coena and scena , cclens and sceleris , and innumerable words of the same kind, are confounded. This 1 humbly leave to the consideration and redress of the learned school masters of this kingdom, as very well deserving it, and return to its true sound, which is the same with that usurped by the exploded k „ The same author, in commenting on the letter G (op. cit.) thus remarks: “I cannot forbear to observe here, that both the Greeks and Romans always , and before all vowels , pronounced this let ter hard, as we do in give and get, never as we do in generation and ginger ; which irregular and un certain pronunciation of this letter, as well as ot the cognate c, proves often a great discourage ment to those who desire to learn our tongue; and together with our different sound of the vow els, makes our Latin, though much purer gene rally than theirs, almost as unintelligible as our English.”] We find, in contracted words, evidence that c and g retained invariably their guttural sound ; as in the supines of doccre faccre , &c. If these words had been pronounced doscrc , fasere, the su pines would have been dositum, fasitum, which, contracted, would have made dostum, fastum; not doctum, factum. If the g of lego had taken the sound of the English j before i in the perfect tense, the supine must haVe undergone the same change ; and Irgitum must have been pronounced lejitum , which plainly could not have been con tracted into lectum.* If ccrno had been pronounced smio, the pre terite and supine would have been srevi, sretum, not crcvi crctum ; nor could the participle have been written both ccrtus and cretus , if, in the one case, it had been pronounced sertus , in the other, cretus. Further, c and g were constantly interchanged by the Romans, as well before e and i as the other vowels; as, tricesimus or trigesimus from tri ginta ; and again, as c was substituted for g before 5 or t, so n immediately preceeding, g sometimes took the place ot c; as in quadringenti , for quad rincenti, &c. The earlier Romans used cin words which were afterwards written with g ; on the Duillian column, the words Lcgiones , pugnando, magistratos, are written Lccioncs , pvenando, macis tratos.. C is also sometimes found in the place of q u before e and i ; as cod for coqui, collicias for col liquias. [Schmitz (Lat. Gram. § 4, note,) says, “ Q occurs only before the vowel?/, together,with which it is usually pronounced like kw, though the Romans sounded the two Ittiers only as a k .” Scheffer (Lat. Gram. Walker’s Trans, vol. 1, Lond. 1825,) says, “ Q is the same with k=c, and qu, generally stands for q, and is not pronounced like kw, as aqua, pron. aca ; coqui pron. cold, whence their interchange.” It is highly probable that, atone time,the com bination qu possessed a labio-guttural power, but that the labial element sharing the fate of the Greek Digamma, fell into total disuse, leaving the guttural element alone to express the phonetic value of the combination. (See Donaldson’s Var ronianus, Cambridge 1844.) That qu had the sound of c=k, in the time of Cicero, is evident from the pun of the great Orator, which has been handed down to us by Quinctilian as follows, “ Cum is Candidatus, qui coqui tilius habebatur coram Cicerone suff’ragium ab alio peteret, ‘ Ego quoquef Cicero inquit, * tibi jure favebo .’ ” where the play upon the words quoque =coquc, and jure will be noticed. Priscian says, “Apud antiquos frequentissime loco cu syllabae quu, ponebatur, et e conlrario, ut arquus, pro arcus, coquus pro coqus , oquulus, pro. oculus, quum pro cum, et quur pro cur.) Again the same word is found variously written as regards its vowels; thus dccimus is sometimes written decumus. Quinctil, Inst. Or. 17, § 23. Dice for dicam, facie for faciam. Quinctilian tells us, that Cato wrote dice for dicam. This di versity could not. have existed, if a change in the vowel sound had required a change in a radical consonant. We must suppose that the cin dcci mus, decumus , and in deccm, had one uniform sound; and this sound, without question, must have coin cided with that of k in deka. We have already touched upon some of the other proofs; such as that afforded by the sylla bic augment, which frequently took a different vowel from that of the first syllable of the verb; also, that found in the case of prepositions, which, when compounded with verbs, drop their final consonant, and assume the initial of the verb. To these proofs, found in the Latin language itself, we may add the evidence given by the traditionary pronunciation of man}’ words in mod * The change from g to c, in the contracted supines of legere , regere. Ac. takes place by a law which forbids a surd to be im mediately preceded by a sonant. It is for the same reason that the b of scribo, Ac. becomes p before 5 in tho preterite, and tin the supine. This is a law, not of grammar but of speech, and is observed even where the change of sound is not indicated by the spelling. Quintilian tells us that, though it was customary to write obtineo with a b, it was yet pronounced as if written with ap. In our own language, we more com monly make the second letter conform to the first, sometimes altering the spelling to suit the change of sound, sometime* neglecting this. Thus slept is written as well as pronounced with the surd dental; while decked, though it retains the spel ling which was used when this word was pronounced as two syllables, is pronounced as if written deckt. On the other hand, robbed and digged, though contracted in pronunciation, retain the sound of the sonant and after the sonants b and g. ern languages, for example, we still find the name of Caesar* with its ancient sound in the German, Kaiser , an emperor. The ciccr , from which the cognomen Cicero has been supposed-to be derived, is still Kicker in German. We find the Latin career in German KerJcery ancUin Welch carcar , a prison . The writings of the Latin grammarians contain the most elaborate disquisitions upon the sounds of the letters; every variation even of the vowel sounds being commented on, and the exact po sition of the organs in the enunciation of each eltter, as exactly as possible, described. The en tire silence, then, of these authors with regard to so remarkable an irregularity in the notation of the Latin language, as the use of one character to denote totally distinct sounds, would be in itself, sufficient proof that no such irregularity existed. We are not, however, left to this negative evi dence. The discussion of tire question whether the k was to be numbered among the letters of the Roman alphabet, gave occasion, on the part of Latin writers, to the most explicit declarations of the perfect identity of the c and k as regards the sound they represented. Quintilian, in the chapter on Orthography in his Institutio Oratoria, condemns the use of the h in writing Latin words. “Nam K quidem in nullis verbis utendum puto. Hoc eo non omisi quod quidam earn, quoties A sequatur, ne cessarian] crednnt; cum sit C litera, quae ad oimies vocalos vim suam perfernt.” * This name is, in the Gothic translation of the New Tes tament, spelt Kaisar ; as , Kaisaragild, Ceesar-tribute. Our Anglo Saxon ancestors commonly spelt it Cascr. To be continued. BIAES’S PATENT, FI RE-PROOF PAINT, FROM OHIO. THIS Singular and valuable Substance is sold in fine powder, then mixed with linseed oil to the consistency of thick paint, and applied with a brush, and after an exposure of a few months to the atmosphere, this coating becomes a perfect slate or coat of mail protecting whatever is covered from the action of the weather and fiom fire. It is a mineral substance, and has been found upon analyzation by Dr. Chilton, of the city ot New York, to consist of larger pro portions of Silicia Alumine, Prot. Oxide of Iron and Magnesia, with lesser of Lime and Carbon. It is used extensively for cover ing roofs of either shingles, matched boards, tin, zinc,sheet iron or thick paper, if your shingles have been on for years, you have only to sweep off the moss and lint, with a stiff broom, and cover with two or three good coats, and in a few months you have a perfect slate roof, impervious to the action of the weather and /ire. There is nothing equal to it for steamboats and car decks, for all kinds of iron, it forms a coating nearly as hard as the iron itself, and never cleaves off. It should be used for everything that you wish to piotect from fire and weather. In some places a spurious article has been sold as the ejenuine, therefore purchasers should be careful to buv of authorized Agents. Every Bbl. is marked BLAKE’S FIREPROOF PAINT. The above Paint is for sale by C. A. L. LAMAR, sept 13 ts Savannah, Ga. FALL AND WINTER CLOTHING. TO the Merchants of Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ala bama and Florida.—The subscribers having established a house in this city for the sale of READY MADE CLOTHING in connection with an extensive Manufacturing establishment in New ark, N. J., where one of the firm gives his personal attention en tirely to the manufacture, while the other devotes himself to the receipt and sale of the same in Savannah. Possessing these advan tages, we (latter ourselves that we can compete with any establish ment in the United States in Price, style and workmanship, We are now receiving our Fall and Winter supply, to which we invite the attention of merchants, planters, and the public in general, sept 6 PIERSON & HEIDT. ~R. S. HARDWICK & COOKE, FACTORS Sc COMMISSION MERCHANTS, Savannah. Ga. THE Undersigned have associated themselves, under the above style, in the business above specified. Mr. Hardwick is a Planter of Hancock county, and, of course, identified in feeling and interest with his brother Planters. Mr. Cooke is a citizen of Sa vannah, and is thoroughly acquainted with all the branches of the Commission Business. We are prepared to make liberal advances on produce instore, and will fill orders for Plantation and Family Supplies with scrupu lous care. We are mutually hound not to speculate in Cotton or any other article of Merchandise. We respectfully solicit patronage and pledge ourselves to deserve it by faithful attention to the business entrusted to us. R. S HARDWICK, aug 23 J. G. COOKE. Staves. PERSONS in the country desirous of engaging in getting out Staves, are informed that the preparation required for foreign export is as follows : To be made either out of Whitt Oah or Water Oak Trees. Length, from 42 to 44 inches. Breadth, not less than 4 or more than 7 inches. Thickness, not less than 1 or more than inches on the thinest part of the thinest edge. The back and edge of the Stave should be dressed down to the same thickness—should have a clear cleft or split, and be free fiom knots, crooks, and worm-holes. Staves prepared in conformity with this specification will be re ceived at the full market price during the ensuing autumn and winter. Present value, thirty-five dollars per one thousand piece* ■Aug 2 ANDREW LOW & CO. JOHN A. GEORGE.~ TIN PLATE,SHEET IRON, COPPER, ZINC AND LEAD WORKER , No. SO, St. Julian Street. THE Subscriber would inform the public that no hands but those who are fully competent to turn out work in <*ll branches of his business faithfully and workmanlike, at the shortest notice. Particularly Ship and House Plumbing. A Good Assort ment of Manufactured Tin Ware will hereafter be kept constantly on hand at low prices for Cash. Orders from the County punctually attended to. ly aug 23 WINDOW SASHES AND BLINDS.—SOOO lights, 8 by JO Sash; 2000 do JO by] 2 do; 1000 do assorted sizes; JOO pair Venetian Blinds, assorted sizes. For sale by Aug 2 J G. FALLIGANT. WANTED TO HIRE—A Negro Boy,about 14 to 16 years old, of good oharacter, and well acquainted with the city. En quire at this office. ts octll WHITE LEAD.—IO,OOO LBS. Atlantic White Lead, war ranted pure ; 4000 English do. do. do. For sale by J. G. FALLIGANT. WOOD, WOOD, WOOD.—The subscribers will keep con stantly on hand a supply of the best Black Jack and Oak Wood for sale in lots to suit purchasers. R. A. ALLEN &CO oct 4 3mo Turpentine. 1 O BARREL.S City Distilled, for sale by A\J Aug 2 J. G . FALLIGANT* HOWARD HOUSE, MARIETTA , GEORGIA WE are gratified to inform the public, and especially travel’ from the low country, that the Howard House passed into our agency, we are determined to do away with ?* complaints that Marietta does not afford the requisite convenien by which visiters would be induced to sojourn in this delightfyj *)** The Howard House is now renovated, and accommodations n pared which cannot fail to please. ‘1 he chambers are pleasant conveniently furnished. The table will be amply supplied every luxury the country affords. Attentive servants are eng>J ? In short, if agreeable quarters, a well spread table, cleanliness atiention, joined with moderate charges, can pl as3, we assure patrons that they will be found at the Howard House, sep 6 DIX FLETCHER Swift, Dcnslow & Webster. DEALERS in Groceries Provisions, Foreio n and Domestic Liquors, Oil, Gunpowder, Shot Print?n and wrapping Paper. Corner of Buy and Whituker-striW Savannah, Georgia. * DWARD SWIFT, ALLEN A. DENSLOW, JOSEPH W. WF.BSTH July 25 FALL AND WINTF.It (’■LOTHIN(L “ JUS I received per brig Clinton, a splendid assortment of Tw? h Coats, Frocks and Sacks, fancy Cass. Pants, fancy Silk t Ca*s. Vests, together with a large assoitment of Twilled Cl Th Pants and Jackets, Satinet Pants and Jackets, Corderoy p at , Beaver Coats, Sacks, Blanket and Flushing Coats and Over Srl For sale, very low, wholesale and retail, at No. JO Whitaker-ttre sept 6 PIERSON Sc HEIDT Dentistry. DR. P A NCOST has removed to Bryan street, East side Mon ument square, near the State bank, where he may be found at all hours, night or day, fully prepared to wait upon his friends and the public generally. N. B. Artificial teeth inserted fiom one to a whole set and in ured to give satisfaction to the wearer. N - B- Charges greatly reduced. Gmo au* i) A CARO. THE undersigned having re-opened, with an entire New Stock of DRUGS, CHEMICALS and FANCY ARTICLES, at No. 139 (South side) Broughton street, (formerly Walker’s Marble Yard,) is now ready to furnish any thing in his line,, at the shortest notice. WATER, made in his own peculiar way, sent to any part ~f the city, and always to be had at the store, in the highest state of perfection. Prescriptions put up with care and despatch. The subscriber having served the public long and faithfully respectfully solicits u share of their patronage. ’’ n P r 26 TUGS. RYERSON. To the Planters and Farmers of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tenn essee and Florida. T AM THE AUTHORIZED AGENT for the i. sale and purchase of the CAM ELINA SATTVA or GOLD OF PLEASURE SEED, a native of Siberia. 1 am now leady to fill all orders tor the seed, and being au thorized by the Company to purchase the same, I will pay the highest market price for all that may be shipped to me in Savannah. WM. HUMPHREYS, Jr., may 31 Agent for the Company of New York. Situation Wanted. A \OLNG MAN, as Clerk or Hook keeper, g >od i efei ences can he given to any person needing his services. Apply at this office. “ In ., v 31 (LOTBBIAG. DIERSON & HEIDT offer for sale Clothinc, J. Wholesale and Retail, at New Y r ork prices. No. 10 Whitaker-street. n p r gg To the Public. THE Subscriber, having entered extensively into the making ot BRICK of a superior quality to nny manufactured in this city, is prepared to till orders at the short est notice, and as low as any esfabl.shment of the kind in or near Savannah. WM. H. LLOYD. June 21 ROBERT N. ADAMS, CABINET-MAKER AND UNDERTAKER No. 93 Broughton St., Savannah, Ga., TS prepared to execute all orders in his line at _L the lowest prices, with dispatch. Orders from the country pioinptlv attended to. Ready-made coffins ulwnys on hand, and made to order at short notice. J une 28 __ 3mo ilfl. A. C ohen. (Late of the firm of S. Solomons Cos.) COMISSION AND FORWARDING MERCHANT. . . savannah, ga. Agent for stenm packets 11. L. Cook and Ivanhoe. may 10 M A RSeT&T WEBSTeTI ATTORNEYS AT LAW, 175 Bay-Street—Up-Stairs. SAVANNAH, GEORGIA. Mulford Marsh. Andrew >f. Wkbstkk BOOK AND JOB PRINTING, Os all kinds, executed nt this Office, with nrnlncu despatch. HAVING lately put our Office in complete order and made large additions to it, we have now the most ex tensive Job Printing Office in the City and are preparedto execute all kinds of PLAIN AND FANCY PRINTING with neatness and despatch, and on the most accomodating terms. Office 102 Brvan-street, entrance on Bay Lane. Savannah, March 22d, 1849. EDWARD J. PURSE- A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, A WEEKLY SOUTHERN NEWSPAPER, PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY EDWARD J. PURSE, t TERMS:—T WO DOLLARS AYE AK * Three Copies for one year, or one copy three years, $5 W Seven Copies, - _ _ . _ jo |1 Twelve Copies, - - _ . _ _ }5 o<l *** Advertisements to a limited extent, will be at the rate of 50 cents for a square of nine lines or less. the first insertion, and 30 cents for each subsequent insert^ 11 ’ Business cards inserted for a year at Five Dollars. SdF* A liberal discount will be made to Post Masters w # will do us the favor to act as Agents. Postmasters are authorized to remit money to Publish and all money mailed in presence of the Postmaster, duly forwarded by him, is at our risk. All communications to be addressed (post-p ai( h t 0 E. J. PURSE, Savannah, 6*