some practice in this method, a person who has a good ear for music may acquire so clear an idea of the distances, that he will be enabled to sing tolerably at sight, without those last-mentioned assistances." Having lately made extraordinary exertions to obtain (either by loan or purchase) every book which professes to teach the art of singing at sight, I shall be much surprised if the reader of the above quotation has met with this method of hitting distances in any other published Preceptor, but Mr. Sharp's. The monosyllables Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, taken from a Latin Hymn used in honour of St. John the Baptist, have long been the young singer's elementary guides to distances in every country; and have enabled many practitioners (according to the musician's objectionable phrase) to arrive at a perfect intonation by hitting difficult intervals correctly. Dr. Pepusch preferred Guido's Hexachord for Solmization or Sol-fa-ing. Rousseau condemned the old English method, which retrenched the Ut and Re from it. The greater part of treatises, and instructors, recommend Le Maire's addition of Si to it. But Mr. Sharp, like many others, looked upon all these methods as perplexing and unnecessary impediments in the shortest and easiest road to the end he had in view. He recommends all his exercises to be sung with the monosyllable La; which is not exactly the short practice of the modern Italians, for they drop the liquid L, and only use the open vowel A. But in their conservatorios the elaborate Solfeggio, with modulations and mutations, is severely taught: they also substitute Do for Ut. Mr. Sharp's scales showing the different octaves of the three cliffs-where the semitones occur in what he terms the flat and sharp keys-his measurement of distances and time—are nearly the same as those taught and exemplified by the best didactic authors and masters. But, in justice to Mr. Sharp, it will be readily acknowledged, that although he was blest with learning, he has condescended to explain them with language more intelligible to common readers; and I doubt not that the " Short Introduction to Vocal Music, by Granville Sharp," has been, and will be, found to answer the purposes of instruction; which is all that was aimed at, as will be evident by this paragraph cited out of his modest preface: "The author, however, that he may not seem to make much ado about nothing, begs leave to assure his readers, that, insignificant as his method of hitting distances may appear to some, it has nevertheless been practised by several persons with great success. He therefore flatters himself, that the young persons for whose use the following rules were drawn up, will not esteem them unworthy their consideration, especially when they shall find that this method of learning music requires very little time in comparison of the old method of Sol-fa-ing." As his observations on choir music (p. 29) may be read with advantage by inarticulate singers, I shall here transcribe them. "The next material thing to be considered in vocal music, is the speaking of the words distinct and plain, with suitable expression; which alone, and not the singing quick (a false notion, which too much prevails in choir music), can add spirit to the performance: but this, if the student's own genius does not direct him, must be taught by a good master, as it cannot so easily be explained in writing. "To conclude, I must advise the learner to choose the easiest and slowest compositions to begin his practice with, such as common Psalm tunes, and other slow movements. A farther and complete understanding of vocal music can only be acquired by being long conversant in the science. "Some examples for practice are subjoined, wherein the supposed notes* are inserted, agreeable to the directions in p. 15. Having now finished my remarks upon the Introduction, with as much accuracy, I hope, as was requisite, I shall beg leave to conclude with an apposite anecdote, which escaped me in its proper place. A magnificent barge, in which the three harmonious brothers, their relatives and friends, occasionally made extensive excursions on the Thames, attracted universal admiration. The ears of listening auditors on the crowded banks were gratified, not with common water-music, but with the more mellifluous tones of stringed instruments, produced by the expressive fingers of professors so highly excellent that I cannot withhold from you an alphabetical arrangement of their names: The vocal effects were equally delightful, as you will readily conceive while you are reading the following list of such distinguished performers: Harrison, who were alternately accompanied by a Bates, a Burney, a Cooke, a Parsons, or a Wesley. "The supposed notes are distinguished from the appoggiaturas, by being marked as semiquavers; and the learner must endeavour to be swift and transient in the use of them." This well-constructed vessel attracted the notice of their Majesties, and afforded accommodation suitable to the dignity of royalty. My dear Sir, I value your regard for truth so highly, that I have been particularly careful not to risk the loss of your friendship by the admission of a falsehood into the above remarks: for it ever has been, and ever shall be, the wish of my heart to remain Yours faithfully, No. VII. WILLIAM SHIELD. SPANISH REGULATIONS FOR THE GRADUAL ENFRANCHISEMENT M." The Regulations lately adopted by the Spaniards at the Havannah and some other places for enfranchising slaves, are to the following effect. "As soon as a slave is landed, his name, price, &c. are registered in a public register; and the master is obliged, by law, to allow him one working day in every week to himself, besides Sundays: so that if the slave chooses to work for his master on that day, he receives the wages of a freeman; and whatever he gains by his labour on that day is so secured to him by law, that the master cannot deprive him of it. This is certainly a considerable step towards the abolishing absolute slavery. As soon as the slave is able to purchase another working day, the master is obliged to sell it to him at a proportionable price-viz. one-fifth part of his original cost;—and so likewise the remaining four days at the same rate, as soon as the slave is able to redeem them: after which he is absolutely free. This is such encouragement to industry, that even the most indolent are tempted to exert themselves. Men who have thus worked out their freedom, are inured to the labour of the country, and are certainly the most useful subjects that a colony can acquire. Regulations might be formed upon the same plan, to encourage the industry of slaves that are already imported into the colonies, which would teach them how to maintain themselves, and be as useful, as well as less expensive, to the planter. They would by such means become members of society, and have an interest in the welfare of the community, which would add greatly to the strength and security of each colony : whereas, at present, the planters are in continual danger of being cut off by their slaves." No. VIII. SHIP ZONG.-(see p. 243.) An Account of the Murder of One Hundred and Thirty-two Negro Slaves on Board the Ship Zong, or Zung, with some Remarks on the Arguments of an eminent Lawyer in Defence of that inhuman Transaction, enclosed in the Letter of the 2d July, 1783, to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty*. THE ship Zong, or Zung, Luke Collingwood master, sailed from the island of St. Thomas, on the coast of Africa, the 6th September, 1781, with four hundred and forty slaves (or four hundred and forty-two) and seventeen Whites on board, for Jamaica; and on the 27th November following she fell in with that island; but, instead of proceeding to some port, the master, either through ignorance or a sinister intention, ran the ship to leeward, alleging that he mistook Jamaica for Hispaniola Sickness and mortality had by this time taken place, which is almost constantly the case on board slave-ships, through the avarice of these most detestable traders, which induces them to crowd, or rather to pack, too many slaves together in the holds of their ships; so that on board the Zong, between the time of her leaving the coast of Africa and the 29th November 1781, sixty slaves and upwards, and seven White people, died; and a great number of the remaining slaves, on the day last mentioned, were sick of some disorder or disorders, and likely to die, or not live long. These circumstances of sickness and mortality are necessary to be remarked, and also the consequence of them-viz. that the dead and dying slaves would have been a dead loss to the owners, and, in some proportion, a loss also to the persons employed by the owners, unless some pretence or expedient had been found to throw the loss upon the insurers, as in the case of Jetsam, or Jetson-i. e. a plea of necessity to cast overboard some part of a cargo to save the rest. These circumstances, I say, are necessary to be remarked, because they point out the most probable inducement to this enormous wickedness. The sickness and mortality on board the Zong, previous to the 29th November 1781 (the time when they began to throw the poor Negroes overboard alive), was NOT occasioned by the want of water; for it was proved that they did not discover till that very day, the 29th November (or the preceding day), that the stock of fresh water was reduced to two hundred gallons: yet the same day, or in the evening of it, "before any soul had been put to short allowance," and before there was any present or real want of water," the "master of the ship called together a few of the officers, and told them to the following "effect:-that, if the slaves died a natural death, it would be the loss of the owners of "the ship; but if they were thrown alive into the sea, it would be the loss of the This account was accompanied with various vouchers, to which all the passages marked with inverted commas are referred. с 66 underwriters:" and, to palliate the inhuman proposal, he the said Collingwood pretended, that "it would not be so cruel to throw the poor sick wretches [meaning such "slaves] into the sea, as to suffer them to linger out a few days under the disorders with "which they were afflicted, or expressed himself to the like effect." To which proposal the mate (whose name is Colonel James Kelsal) objected, it seems, at the first, and said "there was no present want of water to justify such a measure." But "the said "Luke Collingwood prevailed upon the crew, or the rest of them, to listen to his said "proposal; and the same evening, and two or three or some few following days, the said "Luke Collingwood picked, or caused to be picked out, from the cargo of the same ་་ ship, one hundred and thirty-three slaves, all or most of whom were sick or weak, and "not likely to live; and ordered the crew by turns to throw them into the sea; which "most inhuman order was cruelly complied with." I am informed, by a memorandum from the deposition of Kelsal the chief mate (one of the murderers), that fifty-four persons were actually thrown overboard alive on the 29th of November; and that forty-two more were also thrown overboard on the 1st December. And on this very day, the 1st December 1781, before the stock of water was consumed, there fell a plentiful rain, which, by the confession of one of their own advocates, "continued a "day or two, and enabled them to collect six casks of water, which was full allowance "for eleven days, or for twenty-three days at half-allowance;" whereas the ship actually arrived at Jamaica in twenty-one days afterwards-viz. on the 22d December, 1781. They seem also to have had an opportunity of sending their boat for water no less than thirteen days sooner, viz. on the 9th December, when they "made the west "end of Jamaica, distant two or three leagues only," as I am informed by a person who was on board: and yet, notwithstanding this proof of a possibility that they might perhaps obtain further supplies by rain, or that they might be able to hold out with their new-increased stock of water till they might chance to meet with some ship, or be able to send to some island for a further supply, they nevertheless cast twenty-six more human persons alive into the sea, even after the rain*, whose hands were also fettered or bound; and which was done, it seems, in the sight of many other unhappy sufferers that were brought up upon the deck for the same detestable purpose, whereby ten of these miserable human creatures were driven to the lamentable necessity of jumping overboard, to avoid the fettering or binding of their hands, and were likewise drowned! Thus one hundred and thirty-two innocent human persons were wilfully put to a violent death, not on account of any mutiny or insurrection, nor even through the fear of any such (for the circumstance of being brought up upon the deck with their hands loose, and in so large a number together as more than ten at one time, and also the circumstance of binding and casting others overboard in their presence, which terrified ten of them into the desperate act of jumping overboard, entirely excludes the least idea of fearing an insurrection),-but merely on a pretended plea of necessity through the want of water, (as alleged by the murderers)-a plea of necessity which is confuted even by the circumstances of the evidence produced in favour of it!-a want, which was so far from taking place when the murder was committed, that they had at least two hundred gallons of fresh water, by their own confession, besides two butts and a half • See Vouchers. |