exclamation," How exactly you refemble your mother!" there was a conflict between grief and joy depictured in his countenancegrief for the loss of an invaluable wife, and joy, that the child fhe had bequeathed to his efpecial care was the image no lefs of her fweetness of difpofition, than of the beauty of her perfon.

To teach Emily to fpeak and write her own language correctly and elegantly-to form proper and edifying notions of the Chriftian Religion and its divine Author, and to fix her mind upon the beautiful and fublime works of creation, were the leading topics of her father's inftructions. They became at various times the fubjects of the following Conversations.

CHAP.

CHAP. V.

THE ADVANTAGES OF A KNOWLEDGE OF

ENGLISH GRAMMAR,

CONVERSATION 1.

AFTER Emily had carefully gone through the most important parts of Lindley Murray's English Grammar, and transcribed many of its rules, her father had the following converfation with her upon the fubject.

Emily. As you are fo kind as to teach me Grammar, I hope you will tell me the use of it.

Colonel Lorton. The knowledge of Grammar will enable you to speak and write in a proper manner. This knowledge marks the diftinction between the well informed and the illiterate, and is the certain proof of a polite education.

Emily. What is the meaning of Orthcgraphy, the first part of Grammar?

Colone! Lorton. It is the method of fpelling with correctnefs. Faults in fpelling are deemed inexcufable in perfons who have had a good education. Accuracy in this respect, it is true, will not entitle you to praise, but it will fecure you from blame. Faults may be avoided by confulting a spelling dictionary, and you had much better take the trouble of turning over a few leaves to find a word, than expose yourself to the cenfure or the ridicule of your correfpondents. The dictionary of Dr. Johnfon is the beft in our language. You have the octavo edition, which is an abridgment of the original work, and is very convenient for a lady's ufe. You will find it of great fervice in the definitions, that is, in explaining the meaning of words.

Emily. Does Dr. Johnfon always follow the fame rule in fpelling?

Colonel Lorton. He fpelled many words riginally derived from Latin like the French because it was his opinion, that we took them

from

from the latter language; for example, he wrote favour and honour, and yet he always fpelled author without an u. He wrote in-quire not enquire, and yet he recommends entire from the French entier, instead of intire from the Latin word integer. The prefent mode of spelling requires us to omit the in all words of more than two fyllables, as im ambaffador, governor, protector, &c.

E. I am at a lofs how to fpell words that are fometimes ended with k, and fometimes without it. adize

C. Dr. Johnfon preferves, I believe al ways, the mode of ending fuch words ast mufic, critic, ruftic, and profaic, with a k One who doubts of every thing muft furely be a very strange being; and how unpleafing to the eye does the word appear which expreffes thefe ideas, when reprefented thus Skeptick-fuch is Dr. Johnson's manner of fpelling it in his Dictionary. Partiality to this letter exifts no longer, though we retain it indeed in ftick, and its compounds candle

ftick, &c. and in words of one fyllable, as in fick, &c.

E. What is the meaning of Etymology, the fecond part of Grammar?

C. It treats of the different kinds of words, and the words from which others are derived. E. What is its use?

C. Without fome knowledge of Etymology, you will be liable to make frequent, and fometimes ridiculous mistakes, by using one word instead of another which resembles it. This was. the cafe with the perfon, who after having feen an obelisk, which means a pillar, faid he had feen a bafilifk, which means a fnake; and complained that he was confined to a strict regiment, which means a number of foldiers under a colonel, inftead of regimen, which means a manner of living according to rule.

E. I believe the words Orthography and Etymology are derived from the Greek; is our language derived from others as well as Greek?

C. Yes, for we have words derived from