quimaux at the three settlements, formed by the brethren on the coast of LABRADOR, was, towards the close of the last year, about 230. A variety of interesting particulars respecting them we are at present obliged to omit, for want of room.

The settlement near the CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, at Bavianskloof, or, as it is now called, Gnadenthal, flourishes greatly. The congregation consists of 547 persons; besides whom there are about 300 Hottentots residing at the settlement, and under religious instruction. One of the missionaries thus writes-" What we lost in Governor Jansen, God has given us again in Lord Caledon : when we called upon him, he assured us of his friendship and good will to our mission." His Excellency proposed to the missionaries to form a second settlement, at a place which he offered to grant them, urging the benefit which would attend the extension of their labors among the Hottentots. The missionaries agreed to send two of their number to reside at the place pointed out by Lord Caledon, until they should learn the pleasure of their brethren in Europe, by whose determination their measures must be finally guided. On the 18th of February, 1808, his Excellency visited Gnadenthal, in company with Lord Blaney and a general officer, and inspected the whole economy of the settlement. The Hottentot children welcomed him by singing some verses, which seemed to afford him pleasure: he express ed surprise at their sweet and musical voices. A party of the men then approached, and one of them stepped forward and addressed his Excellency in a short speech, ex

pressive of joy at his safe arrival and his condescension in visiting the settlement; and of the fervent prayers of the Hottentot congregation, that God would bless him, and enable them to be faithful and obedient. Lord Caledon thanked them, and assured them of his favor and protection. In the evening, he and his suite went to church; and next morning he took leave, with many expres sions of kindness and good will.

We must defer, till another oppor. tunity, any farther extracts from these accounts.

Ibid.

MISSION TO TARTARY.

Letters from Karass have been received, dated in January last. Mr. Brunton, the superintendant of the mission, was recovering from a severe illness; but he had lost his wife, who, in November last, died of an abscess in her lungs, full of the faith and hope of the Gospel. Since last July, a considerable number of the following tracts had been circulated. 1. Advice of a Friend to a Mohammedan, in 52 pages 8vo. 2. The Principles of the New Testament, in 14 pages 8vo. 3. Letter in Defence of St. Paul's Apostleship, in 7 pages 8vo. 4. A Catechism, in 56 pages 8vo. 5. St. Matthew's Gospel, in 50 pages folio. These tracts had ex, cited much attention and inquiry among the people, and some hostility among the Mohammedan doctors. They had prohibited the people from reading them; but this had only led to their more eager perusal. The Gospel of St. Matthew seemed to be much prized, and well understood.

THE public have been repeatedly informed of my design to compile a large and complete Dictionary of the English language; and most men of learning are probably apprised of the opposition manifested, in various parts of the country, and especially in the eastern part of New England, to this attempt at improving the lexicography of our language. The unabating zeal displayed, on this subject, by various remarks and strictures published in the Anthology, indicates a spirit of enmity very unusual; the motives of which I will not attempt to explain. If honest, the men who possess them evidently manifest more zeal than knowledge or discretion. It is not improbable that many gentlemen mistake my views and the tenor of the remarks, which I have made on the English philological works which are now used in this country: if so, some explanations are due to the public, and required by a decent regard to my own reputation. But as the spirit displayed in the Anthology renders it necessary for me to withhold all communication, with the conductors of that work, I beg leave to trouble the readers of the Panoplist, with a few observations in explanation of the motives by which I have been actuated, and in vindication of my conduct, principles, and designs.

The principal charges against me, may be comprehended in these particulars-That I have indulged too much freedom in censuring the works of many men, of unquestiona ble erudition, and of established reputation in philology; and that I have displayed great zeal in pressing my own publications upon my fellow citizens.

In regard to the first charge, I can say most sincerely that if I have ever violated the rules of decorum in my strictures upon authors, it is a subject of much regret; for nothing is more abhorrent to my feelings, and

repugnant to my principles. I really thought that in the preface to my Compendious Dictionary I had treated Dr. Johnson, bishop Lowth, and other English authors with a due degree of respect; having uniformly expressed my high opinion of their erudition, and having censured Mason, for the contemptuous manner in which he speaks of Dr. Johnson. In my letter to Dr. Ramsay, I have also censured Mr. Horne Tooke for the severity of his remarks on the same author. I have attempted to point out many errors in the works of those distinguished authors, and to prove the errors, by numerous examples and authorities. In the view of ma ny learned men, these proofs appear amply sufficient for the purpose. In the view of others perhaps the proofs are not sufficient, for it would be very extraordinary that no differences of opinion should exist on this subject.

One thing is certain, that in whatever I have alleged, I have been actuated by a firm belief of the truth of my assertions; and, on a review of what I have written, aided by further researches, I can now declare my be lief that, far from exaggerating the errors and defects of the English dic tionaries and grammars used in our country, I am persuaded that my rep. resentations come very much short of the truth.

In addition to what I have said on the works of Lowth, Johnson, Varro, Vossius, Junius, and Skinner, I will now mention the Hebrew Lexicon of Parkhurst. I have no doubt that the sense of Hebrew words has been generally understood; but a great number of Hebrew words which are treated as radical, are compound or derivative, and a multitude of words are arranged by Hebricians, under roots with which they have no con. nexion.

Equally erroneous and defective are the Latin and Greek Lexicons, in assigning words to their radicals. I

have made no enumeration of these errors, but in the dictionaries of Ainsworth, Schrevelius, and Johnson, probably, not one word in fifty is tra ced to its radical signification.

In making these representations, I am persuaded my motives are pure and honorable. They spring not from vanity, or a disposition to depreciate the learned labors of other men. My real motive is to justify to the world my design of publishing a new work. I hold it to be very improper to tax the public with the expense of a new publication, without offering to the purchaser, as a compensation, real and valuable improvements. It is a common practice for men, for the purpose of acquiring fame or money, to make books by selection, without the merit of erudition, or the toil of research; and there may be cases, especially in regard to school books, in which the practice, if not commendable, is at least not very censurable. There are other instances in which men of very superficial attainments,aided by good taste and judgment, acquire more celebrity, as well as property, than authors of ten times their eru. dition.

In my contemplated Dictionary, I design to offer a new illustration of the origin and progress of language; altogether different from any thing that has yet appeared. I offer this in confidence, not that my work will be perfect, but that the fruits of my investigations will be a valuable acquisition to the republic of letters; and not to the English nation and their descendants only, but to most of the nations of Europe. After making due allowance for the partiality of every author for his own productions, I am persuaded that the improvements I contemplate, will appear to deserve encouragement, and to be an ample equivalent for the expense of a new work. These are my real views-such and no other are my

motives.

To the importance of such re. searches as I am making, different persons will attach different ideas. In my own opinion, no researches into the origin of arts, or the history of man and his improvements are unimportant; much less, in

quiries into the origin and history of his noblest art. But I have learnt that this subject is intimately connected with the history of nations ; and not only ancient authors, sacred and profane, but the origin and migration of nations, may be illustrated by an investigation into their lan guages.

This explanation will, I trust, obviate the censure I have incurred, by endeavoring to spread the circulation of my school books. The small books I have published furnish my only means of subsistence, while 1 devote my time exclusively to literary studies. Some of them at least have been well received; I gratefully acknowledge this reception; but I wish not the public to give curren cy to any book of my composition, unless the purchaser believes it to be as good as any other of the kind, and finds himself indemnified for the purchase in the value of the book.

Having relinquished a lucrative business, for the purpose of pursuing a favorite study; and finding my means inadequate to the great ex penses of the undertaking; having a numerous family and an aged father, bending under the weight of four score and eight years, looking to me for support; I am bound by all the ties of duty, affection, and humanity, to seek for such patronage as is due to my honest exertions. I seek only the fruits of honest labor, which for eight and twenty years, has been unceasingly devoted to the best interests of my fellow-citizens.

I am happy to find, that many en. lightened men in this country who are best acquainted with my views and my designs, are disposed to ren der me all the services in their power. Equally gratifying is it, that the Eclectic reviewers in England, have spontaneously expressed their readiness to aid me in my undertaking.

The prospectus of my work, inserted below, has been sent to the principal towns in the Northern States, for the purpose of procuring aid from such gentlemen of talents and property, as may have the disposition and the ability, to afford me encouragement. If I should meet with the necessary aid from this proposal, I shall prosecute the work

with diligence and satisfaction. If not, I shall either abandon the undertaking, or apply to the liberality

of English gentlemen for the necessary means to enable me to accomplish the work I have begun.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

In this Work, the Compiler attempts the following objects.

1. To comprehend all the legitimate words, in the English Language, common and technical, with perspieuous and discriminating definitions, exemplified by authorities, in all cases in which authority is deemed necessary to vindicate the use of a word, or illustrate its signification. This article includes the new terms in chemistry, mineralogy, geology, botany, and zoology.

2. To contract the size of the work within the smallest compass that is consistent with the comprehensive ness of its design; and by reducing the price considerably below that of Johnson's larger work, to render it more accessible to men of small property. 3. To exhibit the true orthography and pronunciation of words, according to the most approved English practice.

4. To explain obsolete words, found in ancient English authors. These words will constitute a separate department of the work.

5. To deduce words from their primitive roots, and exhibit the affinity of the English Language with various other Languages. This part of the work will be new, and will offer results singularly novel and interesting; unfolding the connexion between the languages of the principal races of men, consisting of the Assyrian stock in Asia and Africa; and of the Celtic and Teutonic, in Europe.

It is believed this work will form three large Octavo Volumes, which, well printed on fine paper, cannot be afforded at less than twelve or fifteen dollars. The compiler has already devoted about five years to the execution of this work, and about the same time will be necessary to complete it. Specimens of the work have been exhibited to Gentlemen of the first literary attainments in NewYork, N. Haven, Boston, Salem,

BY NOAH WEBSTER, JUN, ESQ.

Newburyport, Portsmouth, and sev. eral other towns; and the gentlemen, while they differ from the compiler, as well as from each other, as to the propriety of some parts of the scheme of minor consideration, have unanimously expressed their approbation of the General Design, and their readiness to give it all the encouragement in their power.

As the execution of this work, la. borious beyond any thing, of a literary kind, hitherto undertaken in the United States, must occupy a large portion of the compiler's life, to the exclusion of other employments; and as the expenses to be incurred during this period, which cannot be less than fifteen thousand dollars, will ex. ceed his own pecuniary resources, he is advised to offer to gentlemen of property and liberal views of the value of this undertaking, a Prospec tus of the work, and invite a subscription to aid him in this arduous design. As the exact price of the work cannot yet be determined, it is proposed that gentlemen, disposed to patronize the undertaking, should advance a part of the price, which may be either five dollars or ten, at the option of each subscriber, and receive a copy of the work, when finished, neatly printed and bound, at the lowest retail price, deducting the money advanced. The compiler, on his part, stipulates to complete the work, as speedily as the nature of the design and his own health will permit, and deliver the books to subscribers at some bookstore in the principal town in the state where the subscribers respectively reside; of which place due notice shall be given in the public prints.

NOAH WEBSTER, jun.

Yale College, November 2, 1809. To NOAH WEBSTER, Jun. Esq.

ion concerning the Dictionary, which you are preparing for the press. From the specimens which we have seen, we entertain very favorable thoughts concerning the work; and believe, that, if completed as it has been begun, it will excel the best Dictionaries in our possession, and throw important light upon our language.

We sincerely regret, that you have so many obstacles to encounter, par

ticularly so many prejudices, in an undertaking, which, we think, will be honorable to you, and useful to the public. We are sir, yours, &c. TIMOTHY DWIGHT, President. JEREMIAH DAY, M. and P. N. Prof. BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, Professor of Chemistry.

JAMES L. KINGSLEY, Professor of Languages.

ORIGINAL.

American Artillerist's Companion, or, Elements of Artillery. Treating of all kinds of fire arms in detail, and of the formation, object, and ser vice of the Flying or Horse Artillery. In two octavo volumes. Accompanied with a quarto volume containing sixty seven plates, with their explanations. The volumes embellished with portraits of General G. Washington, and the Author. By Louis De Toussard,member of the society of the Cincinnati; late lieut. col. adjoint to the general staff in the armies of H. I. and R. M. late lieut. col. commandant of the second regiment, and inspector of artillery of the United States. Price $16 handsomely bound and lettered. Philadelphia, C. & A. Conrad, 1809.

An Oration delivered June 21, 1809, on the day of the author's induction into the office of Bartlet Professor of Pulpit Eloquence in the Divinity College, at Andover. By Edward D. Griffin, D.D. Boston, Farrand, Mallory, and Co. 1810.

A Sermon at the Inauguration of the Rev. Edward D. Griffin, D.D. Bartlet Professor of Pulpit Eloquence in the Theological Institution in Andover, June 21, 1809. By Samuel Spring, D.D Boston, Farrand, Mallory, & Co. 1810.

A Journal of Travels in England, Holland, and Scotland, and of two passages over the Atlantic, in the years 1805 and 1806. In two volumes. By Benjamin Silliman, Professor of Chemistry and Natural History in Yale College, New Haven. A Compendium and Digest of the

NEW EDITIONS.

Elements of Moral Science. By James Beattie, LL. D. Professor of Moral Philosophy and Logic in the Marischal College and University of Aberdeen. In two volumes. Philadelphia, Hopkins & Earle, 1809.

Tales of Fashionable Life, by Miss Edgeworth, Author of Practical Education, Belinda, Castle Rackrent, Essay on Irish Bulls, &c. In two vols containing Ennui and Almeria. Boston, J. Eliot, Jr. 1810. '

Don Sebastian; or, The House of Braganza. An Historical Romance. Four volumes in two. Philadelphia, M. Carey, 1810.

Letters from Warburton to Hurd; or, Letters from a late eminent prelate to one of his friends. First A-. merican edition. New York, E. Sargent, 1809.

The Scripture Doctrine of Atonemeat, proposed to careful examina