HISTORY

O F

THE SOCIETY.

L1

ITERARY Class. Mr DALZEL read a Philological Difsertation on certain Analogies obferved by the Greeks in the use of their Letters; and particularly of the Letter Σ; which is printed in this volume. [No. IV. Lit. Cl.]

Phyfical Clafs. THE Secretary read a Letter to the Society, from the Reverend Dr ROBERTSON, inclofing one from Mr FRASER, Under-fecretary of State, and one from M. ANISSON of Paris, with a Memoir on the fubject of Printing.

Lit. Cl. Dr GREGORY read a continuation of his Effay on the general Notion of the Relation of Cause and Effect. [See Vol. I. Hift. Nov. 15. 1784. and March 21. 1785.]

1785.

Dec. 19.

Mr Dalzel on the Greek .

1786. Jan. 2. Memoir on printing.

Jan. 16.

Dr Gregory on caufe and effect.

1786.

Jan. 23. General Meet

ing.

Feb. 7.

Dr Home on Amaurofis.

Dr Small's demonstrations of Dr Stewart's theorems.

Feb. zo.

Prof. Young on the Greek middle voice.

March 6.

Mr Robifon on

the Georgium Sidus.

March 20. Dr Macfarlan

on the landtax.

Prof. Young on the Greek middle voice.

April 3. Mr Playfair's

life of Dr Matthew Stewart.

A GENERAL Meeting of the Royal Society was held for the election of Members. [See Vol. I. Appendix to the History of the Society.]

Phyf. Cl. Dr FRANCIS HOME read a paper on Amaurofis.

THE Reverend Dr SMALL read the Heads of a paper containing Demonstrations of twenty-eight of the Theorems published in 1746, by the late Reverend Dr MATTHEW STEWART, Profeffor of Mathematics in the University of Edinburgh. The Demonstrations are printed in this volume. [No. XII. Phys. Cl.]

Lit. Cl. Mr DALZEL, one of the Secretaries, read part of an Effay on the Middle Voice of the Greek Verb, written by Profeffor JOHN YOUNG, of the University of Glasgow. On account of fome additions intended to be made by the Author, the publication of this Effay is poftponed to a subsequent volume of the Tranfactions.

Phyf. Cl. Mr Profeffor ROBISON read a paper on the Orbit and Motion of the new Planet, the Georgium Sidus; which is printed in the first volume of the Tranfactions of this Society. [Vol. I. No. XI. Phys. Cl.]

Lit. Cl.

THE Reverend Dr MACFARLAN read a Differtation refpecting an equal Affeffment of the Land-tax.

Mr DALZEL read a continuation of Mr Profeffor YOUNG'S Effay on the Middle Voice of the Greek Verb. [See fupra, Feb. 20.]

Phyf. Cl.

The Reverend Mr Profeffor PLAYFAIR read an Account of the Life and Writings of the late Reverend Dr MATTHEW STEWART, Profeffor of Mathematics in the University

of

of Edinburgh. This Account is published in the first volume of the Transactions of this Society. [History of the Society, Appendix.]

Dr JAMES ANDERSON read an Effay, containing Obfervations and Experiments on the Culture of Potatoes. He did not chufe that abstract of this Effay should be published.

any

THE Secretary prefented to the Society two books, one in Latin, De Herpete, and the other in French, Sur la Petite Verole, written by M. ROUSSEL, Royal Profeffor of Medicine in the University of Caen in Normandy, fent by him to the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Lit. Cl. Mr DALZEL read the remainder of Mr Profeffor YOUNG'S Effay on the Greek Middle Voice. [See Supra,

March 20.]

Dr HUTTON read part of a Dissertation on Written Language as a Sign of Speech.

It is the purpose of this paper to fhow, in what manner we arrive at the knowledge of fimple founds, by the analytical examination of our speech, or the refolution of it into its principles. These fimple founds may be reprefented to the sight, by means of certain figures, appropriated to those sounds. Such figures then become the principles, first, of the writing of our speech, and, 2dly, of the reading of our written language.

THERE being no less than four different methods of analyfing speech for the purpose of typifying language, these are examined with a view to understand the advantages and difadvantages that may attend each of thofe particular methods, according to the following order: first, The analysing of fpeech into parts, each of which is the fign of a distinct thought; 2dly, into words, the constituent parts of our expreffed thoughts; 3dly,

1786.

April 3.

Dr Anderfon on the culture of potatoes.

Books prefented to the Soci

ety.

April 17. Prof. Young on the Greek middle voice.

June 19.

Dr Hutton on written lan

guage.

3dly, into fyllables, or articulate founds, the conftituent parts of words; and, laftly, into letters, or inarticulate founds, the constituent parts of fyllables.

THERE are only two of thofe practicable methods of typifying fpeech, that have any peculiar advantage to recommend their use. These are the verbal method, on the one hand, and the elemental, on the other. Each of thefe having their peculiar advantages, are now to be mentioned.

THE advantages of the verbal method confift in this, that different nations, by this means, might communicate their defires by writing, without the knowledge of each other's speech. But the necessary difadvantage of this method is more than fufficient to counterbalance its great benefit; because, while there would not be fufficient accuracy for thus expreffing every thought in writing, it would require to make it the business of a man's life to read and write. Whereas the advantage of the elemental method will appear from this, that while the commutation of our figures and our fimple founds is perfect, our fpeech, which is compofed of thofe fimple founds, may be written with facility, and our written language read with abfolute perfection. The benefit of this method, therefore, far more than compenfates for its lofs, in not ferving as a mean of correspondence between foreign nations.

MUSIC and speech are next confidered, in order to fee their neceffary connection and the difference of their principles.

THE formation of articulate expreflion, by means of vocal founds and confonants, is then illuftrated, in fhewing the nature of our speech, as the foundation of our art of writing.

THUS, an alphabet is represented as being the work of ingenuity and wisdom, and as being, with good reason, the boast of fcience. The corruption, therefore, of this alphabetical method of characterising speech, is reprobated as an error prejudicial to fcience, and difgraceful to a nation that is wife and learned.

ORTHOGRAPHY

ORTHOGRAPHY being thus a most scientific art, it is of much importance, for the educating of a people in this art, to conform the practice ftrictly to the rules of fcience, and to have the rules of that fcience comprised in the knowledge of the alphabet. The alphabet is therefore now made the fubject of fcientifical difcuffion.

AN alphabet being nothing but the figured elements of fpeech, and speech confisting of articulated founds, we are to examine those diftinct founds which man has it in his power to form for the purpose of his speech, and also all the practicable articulations proper for modifying his vocal founds.

THE Vocal power of man is, from experience, found to be divided into feven diftinct notes, and this and this power is represented by a line divided into fix equal parts, which forms feven equal diftinctions of his perfect founds.

THE letter is here affixed to the most acute or highest of those notes of vocal found, and u is the written fign affixed to the lowest, or the note which is naturally most grave. In a middle place between those two extremes, in this vocal capacity of man, is placed the found, which is confidered as corresponding to the letter a.

THUS, we have the radical alphabet, of the perfect vocal found in the letters i, a, u. All the other founds are then neceffarily comprehended between that middle vowel and the two This determined space of vocal found is then fubdivided, the upper half, or highest space, into the vowels e and 7, the lower, again, into those of o and v.

extremes.

THUS We complete the feven perfect notes of human voice or vocal founds; and these are all defined or distinguished, in describing the gradual change or regular modification of the which is neceffary in founding each.

organ,

BUT befides the feven perfect vowels which compose what may be termed the radical alphabet of human fpeech, there are two femitones, placed fomewhere between the middle note,

and