though not a new word, I find used in a new manner, as, The gentlemen who are oppofed to this meafure, to which I have alfo myself always been opposed. If you should happen to be of my opinion with respect to these innovations, you will use your authority in reprobating them. The Latin language, long the vehicle used in distributing knowledge among the different nations of Europe, is daily more and more neglected; and one of the modern tongues, viz. French, feems in point of univerfality, to have fupplied its place. It is fpoken in all the courts of Europe; and moft of the literati, thofe even who do not speak it, have acquired knowledge of it, to enable them easily to read the books that are written in it. This gives a confiderable advantage to that nation. It enables its authors to inculcate and fpread through other nations, fuch fentiments and opinions, on important points, as are moft conducive to its interefts, or which may contribute to its reputation, by promoting the common interefts of mankind. It is, perhaps, owing to its being written in French, that Voltaire's Treatife on Toleration has had fɔ sudden and fo great an effect on the bigotry of Europe, as almoft entirely to disarm it. The general ufe of the French language has likewise a very advantageous effect on the prophets of the bookfelling branch of commerce, it being well known, that the more copies can he fold that are ftruck of from one compofition of types, the prophets increase in a much greater proportion than they do in making a greater number of pieces in any other kind of manufacture. And at prefent there is no capital town in Europe without a French bookseller's fhop corref ponding with Paris. Our English bids fair to obtain the fecond place. The great body of excellent printed fermons in our language, and the freedom of our writings on political fubjects, have induced a great numher of divines of different fects and nations, as well as gentleman concerned in public affairs to ftudy it, fo far at least as to read it. And if we were to endeavour the facilitating its progrefs, the study of our tongue might become much more general. Thofe who have employed some part of their time in learning a new language, must have frequently observed, that while their acquaintance with it was imperfect, difficulties, fmall in themfelves, operated as great ones in obftructing their pro grefs. A book, for example, ill printed, or a pronunciation in fpeaking not well articulated, would render a fentence unintelligible, which from a clear print, or a diftin& speaker, would have been immediately comprehended. If therefore, we would have the benefit of feeing our language more generally known among mankind, we should endeavour to remove all the difficulties, however fmall, that discourage the learning of it. But I am forry to obferve, that of late years, thofe difficulties, inftead of being diminished, have been augmented. man. In examining the English books that were printed between the restoration and the acceffion of George the Second, we may obferve, that all fubftantives were begun with a capital, in which we imitated our mother tongue, the GerThis was more particularly useful to those who were not well acquainted with the English, there being fuch a prodigious number of our words that are both verbs and fubftantives, and spelt in the fame manner, though often accented differently in pronuncation. This method has, by the fancy of printers, of late years, been entirely laid afide; from an idea, that fuppreffing the capitals fhews the character to greater advantage: thofe letters, prominent above the line, disturbing its even, regular appearance. The effect of this change is fo confiderable, that a learned man in France, who used to read our books, though not perfectly acquainted with our language, in converfation with me on the subject of our authors attributed the greater obfcurity he found in our modern books, compared with those written in the period above mentioned, to change the ftyle for the worse in our writers; of which mistake I convinced him, by marking for him each fubftantive with a capital, in a paragraph which he easily understood, though before he could not comprehend it. This fhews the inconvenience of that pretended improvement. From the fame fondnefs for an uniform, and even appear. ance of characters in the line, the printers have of late banifhed alfo the Italic types, in which words of importance to be attended to in the fenfe of the fentence, and words on which an emphafis fhould be put in reading, used to be printed. And lately another fancy has induced other ters to use the rounds inftead of the long one, which formerly ferved well to distinguish a word readily by its varied appearance. Certainly the omiting this prominent letter makes a line appear more even, but renders it less immediately legible; as the paring of all men's noses might fmooth and level their faces, but would render their phyfiognomies lefs diftinguishable Add to all these improvements backwards, another modern fancy, that grey printing is more beautiful than black. Hence the English new books are printed in fo dim a character, as to be read with difficulty by old eyes, unless in a very strong light and with good glaffes. Whoever compares a volume of the Gentleman's Magazine printed between the years 1731 and 1740, with one of thofe printed in the last ten years, will be convinced of the much greater degree of perfpicuity given by black than by the grey. Lord Chesterfield pleasantly remarked this difference to Faulkner, the printer of the Dublin Journal. who was vainly marking encomiums on his own paper, as the most complete of any in the world, "But Mr. Faulkner," fays my lord, "don't you think it "might be still farther improved, by ufing paper and ink not quite fo near of a colour."-For all these reasons I cannot but wish that our American printers would, in their editions, avoid thefe fancied improvements, and thereby render their works more agreeable to foreigners in Europe, to the great advantage of our bookfelling commerce. Farther, to be more fenfible of the advantage of clear and diftin&t printing, let us confider the affiftance it affords in reading well aloud to an auditory. In fo doing the eye generally flides forward three or four words before the voice. If the fight clearly diftinguishes what the coming words are, it gives time to order the modulation of the voice, to express them properly. But if they are obfcurely printed, or disguised by omitting the capitals and longs's, or otherwise, the reader is apt to modulate wrong, and finding he has done fo, he is obliged to go back and begin the fentence again; which leffens the pleasure of the hearThis leads me to mention an old error in our mode of printing. We are fenfible that when a question is met with in the reading there is a proper variation to be used in the management of the voice. We have, therefore, a point, called an interrogation, affixed to the question, in ers. order to diftinguish it. But this is abfurdly placed at its end, fo that the reader does not difcover it till he finds that he has wrongly modulated his voice, and is therefore obliged to begin again the fentence. To prevent this, the Spanish printers, more fenfibly, place an interrogation at the beginning as well as at the end of the queftion. We have another error of the fame kind in printing plays, where fomething often occurs that is marked as spoken afide. But the word afide is placed at the end of the speech, when it ought to precede it, as a direction to the reader, that he may govern his voice accordingly. The practice of our ladies in meeting five or fix together, to form little bufy parties, where each is employed in fome useful work, while one reads to them, is fo commendable in itself, that it deferves the attention of authors and printers to make it as pleafing as poffible, both to the reader and hearers. My best wishes attend you, being, with fincere efteem, Sir, Your moft obedient and very humble fervant, B. FRANKLIN, AN ACCOUNT OF THE HIGHEST COURT OF JUDICATURE IN PENNSYLVANIA. -viz. THE COURT OF THE PRESS. Power of this Court. IT may receive and promulgate accufations of all kinds, against al! perfons and characters among the citizens of the ftate, and even againft all inferior courts; and may judge, fentence, and condemn to infamy, not only private individuals, but public bodies, &c. with or without enquiry or hearing, at the court's difcretion. Whofe favour, or for whofe emoluments this Cuort is eftablished. In favour of about one citizen in five hundred, who by education, or practice in fcribbling, has acquired a tolerable ftyle as to grammer and construction, fo as to bear printing; or who is poffeffed of a prefs and a few types. This five hundreth part of the citizens have the privilege of accufing and abufing the other four hundred and ninety-nine part, at their pleasure; or they may hire out their pens and prefs to others, for that purpose. Practice of this Court. It is not governed by any of the rules of the common courts of law. The accufed is allowed no grand jury to judge of the truth of the accufation before it is publickly made; nor is the name of the accufer made known to him; nor has he an opportunity of confronting the witnesses against him, for they are kept in the dark, as the spanish court of inquifition. Nor is their any petty jury of his peers fwora to try the truth of the charges. The proceedings are alfo fometimes fo rapid, that an honest good citizen may find himself fuddenly and unexpectedly accufed, and in the fame morning judged and condemned, and sentence pronounced against him that he is a rogue and a villain. Yet if an officer of this court receives the flightest check for mifconduct in his office, he claims immediately the rights of a free citizen by the conftitution, and demands to know his accufer, to confront the witnesses, and to leave a fair trial by a jury of his peers. The foundation of its authority. It It is faid to be founded on an article in the state conftitution, which establishes the liberty of the press--a liberty which every Pennsylvanian would fight and die for, though few of us, I believe, have distinct ideas of its nature and extent. feems, indeed, fomewhat like the liberty of the prefs that felons have; by the common law of England before conviction; that is, to be either preffed to death or hanged. If, by the liberty of the prefs, were understood the liberty of difcuffing the propriety of public measures and political opinions, let us have as much of it as you please; but if it means the liberty of afronting, calumniating, and defaming one another, I, for my part, own myself willing to part with my fhare of it, whenever our legislators shall please to |