sonant; the passage of air must be interrupted. The proper consonant to intervene, as I hold, is the smooth breathing. Many clergymen, however, as we find, get over the difficulty in a different way, and put in an R instead. But why can we pass from I to A without the intervention of the smooth breathing? Well, to begin with, the vowels are here different, so that there is no danger of want of distinctness. The shape of the air channel may be altered from that proper for one vowel to that proper for another, immediately, without any consonantal check, and yet both vowels be heard. This is what happens when we get a diphthong, but the combination IA is not exactly a diphthong. The fact is, that the vowels EE and OO, (unfortunately it might cause confusion to say the vowels I and U, on account of the way in which we pronounce the names of those letters,) have respectively a strong affinity for two consonants; the vowel EE for the consonant Y, and the vowel 00 for the consonant W. In the Roman alphabet these vowels were denoted by the same letters as their cognate consonants; though we in printing Latin sometimes adopt different signs, I and U for the vowels, J and V for the consonants. It must be remembered that J was pronounced as our Y, and V (at least most probably) as our W. The vowel I or EE, then, tends in passing into another vowel to interpose a slight Y sound; the vowel U or OO similarly a W sound. The name "glides" has been given to these faint consonants by Mr. Melville Bell, whose pamphlet called " Visible Speech" will well repay the attention of those interested in these subjects. Apparently, then, when two vowels come together one of three things must happen: 1. The first vowel may be joined to the other by a "glide." 2. The two vowels may be separated by the "smooth breathing.' 3. The two vowels may coalesce into a diphthong. An example of each of these processes is afforded by the words, "Victoria our." Between I and A you have the glide; between A and OU you have, or should have, the smooth breathing; whilst the two component vowel sounds of OU have melted together to form diphthong. a 3 Chapter on Archeology. With some account of the Royal Krumbleup Antiquarian Society, and of an Expedition of Discovery undertaken by the Members thereof. BY TIFKINS THUDD, ESQUIRE. HE Royal Krumbleup Antiquarian Society was composed of 50 gentlemen, of whom 20 formed the Committee; and the Royal Krumbleup Antiquarian Society possessed what the Members called an "Institution," which consisted of two hired rooms, one named the "Lecture-room," where the Society's learned debates were carried on, and the other styled the "Museum," where the Society's wonderful discoveries were kept. Now, the Committee was chiefly composed of elderly gentlemen, who had little or nothing to do; and certain of them were in the habit, monthly, of performing some country excursion for the purpose of antiquarian research. At one of their meetings it was proposed, seconded, and unanimously agreed, “That six gentlemen of the Committee be appointed to make a journey for the purpose of exploring certain ruins" (lately discovered and pointed out by one of the learned body). Further "That all discoveries resulting therefrom be placed in the Society's Museum." Lastly-"That all expenses attendant on such trip be paid out of the Society's fund." Pursuant to these resolutions, the following six gentlemen were proposed : Golias Diggemout, Esq., F.R.K.S. Now it was not without some opposition that the last named gentleman was elected as one of the excursionists, for he was much younger than any other gentleman, and, to tell the truth, had not so implicit a belief in the Society as he ought to have had, being a member thereof; and moreover was apt to laugh most irreverently at some of the Society's most erudite and deep debates. Indeed he had once pointed out to the learned F.R.K.S.'s after four special meetings had been convened, and after thirty papers had been read, on the antiquity of a fragment of vase discovered and sent to the museum (which fragment containing an inscription, had provoked the controversy)—he had pointed out, and clearly proved beyond doubt, that the vase in question had been neither more nor less than a ginger-beer bottle, and that the inscription thereon denoted the maker's name and residence; and at another time, when one learned Committeeman had purchased a peculiar medal, and had, with much deep research, traced it to the time of the Roman Emperor Caligula, and proved it to be a gold coin of the period, Mr. Lovit, with provoking certainty and indubitable evidence, showed that it was no coin at all, either gold or silver, but simply a brass button, the shank of which had been filed off by a boy, who possessed that remarkable love of mischief so peculiar to youth. The Committee were therefore somewhat afraid of him, and always dreaded some exposure when they saw him at their meetings. However, he wished to be one of the excursionists, and was elected accordingly. One fine morning, therefore, an omnibus was seen to draw up to the door of the " Institution," whence six solemn-faced dignitaries issued, and took their places in the inside. Some shovels and pickaxes were hoisted on to the roof, together with an immense hamper, upon the contents of which it is as well not to speculate; for although it very frequently happens that philoso phers and other learned gentry, disregard to the uttermost the good things of this life, and only eat, drink and sleep because they cannot help it; we can assure our readers that such philosophy formed no part of the creed of the Royal Krumbleup Antiquarian Society, the excursionists of which were in the habit of assisting nature so zealously, that their ideas became generally muddled, which, perhaps, was the cause of their so often converting palpable novelties into remarkable antiquities. In process of time the omnibus arrived at a small village, about 12 miles distant from London, and having put up at the principal " public," the members, followed by two men, one having the hamper, and the other the shovels, proceeded towards the "ruins," under the guidance of G. Diggemout, Esq., F.R.K.S., who it appears had discovered them. After a quarter of an hour's walk, the party arrived at the chosen spot. The "ruins" were found to consist of a fragment of wall about 2 feet long and 13 high. It certainly looked somewhat new for an antiquity!-three or four brickbats were strewn around, together with a few oyster shells, and a broken bottle; the scene was picturesque in the extreme! "A very likely looking place for great discovery," said Mr. Tilehunter, with enthusiasm. "Ah! is it not?" replied Diggemout; " style of architecture decidedly Roman, I think, don't you?" "Oh, decidedly," observed Mr. Chorker. As for Lovit, he burst out laughing. "Are these the ruins?" he exclaimed; "the building looks uncommonly superannuated to be sure! Ha! ha! ha!" If it were possible for any one to be annihilated by frowns, Lovit would, there and then, have terminated his existence; so fearful were the looks of his five companions. Following the example of G. Diggemout, Esq., each |