pendous work ;-the black, iron-bound rocks behind us, and the snowy cataract springing between us and the boiling basin, which still lay under our feet. Here the scene was unparalleled. Here seemed to be the theatre for a people to stand in, and behold the prodigies and fearful wonders of the Almighty, and feel their own insignificance. Here admiration and astonishment come unbidden over the soul, and the most obdurate heart feels that there is something to be grateful for. Indeed, the scene from this spot is so sublime, and so well calculated to impress the feelings with a sense of the power and grandeur of nature, that, apart from all other considerations, it is worthy of long journeying and extreme toil to behold it. Having taken refreshment, we descended to the extreme depth of the ravine, and, with certain heroic ladies, who somehow dared the perils of the path, we gazed from this place upon the sheet of water, falling from a height of more than two hundred and fifty feet. This is a matter of which Niagara would not speak lightly; and there is wanting only a heavy fall of water to make this spot not only magnificent-for that it is now but terribly sublime. Mountains ascend and overshadow it; crags and precipices project themselves in menacing assemblages all about, as though frowning over a ruin which they are only waiting some fiat to make yet more appalling. Nature has hewed out a resting place for man, where he may linger, and gaze, and admire! Below him she awakens her thunder, and darts her lightning; above him she lifts still loftier summits, and round him she flings her spray and her rainbows!

LESSON XCV.

TO SENECA LAKE.

ON thy fair bosom, silver lake,
The wild swan spreads his snowy sail,
And round his breast the ripples break,
As down he bears before the gale.

On thy fair bosom, waveless stream,
The dipping paddle echoes far,
And flashes in the moonlight gleam,
And bright reflects the polar star.

The waves along thy pebbly shore,

As blows the north wind, heave their foam, And curl around the dashing oar,

As late the boatman hies him home.

How sweet, at set of sun, to view
Thy golden mirror spreading wide,
And see the mist of mantling blue

Float round the distant mountain's side!

At midnight hour, as shines the moon,
A sheet of silver spreads below,
And swift she cuts, at highest noon,
Light clouds, like wreaths of purest snow.

On thy fair bosom, silver lake,

O! I could ever sweep the oar, When early birds at morning wake, And evening tells us toil is o'er.

GENERAL AND SPECIAL RULES

FOR

PRONOUNCING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

Deduced from the composition of the words themselves, and in most cases, giving an infallible Rule, by which to determine on what syllable the main accent should fall. This point being settled, the places of the semi-accents cannot be mistaken.

EXPLANATIONS.

For the definition of a prefix and suffix, see pages 113 and 130 of "Town's Speller."

By the root of a word, we mean that part which belongs exclusively to the primitive form, and is not combined with any other word, syllable, or letter; as press.

By a separable prefix, we mean that part which may be taken from the primitive root, and leave a significant English word; as from impress, im may be thus taken.

By an inseparable prefix is meant, such combination of a word, syllable, or letter, with the root, that as an English word, a separation of the parts would destroy the English signification of both; as depute, which, in Latin, is composed of de, and puto, but in English they may not be separated.

The classical scholar will readily distinguish what are prefixes, at sight; and the English scholar, by a little attention to Town's Analysis, can do the same.

Penult, means the last syllable but one.

Antepenult, is the last syllable but two.

Rules for applying suffixes, see page 110 of "Speller." It is believed the following Rules will not only contribute to uniformity in pronunciation, but aid in settling the disputed accent of many words.

Í. General Rule.-Words of two syllables, the first of which is a separable, or inseparable prefix, commonly take the accent on the second; as de-báse, procláim; but if the first syllable partakes of the root, the accent generally falls on the first; as úr-gent, tál-ent.

NOTE. This rule has an extensive application, and the main exceptions are found in those words which may be used, either as nouns or verbs. When used as nouns, the accent, in most cases, rests on the first syllable; as, an éx-tract, his cón-duct; but when used as verbs, the accent commonly falls on the second; as, to ex-tract, to con-duct.

1st Rule. All words of one syllable, becoming words of two syllables, by adding the following single suffixes, as seen italicised in the examples, invariably retain the accent on the first syllable; viz:

2d Rule. All words of one syllable, becoming words of three or four syllables, by the addition of the following combined suffixes, as italicised, always retain the main accent on the first syllable; viz:

3d Rule.-All words of three or more syllables, ending in ability, ibility, ical, ity or ety, have the main accent, invariably, on the antepenult; as sensibility, económical, curiósity.

NOTE. When two vowels come together in words ending in ity, the one under accent is always long, as Deity. If one consonant intervene, all are short except u; as levity. If two consonants intervene, u is short; as curvity.

4th Rule. All that numerous class of words consisting of no more than three syllables, the last letter of which is y, not preceded by a vowel, as in attorney, nor mute e before ly, as in profusely, are very uniformly accented on the first syllable, as félony, ártery.

FOURTH READER.

285

5th Rule. All words ending in tion, sion, ion, cious, tious, ciate, tiate, cient, tient, tial, tia, cian, cial, cia, ceous, geous, gious, and geon, when pronounced in one syllable, invariably take the main accent on the syllable preceding those terminations; as confederátion. Nothiug but ity after al, in words in ion, ever removes the accent; as nátion, national, nationálity.

NOTE. When the above terminations are preceded by a vowel, it is very uniformly long; as loquacious, unless it be i, which is uniformly short; as ambition.

6th Rule. All words of three or more syllables, having the following terminations, viz: cracy, gamy, graphy, logy, machy, metry, nomy, phony, pathy, tomy, thropy, lysis, ferous, gerous, vorous, always take the accent on the antepenult, as:

NOTE. No change in the above terminations, as astronomy into astronomer, &c. ; nor any addition of prefixes or suffixes, except cian, ial, and ic, ever changes the place of accent.

7th Rule. All words ending in ics, (politics excepted,) are accented on the penult; as óptics, mechanics.

8th Rule. Words ending in ic when a suffix, and with few exceptions when otherwise, are accented on the penult, as dramátic, alphabétic.

NOTE. The suffix ic, when added to words of more than one syllable, always changes the place of accent; as méthod, methodic; except in six cases, as choleric.

9th Rule. All words of two syllables, endiug in le, including no other vowel in the same syllable, are always accented on the first, as círcle; but if the word consist of more than two syllables, the accent, with few exceptions, falls on the antepenult; as árticle.

NOTE. The suffixes able and ible never fall under this rule, except the world á-ble. Words of two syllables frequently add r, as cóbbler; but never change the accent.

10th Rule. Words of three or more syllables, ending in ate, with a single consonant between the vowel of the penult syllable and ate, (including cr and tr;) or with no consonant intervening, take the accent on the antepenult; as fáb-ri-cate, re-tál-i-ate, cún-se-crate. But if two conso