as favorable to a full understanding and correct opinion of the points controverted. To give a more unbroken view of the debate, we have forborne to notice any other part of the proceedings of the Convention. We shall therefore now take a review of what seems most worthy of mention. On the sixth inst. Mr. Townes of Pittsylvania offered a resolution which was referred to the committee of the whole, and which proposed, that in all propositions for laying taxes, or making loans, and in all appropriations, the number of votes allotted to each of the great districts of the state, in both houses of the legislature, should be in proportion to the amount of revenue collected in such district. = fore asked a postponement of the question, until he could resign his seat, and another delegate he appointed in his room, so that his constituents may not be unrepresented on the question, and he himself be saved from the necessity of acting either against their will, or his own conscience. He remarked that he came here prepared to promote the interests of Virginia those general interests being of more importance to any district than its own peculiar and temporary concerns. He then gave a detailed view of the effect of the amendment in his district, and shewed that Norfolk borough would be entitled to a larger representation than Norfolk county, the latter having double the population, and that there would be a correspondent difference in the other counties of the district. He then moved for the committee to rise, but Mr. Moore expressing a wish to address the committee, the motion was withdrawn. for so doing as in his address to the committee yesterday. This letter, as well as the General's address, excited considerable interest, and while the friends of the white basis greatly regretted the loss of his talents and zeal to their cause, his elevated and disinterested course recommended him warmly to their regard, and could not but command the respect even of his opponents. On the same day a letter was received from the Presbyterian synod of Virginia, containing an unanimous resolution of that body, expressive of their satisfaction that the Convention was about to preserve and perpetuate liberty of conscience, as declared in the Bill of Rights, and developed in the On the following day, Nov. 7. act establishing religious freedom. The president laid before the convention a letConvention having gone into committee of ter from Gen. Taylor, resigning his seat as the whole, after the address of Mr. Fitz-a member, and assigning the same reasons hugh, when the question was about to be put, Genl. Taylor rose, and stated that when he was elected to the convention, his sentiments were publicly declared and well known to his constituents, but that on the question before the commitee, no opinion was then formed, either by himself or them that he thought the amendment then under discussion, (Judge Green's,) "inconsistent with our free institutions," and tending to the introduction of oligarchy-and that if it had been rejected, he had intended to offer, to substitute "qualified voters without regard to disparity of fortune" for white population, as more consonant with principle, and that the public should fully understand the subject in debate. But that he had recently learnt that there was now a decided opinion, in his district-he believed a large majority-in favor of the amendment, and that he had received instructions from a part of them on the subject. He said that he had always regarded representation as merely the means of expressing the opinions of the constituents, and that no act of his "should ever impair that principle, but that "there were limits to obedience," and he could not, to obey them, violate his conscience, and his obligations to his country. He there PARIS ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. The election of a member, to supply the vacancy of the Count Daru, took place recently when General Rogniat was chosen. His competitors were M. M. Allent, Busche, Costas, Desgenettes, Lamandé, the Duc de Rivoli, Seguier Junior and the Marquess Fortia. When Baron Larrey was chosen to supply the place vacant by the death of M. Pelletan, his competitors were Messx Roux, Breschet, Lisfranc, Cloquet and Edwards. NEW UNIVERSITY IN NEW YORK. A new University is proposed in New York on the plan of the University of London. It is intended to comprise instruction in every department of knowledge except theology. When the plan is entirely | Scott matured and put in execution we shall ad- Tazewell vert to it again. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. Tyler Washington Wood 5,444 Wythe Between the Alleghany and Blue Ridge. Augusta Berkeley The prognostications we ventured to make, regarding the future salubrity of this university, from the result of all experience in similar cases, have, we are happy to say, been confirmed to an extent which we could hardly have anticipated. Although Alleghany there are in the university more students this session than there have ever been, with the exception of one session-their general health has been extraordinarily good, and the freedom from fever greater than at any previous period. There has not been a solitary case of continued fever in the university since the endemico-epidemic of last year. The whole of the region of the south western mountains is, indeed, Shenandoah preeminently salubrious, and the consterna Botetourt 10.842 4,106 4,373 Frederick Hampshire 138,132 33,533 56,962 tion excited at the appearance of spreading Between the Blue Ridge and the head of tide water. Whites. Slaves. Taxes. Albemarle Amherst 4,866 5,603 4,030 12,067 3,264 9,772 4,893 7,142 10,399 6,645 10,362 9,751 9,771 5,571 9,225 5,713 Cumberland 4.091 7,109 4,206 Dinwiddie 5,568 6,724 4,389 Fluvanna 3,839 Fauquier 13,226 Franklin 9,864 Goochland 3,616 9,355 11,276 8,144 Henry 4,284 2,807 1,710 12,990 5,490 10,507 Cabell 4,772 Louisa Grayson Lunenburg 6,634 8,951 5,120 3,844 6,696 3,405 Greenbrier Madison 3,812 4,730 2,799 Giles 4,637 Mecklenburg 7,815 11,416 Harrison 12,048 503 Nelson 1,639 Kanawha 1,935 Nottoway 6,487 4,955 5,996 3,674 Lee 740 Orange Lewis 5,490 Patrick 2,436 6,907 4,867 1,566 1,065 Logan 3,303 Mason 5,693 Pittsylvania 14,021 10,263 6,778 Monroe 6,997 593 Prince Edward 1,475 2,998 Monongalia 1,772 Montgomery 10,318 1,836 2,151 197,222 221,332 150,265 Nicholas 303 Ohio Pocahontas 521 Preston Randolph 4,372 Russell 4,413 6,041 879 876 Charles City 1,865 4,133 5,363 3,041 5,694 21,013 2,861 885 2,234 3,271 3,300 1,439 1.691 1,052 1,681 For maternal feeling," read natural feeling Fairfax 3,944 Greensville 2,182 4,561 2,544 Gloucester Hanover 6,481 8,775 5,527 3,015 3,554 gathering embleın, glittering emblem Mobril, "Mo'ril. The author also used the Italian passatempo instead of the Spanish passa-tiempo. It is certainly very desirable that every thing should be printed as it was written; but this cannot be done without fairer manuscripts, a more careful revision, and above all, more skill and intelligence in compositors, than are to be found in our country, 3,469 where the supply of labour is yet inferior 5,528 to the demand. But the mischief is very 1,898 imperfectly remedied by a list of "errata;" 1,882 and we have been often amused to see in 2,604 2,399 a newspaper the correction of former errors, 2,754 which no one certainly not one in a hun3,436 dred-refers back to the original to under1,663 stand. It happens, too, now and then that 6,574 the author loses rather than gains by the 2,027 correction. Of this we will give our cor3,734 respondent an instance. Some time ago there appeared in the Richmond Enquirer a long disquisition, the object of which 1,183 was to show that the condition of our slaves 9,645 was better than that of the peasantry of 7,482 Europe, and in which the author had used the phrase " he eats his palawlum." This new term passed with us, as we presume it did with most readers, for the name of some African dish which the writer had met with in the diligence of his researches ; but he lost all the credit he had thus acquired 21,770 when, in the next paper, upon casting a glance at a long column of " errata," the very first which attracted our notice was, for "eats his palaulum," read, "eats his pabulum." 3,034 3,022 848 Since which time we have been more in- Ludum insolentem ludere pertinax It was no doubt under the influence of this propensity of her's to transmute honors, that in the etymological article of our last number, the compositor, for Field Marshal, that he had chanced never to have heard of, put Judge Marshall, of whom he had heard a great deal. VIRGINIA LITERARY MUSEUM AND JOURNAL OF BELLES LETTRES, ARTS, &c. Published every Wednesday.-Terms, five dollars per annum, to be paid in advance. "POSCENTES VARIO MULTUM DIVERSA PALATO."-Hor. Lib. ii. Ep. 2. No. 37.-VOL. 1. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. AMERICANISMS. "Words are the people's but there is a choice of them to be made." BEN JONSON's Discoveries. REPUTED AMERICANISMS. (Continued from page 533.) Slim. "Ordinary, mean." This word is occasionally used in some of the northern counties of England in the New England sense generally as in Lancashire it means "sly, cunning." Tim Bobbin. FEB. 24, 1830 bly from Suio-Gothic spiaele, a thin lath of wood. Sprigh or Spry. "nimble, brisk, quick in action." New England. A west-of-Englandism in the latter spelling. Jennings. Spunk. 66 Mettle, spirit, vivacity, used figuratively for life." In the north of England, this is considered a good and very expressive word, notwithstanding that Mr. Todd, in his edition of Johnson's Dictionary, has called it "a low and contemptible expression." Mr. Todd, we think, has been particularly squeamish in this case, whilst he has inserted several words to which the epithet might, with much more propriety, have been applied. Spunk, in English, means touchwood, from whence it has been used in Scotland for " a small fire" and thus we can readily understand how it may have received its present figurative acceptation. In the same sense, in which it is employed in this country, it prevails over "all Scotland. Slosh or Slush, New England. This is probably a corruption from sludge, "mire, dirt mixed with water" probably from the same Saxon root as slough. In Lancashire it is slutch. To slump, "To slip or fall into a wet or dirty place"-New England. This word may have been received either from the east or north of England, for it is provincial in both parts. Some. "Somewhat, something" as "it snows some" "He is some better," &c.-New England. This is, likewise, met with in the northern provinces of England, and is frequent in Scotland. Spile. "A peg or pin to stop a hole in a cask." New England. This word is often used for a spigot. In England spill is used in the first sense, as in the example quoted by Johnson from Mortimer. "Have near the bunghole a little venthole, stopped with a spill. 66 the surface of the ground." New En- | well." New England. In Yorkshire gland. This is a provincialism of the west sweep or swape means a lever"-in of England, where, however, it generally Northumberland, a long oar used in signifies" to throw a stick at a cock or working a coal keel in the Tyne is so other bird." Cocksquailing is a barba- termed. It is not unfrequently used in rous sport, which consists in tying a cock this sense. to a stake, and throwing a stick in the above manner at him so as to kill. The game prevailed at one period to a great extent in different parts of England and has not yet disappeared. To squirm. "To move about like an eel." New England. Another importation from the East of England. To squat. "To squeeze or press." As he "has squat his finger." Todd has "to squat"-" to bruise or make flat by letting fall." It is used only in a few of the southern and western counties. In the west of England squot is employed as a substantive in the sense of "a bruise, by some blow or compression." Steil or steal. "A handle"-New England. This word is so used in the south, east and north of England. In Scotland, too, it is common. "Steils of a plough," from Teut. steel with the same signification. Stived or stived up. New England. "Almost suffocated." A provincialism of the north of England. It is merely an extension in the meaning of the old word "to stive"-to "stuff up close." A word of the same original as stew. Stock. "Cattle in general." This is universal over the United States. It is provincial in the North of England. Suant. "Even, regular," as "sow the seed suant"-New England. The word suent (Jennings) and zuant (Grose) are provincial in the West of England. "Zow the zeed Zuant." (Somersetshire.) To swale or sweal. "To waste or blaze away." New England. This is a good old English word, from AngloSaxon, Swelan, "to kindle and to burn." It is now chiefly used in the North of England. A sweal signifies "a blaze." Sweep. "A long pole turning on a fulcrum, used in raising water out of a To swop or swap. "To exchange." This is said to be a low word in America. It is, however, in use in England, Ireland and Scotland. Swap or swop are used by our oldest writers. Thus J. Hall, Thy works purchase thee more Than they can swappe their heritages for." And Dryden "I would have swopp'd Youth for old age." It is of uncertain derivation. To and again. "Backwards and forwards." New England. This is sometimes used in the northern counties of England. Pegge says it is heard in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Vendue. Auction. New England. This word, of French extraction, is employed in the British West India Islands. It is unknown we believe in Great Britain. " Whap. "A heavy blow or fall." New England. This is a vulgar expression over the whole of England. "I fell down with such a whap." To whap is likewise used for "to beat with heavy blows"-and whapper is in general use for any thing uncommonly large-a thumper." It is more prevalent in the northern counties of England than in any other. In many instances, as has been observed by Dr. Willan, our ancestors seem to have estimated weights and magnitudes by the strength of their blows. Thus they employed, in gradation, the terms slapper, smacker, banger, thumper, thwacker, swinger, and rattler. The word bumper, concerning which so much has been said and surmised, the doctor thinks, and with great probability, is not entitled to a more exalted origin. Went for gone. This is an unaccuracy which every one, desirous of being thought to know any thing of his own |