cally exhibited, they may be consulted with advantage; especially if regard be paid to the latitude in which they were written, and allowance be made for technical and local terms which may not be universally in use. As a proof of the writer's judgment, we may mention that he lays great stress on the proper thinning of plantations; a circumstance which is much overlooked by country-gentlemen: though by the omission many promising infant-woods are completely spoiled. When trees are left too thick, they draw up weak and spindling; they smother one another; and those even which obtain vigor suffi. cient to overtop their companions are so slender in their stems, as to be fit only for making hop-poles. To grow with luxuriance and beauty, trees must have "ample room and space enough;" and, though originally put in thick to keep each other warm, they should be regularly looked over, and the superfluous plants annually removed. Many cultivators have repented, when it has been too late, that they had not resolution to thin their growing plantations.

The Appendix to this volume contains several papers. The first treats of the Formation and Management of Osier Plantations; the second gives an Account of remarkable Trees in Scotland; the third states the Amount of Waste Lands in Scotland (14,218,224 acres); the fourth is a Table, useful in the Planting of Trees; and the last exhibits the Average Prices of Timber and Oak-bark, at the Port of Leith, in the Years 1799, 1809, 10, 11. It appears from this table that English Oak in 1799 was sold at Leith for 2s. 10d. per foot, and that in 1811 the price was raised to 5s.

ART. XI. An Attempt to simplify the Notation of Music, together with an Account of that now in Use. Illustrated by Examples both sacred and secular. By S. Rootsey, F.L.S. 4to. pp. 51. Boards. Nicol and Son.

WE E are among those who hail every new invention with complacency; and, so far from objecting to innovation, we are desirous that every thing should be fairly tried, and judged only as it may be found conducive to improvement or the contrary. With this feeling, we have very industriously attempted to make ourselves masters of Mr. Rootsey's plan, as detailed in the work now before us. If we are not sure that we have thoroughly succeeded, this failure is not im putable to any complication in the thing itself, which is, on the contrary, perfectly simple: but, if we have completely understood it, some parts of the subject are omitted which are so important, that we can scarcely suppose them to have escaped

the

the notice of the ingenious author himself. The explanation of the plan, however, is too short. Brevity is always an object, but we have high authority for its near alliance to obscurity. On the whole, we are convinced that Mr. Rootsey's plan never can be generally adopted,. (although with some alterations it may be useful to a certain extent,) and for the best possible reason, because it does not altogether possess any advantage over the mode of musical notation now in use. Mr. R. rejects the ordinary mode in toto, and seems to make so great a point of the absolute novelty of his plan, that in page 16. he deems it necessary to apologize for retaining certain things which in point of fact do not belong to the subject of notation, but which are essential parts of the composition of music. Whatever set of characters a man may chuse to adopt, he must use some sort of punctuation, because punctuation is essential to written. language, as denoting those circumstances which put it on a level with oral language; and in the same manner the Bar, the Repeat, the Slur, &c. are absolutely essential to written music, because they express circumstances which always accompany music performed either with the voice or with an instrument. The novelty of this or any other plan is in fact but a secondary consideration by its probable utility it must be judged.

It is well known that music is now written by means of marks made on, or between, lines drawn across the page; that those which are written at the bottom of the lines are graver or lower notes; and those which are written at the top are higher, or more acute sounds; that they rise or fall in a regular progression; and that, when sounds, either lower or higher than the lines will admit, are to be expressed, occasional lines, called ledger lines, (lignes legers,) are drawn below or above the fixed lines. It is also known that the sounds are called by the names of certain alphabetical characters, which recur with every octave, so that on a piano-forte there are several notes each called A, B, &c. These letters are only seven in number; and the number of tones and semitones in an octave (speaking practically) being 12, five notes in each octave are without names, which therefore are denominated from the tones or semitones next to them; thus the sound between A and B is called either A sharp or B flat. All this has been adopted for practical purposes: though, in a scientific point of view, musical notes are named, without reference to their situation on the finger-board, according to the relation which they bear to each other; the key-note in every mode being called Do, the fifth Sol, &c. Mr. Rootsey, however, rejects the whole of this plan, and calls his notes alphabetically just as he finds them on a piano-forte, beginning with A at the bottom; that is, on what is now called C, (the lowest

on the violoncello,), and going on alphabetically through all the white and the black keys. Each letter, therefore, expresses its note, not by means of its relation to any other note, but merely by its mechanical and numerical place in the scale. With these letters Mr. R. writes his music; and it is obvious that, as the highness or lowness of the notes is expressed solely by difference in the letters, and not by any visible marks denoting those qualities, every part when written will form one line of ordinary printing. When two or more parts are wanted, two lines are used; and the bass-notes below middle C are printed in Italics. The bars are expressed by commas, or, more properly speaking, the double bars by periods, and the repeats by colons; when two or more notes are to be slurred, they are put together in a parenthesis; rests are, very ingeniously and scientifically, marked by dots occupying the space of letters; and so on. This is a short outline of the plan; from which it will be seen that the innovation is complete, and that the proposed substitute is simple enough. With regard to its advantages, it is to be remembered that two objects are to be effected, viz. facility of writing and facility of reading. Now it is impossible to deny that the proposed plan has the advantage as far as it respects the former of these objects: but, as far as it regards the latter, the common mode of notation is incontestably preferable. We have taken the pains to learn Mr. Rootsey's notation thoroughly, so as to use it frequently in playing; and we are satisfied that it is much more perplexing to the eye of the performer than the ordinary mode. In fact, highness and lowness of notes are such essential parts of music that any system of notation would, in our opinion, be incomplete which did not include some palpable characters to mark that distinction. For this purpose, nothing can be better calculated than the common notation; which is, indeed, founded on the very mathematical expression of the gradations of sound which Mr. Rootsey notices in the first page of his work, and is therefore the most natural that could have been adopted. Besides, Mr. R.'s system of notation seems capable of being applied only to simple pieces of music, or to writing more difficult pieces in score: whereas the difficulty, to piano-forte players, of playing from a score, is so great that very few amateurs, and not all professional performers, are equal to it; particularly in performing at sight. On that account, a mode has been adopted of combining the lines of a score in one stave, by which they are brought under the hand. We think that Mr. R.'s plan could be very imperfectly applied to this object; and, for the reason which we have already given, it would be next to impossible

to

to play from a score written in it. The use of it, therefore, for the piano-forte, or for the organ, must be very confined. The most important objection, however, is that, as far as we can see, no adequate distinction is provided to shew the value of notes in a bar. We must explain this by an example. In the beautiful glee of "Wind, gentle evergreen," (p. 39.) the 6th bar is written thus, (n m) (h m): now certainly that bar has 4 notes, but the air being in triple time the whole can only equal 3 crotchets; and in fact the 1st and 2d notes are crotchets, but the 3d and 4th are quavers, and together are equal only to one crotchet: but this cannot be perceived from Mr. Rootsey's copy; because all that the dot over the last m denotes is that it is to be half as long as the note preceding it, which would, at least, give 3 crotchets and an half for the bar. The tying quavers and notes of lower denomination together is also a very essential practice, for which Mr. R. offers no adequate substitute. These objections might be removed without much difficulty. Perhaps a dot over the letter might denote a quaver, and some other marks in the same place might signify the lower denominations of notes: while the notes might be actually tied together, when necessary, by lines drawn over them: -- but, as we cannot think that the plan is likely, at best, to be productive of any material general advantage, it is perhaps not worth while to pursue the details of the subject at present. In one point of view, indeed, the plan will have recommendations. Composers are always more or less embarrassed by the slowness with which they are able to express their thoughts on paper in the common mode of notation; and, it being much easier to write in the new notation, it may be found worth while to learn that mode for the purpose of writing in it, and afterward transferring the music into the present mode for the use of performers. In this way, Mr. R.'s notation may become a sort of musical short-hand, and afford much facility to composers.

ART. XII. Posthumous Works of Robert Robinson, late Pastor of the Baptist Church and Congregation of Protestant Dissenters at Cambridge. Royal 8vo. 125. Demy, 8s. Boards. Jones, &c.

T

HIS volume, which is a kind of supplement to Mr. Robinson's Miscellaneous Works*, contains seven sermons, three dissertations relative to Calvinism, an historical account of Protestant Dissenting Churches in Cambridgeshire, and a few letters. Mr. Flower, the editor as well as printer, introduces

*See M, R., Vol. lxi., N. S., p. 65.

the

the whole by a well-written and spirited preface; in which he endeavours not only to do justice to the late Mr. R. as a preacher and writer, but also to vindicate his character from some very illiberal aspersions with which certain of his brethren, with more doctrinal zeal than Christian charity, had rashly assailed it, We should regard ourselves as much deficient in moral feeling, were we to hesitate in applauding Mr. Flower's conduct, on this occasion, as not less noble than amiable; and, had not long experience taught us that such weak and acrimonious bigots as are the subjects of his virtuous indignation are neither to be reasoned nor shamed into good sense and liberality, we should venture to express a hope that his castigation would operate as a wholesome severity. How much soever some high Calvinists may disapprove of Mr. Robinson's moderate Calvinism, or may dispute his reasons for rejecting Reprobation, they are not warranted in asserting that his writings contain poison; for no man was ever less chargeable with the crime of endeavouring to poison the minds of his fellow-men. Perhaps it is not strictly honest to bring forwards a criminal accusation in a metaphor. Mr. R. himself was open and undisguised. He delivered his sentiments, whatever they were, in a manner that was bold and unreserved; reasoning in their favour with extreme plainness, and subjecting himself to an easy refutation if he had fallen"

into error.

It will be seen, as the editor observes, (preface, p. xii.) that 'the same beauty and simplicity of style; the same ingenious, yet plain and forcible mode of reasoning; the same ardor in the cause of liberty civil and religious, and of uncorrupted Christianity; the same impartiality and sincerity in the pursuit of truth, and the same devotional spirit which are the characteristics of his former writings, characterise this volume. Very few authors have so blended instruction with entertainment, more especially on controversial subjects.' Correct taste will not always justify Mr. R. in mixing the playfulness of the light essayist with the gravity of the deep metaphysician; and the few sermons which are now before us, if adapted for delivery to a congregation of plain Christians in a barn, are not so well fitted for the closet as we could wish. As a preacher, Mr. R. was a mannerist; and his sermons lose much of their effect on being read by another. He aims at being extremely familiar, at taking his hearers by a coup de main, and at bringing out truths and inferences from his text in a manner which must create surprise if not stamp conviction.

In the three dissertations which, follow the sermons, (I. On the Nature and Operations of the Human Mind as relating more particularly to theological Inquiries; - II. On

the