To the Editor of the Christian Observer. To the Editor of the Christian Observer. ALLOW me to suggest a small altera- VIMAND. In compliance with the suggestion of our correspondent we shall adopt, for the future, the mode of reference he recommends; and therefore request our correspondents, in the references they make to the Christian Observer of a former year, to state only the year in which it was published. Those of our friends, who have not yet bound up their former numbers, will be pleased to give directions to their bookbinder to pay attention to this circumstance. STATE OF THE ENEMY'S PREPARAtions. A work has recently been published, entitled, "The experienced Officer," being a translation of the instructions of General Wimpffen to his sons, by Lieutenant Colonel Macdonald, of the first battalion of Cinque Port Volunteers. In an introduction to this work, the translator has inserted, what he calls, an AUTHENTIC STATE of the preparations of the enemy," on the 15th April 1804. As the residence of that gentleman at Dover seems to afford him easy means of intelligence, and as his general respectability enti tles his statements to considerable attention, I beg leave to transcribe, for the information of your readers, the passage to which I allude. S. L. "The translator has positive and direct information received from the blockading station off the three Boulogne harbours, and deduced from the log-books of the blockading squadron, that thirteen hundred and thirty gunboats, or carrying-boats, have entered Boulogne since the commencement of the blockade; that fifty have entered Ambleteuse harbour: and that there are thirty at Wimille. It is perfectly understood that there were three hundred boats at Boulogne when the blockade was formed, one hundred and twenty are reckoned to have been built in the three harbours, this gives the aggregate number, at this moment, at eighteen hundred and thirty. Allowing three hundred and thirty for carrying ammunition, a field train, camp equipage, horses, or for hospital boats, we have one thousand five hundred for conveying troops. From the ascertained capacity of the captured gun-boats, each will carry, with ease, one hundred men; and therefore, the one thousand five hundred will carry one hundred and fifty thousand. The grand attempt will not be made till there may be two thousand carrying-boats, which will endeavour, by rowing in a dead calm, to land two hundred thousand men on two succeeding days. We repeat it, the object is the Capital, by forced marches, and Dover by a coup de main, to form a convenient dépôt, and receiving harbour. The boats are not capable of attempting any distant point; therefore, the nearest point practicable is that intended to land on. The boats on this coast, forty feet by ten nearly, manned by fifteen men to manage the boat, and work a carronade, are not, by any means, adequate to oppose the French flotilla effectually, Gun-bouts and gun-brigs furnished with sweeps are the proper description. By exertion, there is still time to take such up, and fit them out. When these statements are made, we hear of four hundred thousand volunteers. Three-fourths of them would not have time to leave their homes, before the fate of the empire was decided. We wish not to create false alarms, or to produce despondency in the public mind. We state facts of a stubborn description. It is not by concealing the extent of the danger, but by exposing it fully, that timely measures are adopted, by land, and sea particularly, to avert its consequences. It is the duty of every well-wisher of his country to bring forward facts calculated to invigorate public exertion, on which alone we can depend at an eventful period, when Europe lies prostrate at the feet of France.' REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. CLXV. Three Tracts on the Syntax and Pronunciation of the Hebrew Tongue, with an Appendix addressed to the Hebrew Nation. By GRANVILLE SHARP. London, Vernor and Hood, 12mo. 1804. First Tract 65 pp. Second Tract 106 pp. Third Tract 32 pp. Appendix 146 pp. Index 38 pp. THE well earned laurels of Mr. Sharp in the field of Grecian criticism, will not be tarnished by his present atchievements in that of the Hebrew. The first of these valuable treatises has for its object to reduce that curious phenomenon of the Hebrew language, the conversive vau, to some definite rules-an attempt, which, he justly laments, has been accomplished by no grammarians that have fallen in his way, either antient or modern. After remarking (p. 11) the necessity of the two following observations concerning Hebrew sentences-" 1st. That the verses of the Hebrew scriptures, from period to period, do frequently contain more sentences than one, sometimes even two or three sentences. And 2ndly, That sometimes, on the contrary, one sentence, paragraph, or sentiment, is obviously extended throughout several adjoining verses:"-our author proceeds (p. 13) to lay down his first rule. That prefixed to future tenses converts them into perfect, and prefixed to perfect tenses converts them into future, regularly and in every case, which does not fall under one or other of the four following general exceptions: one only instance of irregularity or particular exception being discoverable, which yet may fairly be attributed to poetical licence. When it is only known that exceptions to a general rule exist, but those exceptions are incapable of an accurate description, the whole subject remains in its original obscurity. Mr. Sharp has endeavoured to remove this obscurity respecting the above-mentioned rule, by ascertaining, by describing, and correctly defining the general exceptions which limit its in. fluence. They are set down as a continuation of the rules, the first general exception being the second rule. Rule II. The is not conversive, when one or more identical tenses follow a verb of the same tense without a prefixed: the perfect is not always influenced by this exception. Rule III. The prefixed does not convert any verb in the imperative mood, nor any verb or verbs in the future tense, following an imperative mood: the perfect is exempt from this exception. Rule IV. The conversive does not affect any future or present tenses. after an interrogation: the per ect is exempt from this exception like wise. Rule V. This rule is borrowed by Mr. Sharp from Rabbi Elias, and is thus expressed:-"If a future tense put for a præterperfect tense' (which must be by having a prefixed) precedes a preter tense,' (having also a prefixed 1,) the latter is [merely] The remainder of this tract consists of examples of each of these rules in 'order. Of the first and fundamental rule, the examples adduced are very numerous, and Mr. Sharp does not he sitate to affirm, that the converted tenses are much more frequently used than the proper ones, (p. 19); insomuch that this peculiarity may justly be considered as a proper idiom of the language, p. 23. Our author's version of nn), Gen. ix. 13, in the perfect tense, is confirmed by those of Ainsworth and Rosenmüller. The Septuagint, however, render it in the present, and the Vulgate in the future tense. The second rule is confirmed by examples, pp. 24-26; the third by a still larger number, pp. 27-39; the fourth with sufficient evidence, pp. 39-45. The fifth, which contains an interesting discussion of Ezckiel xxxvii, is established by as many examples as could be expected of so extraordinary a grammatical construction. The subject of this treatise, the conversive power of the prefixed 1, is, perhaps, the most curious phenomenon in human language, and one which is least capable of a philosophical and satisfactory solution. The attempt of Parkhurst accounts for but one part of the peculiarity, and cannot, therefore, be admitted as any solution at all. 66 When the connected particle 1, and," (says he) "is prefixed to a word in the future tense, that verb signifies future in respect to the time of (not the time in) which the historian is writing, or the person speaking, as Gen. i. 1. The Aleim created the heavens and the earth, ver. 2.0, and then the Aleim said,” &c. Methodical Heb. Grammar, prefixed to his Lexicon, p. 15. The rationale of the conversive vau, is worthy of a philosophical investigation. The next tract of this able critic professes to give an account of some other peculiarities in the Hebrew tongue, seven in number, the three first of which are instances of elliptical construction. 1st," When a pronoun, or a participle, or a noun with a pronominal adjective annexed to it, precedes ano ther noun, if no verb is expressed be tween them, the auxiliary verb in the present tense must be understood be tween them in the text, and must be expressly added in translations." p. 5. This construction, which is net peculiar to the Hebrew language, was easily to be established. 2nd. The understanding of other words necessary to complete the sentence. This is common to all languages. 3rd. After a negative in the beginning of a sentence, the repetition ef it is frequently to be understood, although not expressed. Ps. ix. 19. Ps. lxxv. 6. and Ps. xci. 5, 6, are decisive instances of this peculiar construction. When the is inserted where the negative is understood, it must be translated neither. p. 14, contains a curious instance of an ellipsis of the effect of conversive, which is understood. In p. 16, are to be found two instances of the supposed retrospective influence of the This we feel some reluctance to admit. The instances occur in p. 14, 17 and 19. We are more disposed to avail ourselves of the help of MSS.; and before nnan in the first of these verses one of Dr. Kennicott's MSS., No. 166, inserts; as likewise in the other verse, where No. 76 reads w for wp. Three other MSS. read . 4th. The fourth particularity is expressed thus-" In the opinion of some learned translators, a future tense is sometimes used for the present tense; and sometimes, but not so of ten, for the perfect tense." p. 17. For this construction, however, although several instances of it occur, Mr. Sharp professes not to have been able to trace out any rule of syntax." p. 21. The remaining particularities are more important. 5th. The expression of the genitive case of nouns by mere position. To this particularity, which so generally obtains in the Hebrew Scriptures, there are, however, seven exceptions! but these are so accurately defined, that they produce no uncertainty or embarrassment. In this part of the work the reader will meet with some important inferences respecting certain prophecies and the divinity of our blessed Saviour, an object which, to the honour of Mr. Sharp, we ob serve he never overlooks. 6th. This was the original place of the discussion concerning the conversive vau, which is more elaborately pursued in the first tract or let ter. 7th. Here Mr. Sharp vindicates to the Hebrew language a regular binoni or present tense, which may be known by the nominative preceding the verb in kal. Of this rule there are three modifications, and one general exception, which occupies the remainder of the tract from p. 98. That the Jews themselves are not agreed in the pronunciation of their own language is proved p. 30: but our author probably errs on the side of charity, when he acquits them of any wilful alterations or corruptions in the words of the sacred text itself. This was once the opinion of the great Kennicott; but five and twenty years experience convinced him of the contrary; and the arguments which he has produced in support of the charge against the Jews of the wilful corruption of their scriptures, are too decisive to be withstood. See the Diss. Gen. prefixed to his Bible, pp. 27-43. See likewise Whitaker's Origin of Arianism, pp. 302 317. Our opinion of this work is sufficiently evident from what we have already said; and we have no doubt that our readers, with us, will rejoice that, in these times especially, the talents of a learned layman are so well employed. We shall now proceed to the Appendix. The third tract in this valuable little volume attempts to settle the pronunciation of the Hebrew vowel letters, The masoretic points are now sufficiently exploded, and the Hebrew alphabet is proved to contain its proper proportion of vowels. See Walton, Prol. iii. de Ling. Heb. § 49. Mr. Sharp does not pretend to ascertain with precision the real pronunciation of the Hebrew tongue; but, by the fair application of etymology, to render the utterance or sound of the language more regular and intelligible, when appropriated without variation The respectable author states, that to the several vocal letters of the He- while he was occupied in searching brew alphabet, p. 6. And we con- the Hebrew Bible for examples of the fess, that, on so dark and desperate a rules laid down in the preceding tracts, subject, etymology appears to be the many of the examples which occur most hopeful instrunient that can be red " suggested (at the same time) applied. ideas of infinitely more importance than the mere grammatical subject intended by the author." He proceeds ་ From a considerable number of very evident derivations, it appears that was sounded like the English a, both long and short, but at the beginning of words in general like the short e; that was pronounced like, e long; that had the sound of i long, except when placed at the beginning of words, it was sounded as the consonant ; and that was pronounced like u long, u short, o long, ou, and the Greek letters &, w, and 0. That they was universally, or even generally, pronounced like o long, we are not so clear. We have examined the first chapter of Genesis in the Hexapla of Origen, in the second column of which he gives the pronunciation in Greek letters of the Hebrew, which occupies the first column; and there we find the sound of y uniformly expressed by the Greek a ort. The only exception is p, which is turned into 'p. The known pronunciation of, the national appellation of the Jews, is a confirmation of this doubt; nor has our author concealed it from his readers. See pp. 8, 9, 10, note. "For it is very remarkable how frequently the examples of the several rules, which occurred in searching for them, were equally demonstrative of an object of much higher consideration, and more especially to the nation of the Jews, than the grammatical topic for which they were purposely selected; as if an instruction in the inere syntax of the Hebrew scriptures was providentially connected with the highest and most important national inte rest of the Hebrew nation!" (p. 6.) Mr. Sharp, having expressed an anxious and becoming solicitude for the welfare of the Hebrews, invites their attention to what he justly represents as "the great and principal object of divine revelation, viz. the promised Messiah of the Jews, and the absolute necessity of a perfect obedience by all mankind (not only as individuals, but also in their national capacities, as states, kingdoms, and governments) to his prevailing kingdom of righteousness." pp. 15, 16. His claim to their attention upon this subject he founds, not on any preca rious or unauthorized opinion, but upon the plain grammatical construction of their own scriptures. Ib. Of these scriptures (the New as well as the Old Testament, both being written by Israelites,) he considers them as the just proprietors, and as trustees for all other nations; and therefore peculiarly bound to attend to the present awful signs of the times, and enquire into the meaning of the sacred oracles upon the important subject above-mentioned. p. 20. tions in the Hebrew scriptures concerning the pre-existent dignity of that Messiah whom they expect." p. 86. The remainder of this tract is accordingly employed in explaining many passages in the Old Testament relative to this important subject. The grammatical construction established in the foregoing tracts is here illustrated, as the instances occur. This part of the work will be peculiarly interesting both to the Christian and the Biblical scholar-characters which we always wish to see united. CLXVI. The Opportunity; or, Reasons for an immediate Alliance with St. Domingo. By the Author of "THE CRISIS OF THE SUGAR COLONIES." London, Hatchard. 180. 8vo. pp. 156. The approaching dissolution of the Turkish power, which Mr. Sharp supposes, particularly on the foundation of St. John's prophecy, is to make way for the future millennium, or reign of martyrs, and the consequent restoration of the Jews, he represents as one of the awful signs of the times which more particularly prompted his present address. The appeal to the IN Jews, as the original persecutors of the disciples of the Messiah, and as having entailed upon themselves and their descendants a national responsibility for blood, is peculiarly striking. See pp. 48-50. Our author then examines and urges other prophecies, more properly Hebrew, particularly those of Daniel. pp. 51, &c. Upon Mr. Sharp's interpretation of the prophetic scriptures, which, in the main, is evident and incontrovertible, it would be easy to make many observations, or to tread in the footsteps of Mede, or Newton, or Lowman, or Kett. But we decline the mysterious subject, for want of sufficient wisdom, as Whitby professes concerning himself. From p. 74 to 85 this work contains a curious account of a solemn council of the Jews assembled in the plains of Buda, in Hungary, to examine the scriptures concerning Christ, A. D. 1650. But it was rendered frustrate by the representation which the Roman Catholics, who were present, gave of the Christian religion*. To prevent any similar failure in any future council of the same sort, Mr. Sharp directs that the Jews" should previously examine, as private individuals, some of the leading intima * We should be obliged to any of our correspondents, who may be well acquainted with the history of that period, to furnish us with evidence of the real occurrence of this council. every page of the present pamphlet the author displays the same acute and penetrating mind, the same intimate acquaintance with the subvigorous understanding, and the same ject he has undertaken to discuss, him so large a share of the public atwhich have already obtained for tention. His conceptions are bold and comprehensive; his argumentation forcible and impressive; and his eloquence, though not uniformly chaste, manly and energetic. But his highest praise, in our estimation, is the In assuming the character of the popurity and elevation of his principles. litical economist, he does not, like sight of those rules of moral rectitoo many of his contemporaries, lose tude which christianity prescribes, there is a God who judgeth the neither does he forget that "verily' earth." In the commencement of his pamphlet, the author adverts to the facts which he had advanced in "the Crisis," and to the reasoning which he that work had proved, for the most had grounded upon them, shews that part, a history by anticipation of the recent events in St. Domingo. "In delineating," observes our author, moral, by which the restitution of private "the peculiar objects, both physical and slavery, the Consul's true purpose, would be opposed, it was found necessary to adduce facts relative to colonial slavery, of which the true nature was generally mis + Reviewed in our number for May, 1802, p. 305. |