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we are accustomed to, and one can pronounce tolerably most foreign words or names we meet with.

 There is one curious thing in our New England speech. One very common "Yankee sound, which is absolutely unknown to the English language. The sound we, every body in N.E. Eastern N.E. at least. always give to the vowel in the common word whole is a sound not found in any English word, a sound not known to any English speech. I rather think it is at least as difficult to any English throat not a Yankee's as ever the celebrated French u. It is really astonishing where that sound came from, or how we acquired the right or the power to make use of it.

July 15th. Your letter of July 5th etc. came to hand three days since. You see I have already written not a little, not however that it is any thing worth sending. Query. What do you mean by limited range of correspondence? "Quaint & unique phenomena" were something you had observed about Anchor Ice You had better not have mentioned your offsett? thereto. Antient is simply the old spelling of the word, always found in all old writers, and really quite appropriate in the connection in which I used it. Your argument upon the dependence of Engineers upon Metaphysics would perhaps be thought defective by most Engineers. They might say that some proof were needed that the Engineer is subject to the law of Natural & revealed religion etc. It being generally considered that the said Engineer is bound by Nothing but "the Contract" and perhaps certain "Laws of Nature" -- not your Metaphysical Laws etc., but certain Mathematical & physical Laws of Nature. Laws of Physics. to which of course, his extremest deference is due, & strictly paid.