that. Research is but labour. If skilful advocacy depended upon great research, our courts would be flooded with advocates. To stuff a speech with copious extracts not only diverts the attention of the audience, i. e., the jury, from the points at issue, but blunts the force of an argumenthence the injury of the client's cause.

It is, of course, an entirely different matter to cite a decided case in support of a legal argument, for the decision is regarded as a fact, but quotations from the best works are but speculative logic. We are likewise prepared to make exceptions in cases of insanity, where the opinions of eminent writers on the subject might be of invaluable assistance to the jury. Everyone admires an appropriate quotation, "To make a happy one is a thing not easily to be done. Cardinal du Perron used to say, that the happy application of a verse from Virgil was worth a talent; and Bayle, perhaps too much prepossessed in their favour, has insinuated that there is not less invention in a just and happy application of a thought found in a book than in being the first author of that thought. The art of quotation requires more delicacy in the practice than those conceive who can see nothing more in a quotation than an extract. Whenever the mind of a writer is saturated with the full inspiration of a great author, a quotation gives completeness to the whole; it seals his feelings with undisputed authority. Whenever we would prepare the mind by a forcible appeal, an opening quotation is a symphony preluding on the chords whose tones we are about to harmonise." Doubtless a deal more might be said of an art which has been adopted by most of the savants and philosophers whose works we are pleased to study, and which perhaps, more than anything else, gives rise to all those powerful and majestic productions in which are embodied the wisdom, the erudition and the experience of ages!

CHAPTER III.

"MEN OF GENIUS DEFICIENT IN CONVERSATION."

"Mediocrity can talk; but it is for genius to observe."

How often do we find that men who have excelled in any branch of literature, science or art are most deficient in conversation. Probably Lord Lytton overlooked this fact when he wrote, that the English people, even in the best and most fastidious society, are not remarkable for cultivating the more pure and brilliant order of conversation. This may be easily accounted for, if it be a fact that men of genius very often observe a rigid silence in society; for one would scarcely expect an ordinary individual to introduce subjects for the purpose of giving rise to "pure and brilliant" conversation. Yet it seems that this duty frequently devolves on the less gifted but more volatile members of society. It seems, however, that it has been the same with gifted men of all ages. It has been said that "if you love the man of letters, seek him in the privacies of his study. It is in the hour of confidence and tranquillity that his genius shall elicit a ray of intelligence more fervid than the labours of polished composition."

It has often occurred to us that where a man directs his attention to the

cultivation of any particular art or study, he finds it necessary to tax those parts of his body which are necessary for the due performance of his designs. For instance, the pianist, in order to excel, must practise incessantly, and it will consequently be found that a pianist has great strength in his fingers. In just the same way an athlete, who performs various dexterous feats with his limbs, must necessarily concentrate all his strength in the parts which he taxes. So the man who is continually pondering and studying builds up a leviathan mind, but diminishes his volatile powers, if he have any. It is a pleasure, it is but easy work, for a savant or an antiquarian or a man of strong imagination to muse by himself for hours, but it would probably be a matter of great exertion to converse on trivial topiestopics which are worn threadbare, and which are often introduced for the sake of only talking. Certainly it might be contended that we ought to look to our literati and great men to introduce subjects for conversation, but doubtless what would delight them would not be in consonance with the ideas of the majority. Of course it would be distasteful if one were to introduce at the dinner-table or in the drawing-room subjects which may be termed "dry;" indeed, one seldom expects to hear what the youthfu members of society call "shop" in such places. That judicious moralis. Nicolle, of the Port-Royal Society, said of a scintillant wit, "He conquers me in the drawing-room, but he surrenders to me at discretion on the staircase."

Now we are fully prepared to mention the names of some of the mos gifted luminaries that Europe has produced to bear out the subject of this article, and let it not be supposed that these men formed the exception to the rule. It is said that "the student or the artist, who may shine a luminary of learning and of genius in his works, is found, not rarely, to lie obscured beneath a heavy cloud in colloquial discourse." Some met have such keen and powerful imaginations, that however willing they may be to make themselves affable in society, their thoughts overshadow the lighter subjects of discourse; indeed, some men in the midst of at interesting conversation cannot restrain their thoughts from soaring inte abstract regions. While these men may afford little comfort to the age in which they live, their ideas, let us hope, afford a "curious felicity" to future ages.

Though many distinguished men have been regarded as dolts in society, let not taciturnity in every instance be regarded as synonymous with wisdom.

The following facts will no doubt afford much interest to our readers. "The great Peter Corneille, whose genius resembled that of our Shakespeare, and who has so forcibly expressed the sublime sentiments of the hero, had nothing in his exterior that indicated his genius; his conversation was so insipid that it never failed of wearying. Descartes, whose habits were formed in solitude and meditation, was silent in mixed company; it was said that he had received his intellectual wealth from nature in solid bars, but not in current coin, or as Addison expressed the same idea, by comparing himself to a banker who possessed the wealth of his friends at home, though he carried none of it in his pocket. Themistocles, when asked to play on a lute, said 'I cannot fiddle, but I can make a little village a large city.' The deficiencies of Addison in conversation are well known. He preserved a rigid silence amongst strangers;

How often, at that

but if he was silent, it was the silence of meditation. moment, he laboured at some future Spectator! The cynical Mandeville compared Addison, after having passed an evening in his company, to ‘a silent parson in a tie-wig.' Virgil was heavy in conversation, and resembled more an ordinary man than an enchanting poet. La Fontaine, says La Bruyère, appeared coarse, heavy and stupid; he could not speak or describe what he had seen, but when he wrote he was the model of poetry. It is very easy, said a humorous observer on La Fontaine, to be a man of wit or a fool; but to be both, and that too in the extreme degree, is indeed admirable, and only to be found in him. This observation applies to the fine natural genius, Goldsmith. Chaucer was more facetious in his tales than in his conversation, and the Countess of Pembroke used to rally him by saying, that his silence was more agreeable to her than his conversation. Isocrates, celebrated for his beautiful oratorical compositions, was of so timid a disposition that he never ventured to speak in public. He compared himself to the whetstone which will not cut, but enables other things to do this; for his productions served as models to other orators. Vaucanson was said to be as much a machine as any he had made. Dryden says of himself- My conversation is slow and dull, my harmony saturnine and reserved. In short, I am none of those who endeavour to break jests in company, or make repartees."

CHAPTER IV.

THE QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION HELD ON THE 11TH AND 12TH OF FEBRUARY, 1874, WITH THE ANSWERS.

I. English Composition.

Candidates were requested to write an essay or letter, not less than two in length, on one of the following subjects:

pages

(1.) Write a letter to a friend on your choice of a profession, and give

your reasons.

(2.) Give an account of the story of any of Scott's novels or poems, or of any of Shakespeare's plays.

(3.) Is voice any clue to character?

(4.) Write a letter to a friend describing your life up to the present

time.

(5.) Foreign travel.

(6.) Direct and indirect taxation; their use and abuse.

II. English Language.

1. Classify the elementary sounds in English. What have been considered the principal imperfections of the alphabet? What is supposed to be the origin of the order of the letters of the alphabet?

Classification according to the organs of speech employed :

Labials (labia, the lips), P, B, F, V, M.

Dentals (dentes, the teeth), T, D, TH, S, Z, SH, CH.

Linguals (lingua, the tongue), L, N, R.

Palatals (palatum, the palate), G, R, J.

Gutturals (guttur, the throat), K, R, H.

In a perfect alphabet (1) each simple sound should have a corresponding letter to represent it; and (2) one sound should not be represented by more than one letter. In respect to these two features the English alphabet is inconsistent, uncertain, erroneous, deficient and redundant.

It is supposed that the original alphabet consisted of sixteen letters, the rest being variations of some of these; and that of these, a, e, o, are the three principal vowel breathings. In this view, the English letters will be found to closely correspond with those of the Hebrew alphabet.

Breathings.

I

Labials.
B

F

L

Palatals.
C (or G)
CH (or H)
M

Linguals.
D

2. What is the origin of the -s of the English plural? Mention the principal exceptions in the formation of plurals. How do you account for the phrase "A thousand horse and foot?" Give examples of substantives in the plural used as singular.

In Anglo-Saxon the suffix of the nominative plural in a certain class of nouns was -as. In later English this became -es, and in modern English the vowel is lost.

The principal exceptions are

(1) When a consonant precedes y, in the singular y changes into ies; as lady,
ladies.

(2) For fe of the singular changes into ves; as wife, wives; but to this rule
there are several exceptions, as grief, relief, roof, &c., &c.
(3) The root vowel of the singular is changed to form the plural; as man,

men; goose, geese.

(4) En is added to the singular, sometimes with a change of the root vowel;

as ox, oxen; brother, brethren, &c.

In the expression " a thousand horse and foot," horse and foot must be regarded as short forms for horse-soldiers and foot-soldiers.

These plural substantives are used as singulars: news, summons, gallons, politics, ethics, optics, &c.

3. Give the rules for the formation of the degrees of comparison.

The comparative degree is formed by suffixing er to the positive; as bright, brighter.

When the positive ends in y, the y is changed into i, and er is suffixed as before; as holy, holier.

A final consonant preceded by a short vowel is usually doubled; as this, thinner.

When the adjective consists of more than two syllables, it is usual to express the comparative by placing the adverb more before the positive, as beautiful, more beautiful.

This method is sometimes employed with dissyllabic and monosyllabic adjec tives; as more graceful, more true.

The superlative degree is formed by suffixing est to the positive; as bright, brighter, brightest; or by prefixing most, as most amiable.

4. Classify English pronouns.

Pronouns are substantive and adjective.

Substantive pronouns are divided into

(1) Personal: as I, thou, he, she, it, we, ye, they.

(2) Reflexive: self.

(3) Indefinite and distributive: as one, any, other, who, whoever, either, &c. (4) Relative and interrogative: who, which, whoever, that, as, &c.

(5) Demonstrative: as this, that, such, &c.

Adjective pronouns are divided into

(1) Possessive: his, its, mine, thine, &c.

(2) Reflexive: my own, &c., &c.

(3) Indefinite distributive pronouns: any, each, either, &c.

(4) Relative and interrogative: which, what, whichever, &c.
(5) Demonstrative: this, that, such, &c.

5. Write down the past tense and past participle of smite, drive, wind, spin, spring, heave, swear, weave.

smite

drive

wind

Past Tense.

smote

drove

wound

Past Participle.

smitten

driven

wound

6. What is meant by mood? How many moods are used in English grammar ? Write short sentences illustrating the use of each mood.

Mood is a grammatical term (from the Latin medus, mode or manner), signifying the manner of expressing an action, i.e., the way in which we speak of it. There are four moods ::

(1) The indicative, which states a fact or asks a question, as I command;
Who speaks?

(2) The imperative, which commands or advises, as Do this; Be careful.
(3) The subjunctive, which is used to show that one action is contingent
upon some other, as If I were in Italy I would ascend some of the
mountains.

(4) The infinitive, which expresses an action without reference to the agent
or the time, as To die is inevitable.

7. Define an edverb. How may adverbs be classified? Give examples of each class. What is meant by an adverbial clause ?

Adverbs are indeclinable words, employed to modify the meaning of adjectives, participles, verbs, prepositions, nouns, pronouns, other adverbs, and compound phrases.

Adverbs can be classed in two ways:

1st. According to their origin

Some are originally monosyllabic Saxon words: now, aye, up, ill, well.

2nd. According to their meaning

Time: once, always, often, then.

Place: hither, thither, hence, thence.

Degree: how, very, greatly, enough, equally, partly.

Manner well, thus, perhaps, therefore, &c.

An adverbial clause is one which, in reference to the principal sentence, occnpies the place and follows the construction of an adverb. Like the adverb, it may relate to time, to place, to manner, to cause and effect.

Describing place:

"Where'er we seek thee thou art found;

And every place is hallowed ground."

Describing time:

"When I said I should die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till 1 were married.”—Much Ado about Nothing.

Causation :

"Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

8. Explain the terms subject and predicate. Illustrate your answer (1) by a simple sentence; (2) by a compound sentence.

The thing spoken of in a sentence is called the subject; the assertion made respecting it is called the predicate.

A simple sentence contains one subject and one finite verb, or predicate; as, Dogs bark.

A compound sentence contains two or more simple or complex sentences. A complex sentence contains one principal subject and one principal predicate, with two or more finite verbs connected with the principal sentence, as "Retail geniuses are worth nothing: go to the wholesale dealers, if you wish knowledge.”— Emmory.