menced pummelling each other, until a gentleman, came up, who soon found, that defective articulation, in both the combatants, was the cause of this breach of the King's peace.

A Stammerer of less pugnacious temper, was thus addressed by a traveller-" I say, my friend, How far is it to Hendon?" (The parties, were on an eminence about six miles from the place inquired after.) The man, pointing to the place in the distance, stuttered out "Y-y-y-you'll b-b-be th-th-there b-before I can tell you!"

/ There are, then, three distinct causes of this Impediment

Ist. An attempt to speak with the mouth shut.

2nd. A harsh pronunciation of the Con

sonants.

3rd. An ill-management of the breath. Any one of these causes, will sufficiently account, on very natural principles, for this defect; but, when they are combined, or when they operate alternately, as frequently hap

pens, they produce the most painful, and ungainly distortions, that can deform "the human face divine."

I shall treat of these three causes of Stammering, and the means, by which, this formidable obstruction to speech, may be removed.

With respect to the FIRST cause of this Impediment-namely, An attempt to form words, while the mouth, is shut, or partially shut.

I have said above, that consonants, in general, are rather formations than sounds.

One of the stutterer's first attempts at speech, is to close his lips, and to struggle for utterance, with the vocal organs in such a state, as to preclude the very possibility of articulation. Say that the words he would emit, are "bad case:" the process, commences thus he shuts his lips, and strives, with might and main, to enounce the first word; it will not out; in fact, it cannot come out. The pressure of the breath, makes the lips protrude, and the chin descend, as if it

sought a resting-place on the knees. Another process, now takes place, which contracts, and pulls back the lips. The chin, that before sought relief in descent, now, strives for elevation, and it would fain o'ertop the nose. When the Stammerer, arrives at this stage, probably Nature, steps in to his aid, and that word, may be pronounced:-the second word, it may be, is tortured in the same way; and with a similar result. Or, he may prefix one of the articles, a or the. Though he will find no difficulty in getting out a, yet, he runs it up, and mixes it with the consonant b; then commences a struggle, which threatens almost strangulation.

This cause of the Impediment, can be overcome in the following manner.- Let the stutterer open his mouth, and as he opens it, let him draw in breath. While the breath, is coming from the lungs, let him pronounce the article a. Previous to the articulation of the word bad, let him again draw in breath, and, instead of shutting his mouth to form the con

sonant, let him prefix a vowel, and, opening his mouth, let him pronounce the word—

eeb-ad.

In the same manner, let him add the word case, taking care to open his mouth, and prefix

ee;

he will, by this means, trace the consonant Chard, (or K) to its seat in the throat: let him, at this point, (eek,) quickly separate the tongue, and then, he will enounce, without any difficulty, the voluble part of the word,— ase. We shall then have the words for the Stammerer arranged thus

a-eeb-ad-eek-ase.

By practising in this manner, slowly at first, as a tyro, practises the notes in a bar of music, or, the steps of a dance, the result, will be a harmonious, and an unbroken utterance of the most difficult words.

The principles here laid down, will carry the Stammerer through the longest chain of SINGLE words. The accurate pronunciation of sentences, or, parts of sentences, I shall speak of, when I treat of the management of the breath.

HARSH PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS.

Under the first head, I have, in a great measure, anticipated what may be stated here. This harshness, arises from the habit of attempting to vocalize consonants, by throwing them forcibly into the lips, and teeth. For instance, the letter p, when an initial, presents the most formidable difficulty, as in the word poor; and the effect, in many cases, is like a fit of St. Vitus' Dance.

The Stammerer, should be told, that the consonant, which is an obstruction of the breath, will not amalgamate with the vowel, though in rapid, and common speech, it may seem to do so: but, in no case, though he may be overwhelmed with seeming, can it mix with the vowel. The nimble eye, indeed, cannot trace the distinct formation; yet, it exists, nor, can a process of articulation be carried on without its existence. Let the