The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-06
THE wEATgl r YESTERDAY was clear ant
CHARLOTTESVILLE, August 4, 1875.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, aug usI I, 1Cto
To he Editors Of the Dispatch:
MoS7lcELLo.-Mr.Jef Jefferson gave this name
To his home when he settled on it in 1854,
aud he invariably gave it the pronunciatioa
of Monte -chelIo, aud so his family and de-
scendants continue to do to this day. Mr..
Jefferson is better authority to folio" IN
more things than the pronunciation OF names
than modern innovators.
JAMES ALEXANDER.
Mr.. JEFFERSON borrowed the word, and it
was to be ex pectcd that he would pronounce
it as the Italians did. And if the name were
confined to the country seat of private
gentleman it would not be wrong to pro-
nounce it still in the same manner. When
Mr.. JEFFERSON named his place he was young
and uuknown-only twenty.one years old,
and without fame He Of course adhered to
his original pronunciation Of the word
throughout life. But Mr.. JEFFERsoN's great
fame has AngIcZed or Americanlzed the
word. and it is heard on every tongue In
this broad land. There is Monticello in
Arkansas, Monticello in California, a Mon
ticelo in Florida, Monticello in Georgia, q
Monticello in Illinois, Monticello in lndl'
ana, Monticello in Kansas, Monticello ID
Kentucky, Il Monticello in Maine, a Monticello
in Minnesota, u Monticello in Mississippi, a
Monticello in Missouri, q Monticello IN Ne"
York, Monticello in North Carolina, Mon
| ticelio in PENNSYLVANIA, Monticello IN South
| Carolina, a Monticello in Texas, Monticello
| in Wisconsin, and Monticello even 10
| Washington Territory. The people IN all
the states named-wlthout exception we
| doubt not-pronounce the word as an Ame-
rican would naturally pronounce it. ali oil
| them doubtless call it as WORCESTER says the
word ought TO be pronounced in this coun-
ltry-Monticello. WEBSTER says that either
| Monticello or Montichello may be used in
the United States; which dictum justIhes
| MIR. JEFFERS0N's family and descendants -
/! IN pronouncing the word rs they choose.
| The French do not sound the st" in
Montreal or Montpelier, but no American
not linguistic Top would follow their eX-
ample. The French do not sound the ed"
| in "BEAuREGARD" and it was very proper
| in general BEAuREGAED's ancestors, or even
| h,mself, TO follow their example. But now
! that his is "one of the few, the immortal
names that were not born to die where Is
the priggish ltterateur who would drop the
"d"! Our venerable correspondent him.
self would almost look with contempt upon
tue literary coXcomb who should speak to
him of BEAUREGAR. Why should one
rule he laid down for French words
land another for Italian: We admire the
national pride of the English, which leads
them TO pronounce "Calais" "Callis,' al
though the place is just across the channe
from England. and although they know ful
well the French pronunciation Of the word
"JoHN of Gaunt," the famous Duke of Ian
caster so called, Was born in Ghent. and in
accordance with the custom of his day was
, stvled "JoHN of Ghent,' but. The sturdy
Britishers refused to spell the word after thu
manner of the French, and so, though they
, could not get rid of the title, they spelled it
as we do to this day" "Gaunt." Soif" Monti
cello" must be pronounced as in Italy, let u
at least represent the sounds in Engisl
fashion. and spell it :. Montichello."
"What long tail our cat has" We hap
nen TO have an abundance of room to-day
and so have said our say at length. Never
theless we wish it to be distinctly under
stood that we shall not quarrel with any
body who chooses to say, Monichello," O.
"Beaurcgar," or Mon-real," or "Mon
| pel-ea." or "Tar Haute" for Tcrre Haute
or "Sen Mari'' instead OF "Sen Mary
for Sainte Marie"