Many examples of the omission of this letter might be adduced from surnames, did space permit; indeed, several of those given above are surnames, as well as names of places; and some readers may recollect the change noticed in Selden's _Titles of Honour_, of Roger Wendover into Roger of Windsor, the first step having been to write Roger of Windore. Nor is the practice confined to names. All are familiar with such contractions as _e'er_, _ne'er_, _o'er_, _e'en_, and _se'nnight_. We have also _ill_ for _evil_, and the Scotch have _de'il_ for _devil_, and _e'ening_ for _evening_. In like manner have we derived _lord_ from the old English _loverd_ or _louerd_; _lark_ from _laverock_ (Anglo-Saxon _lauerc_); _hawk_ from the Anglo-Saxon _hafoc_ or _hauoc_; and _head_ from the Anglo-Saxon _heafod_ or _heauod_; for the _f_ or _u_ in Anglo-Saxon, when representing our _v_, became subject to this elision. Time was, too, when _shovel_ was pronounced _sho'el_, and rhymed with _owl_; as is exemplified in the nursery lay of the death and burial of poor Cock Robin. Without now attempting to account for this usage of speech, which seems to imply the prevalence of a former pronunciation of _v_ very different from the present, I will briefly notice that the like elision is of frequent occurrence in Latin, chiefly in the perfect tenses and their derivatives, as _amârunt_ for _amaverunt_, and _audîsset_ for _audivisset_; occasionally, too, in nouns, as _labrum_ for _lavabrum_; and also in the compounds of _versus_, as _retro'rsum_. It is found, I may add, in a few French words derived from the Latin, as _oncle_ from _avunculus_, and _cité_ from _civitas_. In the several languages above mentioned the _v_ between two vowels is also found passing into _w_ or _u_, especially after _a_ or _o_, the second vowel being in such cases dropped, thus indicating the connexion that existed between _v_ and _u_, which letters we know were in times past written indifferently for each other. The discussion, however, of this connexion is beside my present purpose. The Latin contractions that I have adverted to are well known, and often noticed; and it is remarkable that the manner in which this treatment of the _v_ has affected the pronunciation and orthography of our own language, should have almost escaped observation. An acquaintance with it has been found of service when consulting ancient writings and the published records; for those who would use such sources of information with advantage, should be prepared not only to recognise, but also to anticipate, the various changes which names of persons and places have undergone. W. S. W*****D. ANTHONY MUNDY.