ication." Now the
result of my experience is, that the _h_ is almost universally sounded; and
at this moment I cannot call to mind a single gentleman who omits it, who
does not also omit it in many other instances where no doubt can exist that
it ought to be sounded.

MR. DAWSON believes the sounding the _h_ to be "one of those, either
Oxford, or Cambridge, or both, peculiarities of which no reasonable
explanation can be given." Now I believe MR. DAWSON is right in supposing
that that usage is general both at Oxford and Cambridge, and I rather think
that not only an explanation of the fact may be given, but that the fact
itself, that in both the Universities the _h_ is sounded, is extremely
cogent evidence that it is correct. It cannot be doubted that the fact that
a word is spelled with certain letters is clear proof that, at the time
when that spelling was adopted, the word was so sounded as to give a
distinct sound to each of the letters used, and that clearly must have been
the case with words beginning with _h_ especially. When, therefore, the
present spelling of _humble_ was adopted, the _h_ was sounded. Now, whilst
I freely admit that the utterance of any word may be changed--"Si volet
usus, quem penes arbitrium est, et jus et norma loquendi"--still it cannot
be questioned that the usage must be so general, clear, and distinct among
the better educated classes (where-ever they may have received their
education) as to leave no reasonable doubt about the matter; and that it
lies on those who assert that such a change has taken place, to show such a
usage as I have mentioned. And when the number of the members of the
Universities is considered, and their position as men of education, it must
at least admit of doubt whether, if a general usage prevailed among them to
pronounce a particular word in the manner in which it originally was
pronounced, this would not alone prevent a different pronunciation among
others from having that general prevalence, which would be sufficient to
justify a change in the utterance of such word.

But let us consider whether the usage of the Universities is not very
cogent evidence that the _h_ is generally sounded throughout England, 1.
Each University contains a large number of the higher and better educated
classes. 2. The members come from all parts of England indiscriminately. 3.
Infinitely the majority come from schools; and some of the large schools
have generally many members at e