OBS. 9.—­On Rule 6th, concerning One Capital for Compounds, I would observe, that perhaps there is nothing more puzzling in grammar, than to find out, amidst all the diversity of random writing, and wild guess-work in printing, the true way in which the compound names of places should be written.  For example:  What in Greek was “ho Areios Pagos,” the Martial Hill, occurs twice in the New Testament:  once, in the accusative case, “ton Areion Pagan,” which is rendered Areopagus; and once, in the genitive, “tou Areiou Pagou,” which, in different copies of the English Bible is made Mars’ Hill, Mars’ hill, Mars’-hill, Marshill, Mars Hill, and perhaps Mars hill.  But if Mars must needs be put in the possessive case, (which I doubt,) they are all wrong:  for then it should be Mars’s Hill; as the name Campus Martins is rendered “Mars’s Field,” in Collier’s Life of Marcus Antoninus.  We often use nouns adjectively; and Areios is an adjective:  I would therefore write this name Mars Hill, as we write Bunker Hill.  Again:  Whitehaven and Fairhaven are commonly written with single capitals; but, of six or seven towns called Newhaven or New Haven, some have the name in one word and some in two. Haven means a harbour, and the words, New Haven, written separately, would naturally be understood of a harbour:  the close compound is obviously more suitable for the name of a city or town.  In England, compounds of this kind are more used than in America; and in both countries the tendency of common usage seems to be, to contract and consolidate such terms.  Hence the British counties are almost all named by compounds ending with the word shire; as, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, &c.  But the best books we have, are full of discrepancies and errors in respect to names, whether foreign or domestic; as, “Ulswater is somewhat smaller.  The handsomest is Derwentwater.”—­Balbi’s Geog., p. 212. “Ulswater, a lake of England,” &c. “Derwent-Water, a lake in Cumberland,” &c.—­Univ.  Gazetteer, “Ulleswater, lake, Eng. situated partly in Westmoreland,” &c.—­Worcester’s Gaz. “Derwent Water, lake, Eng. in Cumberland.”—­Ibid. These words, I suppose, should be written Ullswater and Derwentwater.

OBS. 10.—­An affix, or termination, differs from a distinct word; and is commonly understood otherwise, though it may consist of the same letters and have the same sound.  Thus, if I were to write Stow Bridge, it would be understood of a bridge; if Stowbridge, of a town:  or the latter might even be the name of a family.  So Belleisle is the proper name of a strait; and Belle Isle of several different islands