letter is more correct, except in some few instances in which the common noun is regarded as a permanent part of the name; as in Washington City, Jersey City.  The words Mount, Cape, Lake, and Bay, are now generally written with capitals when connected with their proper names; as, Mount Hope, Cape Cod, Lake Erie, Casco Bay.  But they are not always so written, even in modern books; and in the Bible we read of “mount Horeb, mount Sinai, mount Zion, mount Olivet,” and many others, always with a single capital.

OBS. 12.—­In modern compound names, the hyphen is now less frequently used than it was a few years ago.  They seldom, if ever, need it, unless they are employed as adjectives; and then there is a manifest propriety in inserting it.  Thus the phrase, “the New London Bridge,” can be understood only of a new bridge in London; and if we intend by it a bridge in New London, we must say, “the New-London Bridge.”  So “the New York Directory” is not properly a directory for New York, but a new directory for York.  I have seen several books with titles which, for this reason, were evidently erroneous.  With respect to the ancient Scripture names, of this class, we find, in different editions of the Bible, as well as in other books, many discrepancies.  The reader may see a very fair specimen of them, by comparing together the last two vocabularies of Walker’s Key.  He will there meet with an abundance of examples like these:  “Uz’zen Sherah, Uzzen-sherah; Talitha Cumi, Talithacumi; Nathan Melech, Nathan’-melech; A’bel Meholath, Abel-meholah; Hazel Elponi, Hazeleponi; Az’noth Tabor, Asnoth-tabor; Baal Ham’on, Baal-hamon; Hamon Gog, Ham’ongog; Baal Zebub, Baeal’zebub; Shethar Boz’naei, Shether-boz’naei; Merodach Bal’adan, Merodach-bal’adan.”  All these glaring inconsistencies, and many more, has Dr. Webster restereotyped from Walker, in his octavo Dictionary!  I see no more need of the hyphen in such names, than in those of modern times.  They ought, in some instances, to be joined together without it; and, in others, to be written separately, with double capitals.  But special regard should be had to the ancient text.  The phrase, “Talitha, cumi,”—­i. e., “Damsel, arise,”—­is found in some Bibles, “Talitha-cumi;” but this form of it is no more correct than either of those quoted above.  See Mark, v, 41st, in Griesbach’s Greek Testament, where a comma divides this expression.

OBS. 13.—­On Rule 10th, concerning Personifications, it may be well to observe, that not every noun which is the name of an object personified, must begin with a capital, but only such as have a resemblance to proper nouns; for the word person itself, or persons, or any other common noun denoting persons or a person, demands no such distinction.  And proper names of persons are so marked, not with any reference to personality, but because they are proper nouns—­or names of individuals, and not names of sorts.