.Atlas Ethnographique du Globe. 397 



2nd. Symbolic representation ; 3rd. The modern Chinese 

 characters ; 4th. Mixed characters, or the Hing-Ching of 

 the Chinese; 5th. Syllabic writing, in use among the Ja-, 

 panese; 6th. Alphabetic writing ; and 7th. Modes of writing 

 not coniprehended in any of the above ; such as the Quippos 

 of the Peruvians and of the Mexicans ; the Notched-sticks 

 of the Montenegrins, and of the people of the North and 

 Centre of Asia ; Arithmetical Cyphers, and Chronograms. 



Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 contain respectively an exposi- 

 tion of the considerations, by which the author has been 

 guided in his classification of the languages of Asia, Europe, 

 Africa, Polynesia, and America. These chapters contain a 

 vast collection of facts, alike curious and important, forming 

 the basis on which the Tables of the Atlas are founded. 

 In assembling these, the author has been assisted by MM. 

 Abe]-Ramusat, Saint Martin, Champollion Figeac, Hermes, 

 Freycinet, Duperrey, Lesson, Gaymond, Blosseville, Hum- 

 boldt, Gallatin, Malte-Brun, Warden, Dubois, Langlois, 

 &c. In discussing the languages of the South-Sea Island- 

 ers, M. Balbi does full justice to the principal share which 

 British navigators have had in collecting the materials of 

 which he has availed himself, without, however, underva- 

 luing the services in the same cause which other nations, par- 

 ticularly the French and Spaniards, have contributed. 



The 8th and last chapter presents a summary review of 

 the literature of Russia, from the first period of the political 

 existence of that nation to the present time. Having no 

 necessary connexion with the distinct object of the Atlas, 

 the introduction of this chapter is probably due to the pecu- 

 liar circumstances of the author in regard to the Emperor 

 Alexander, to whom the work is dedicated. The matter 

 wliich^it contains is, however, so entertaining and instructive, 

 that we can hardly permit ourselves to criticise its insertion. 



The ^clas Ethnographique consists of 41 tables, of which 

 36 are Ethnographic, and 5 Polyglott. The 36 Ethno- 

 graphic Tables present all known languages, both ancient 

 and modern, described and classed according to their respec- 

 tive relations. The 5 Polyglott Tables contain the words, 

 sun, moon, day, earth, water, fire, father, mother, eye, head, 

 nose, mouth, tongue, tooth, hand, foot, one, two, three, four, 

 five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, being 26 in number, in 

 about 700 languages and dialects. These two species of 

 tables, which are a check upon each other, exhibit the most 

 complete, the best founded, and the most methodically ar- 

 ranged account of the present state of our knowledge in 



