OF THE LENNI LENAPE INDIANS. 81 



one, and grammars of both. Mr Heckewelder pretended 

 only 'o know the Delaware, and his correspondence with 

 our Historical Committee, in the first volume of their Tran- 

 sactions, appears sufficient to support his pretensions. Both 

 these gentlemen spent the greatest part of their lives among 

 the Indians on whose languages they wrote; while the ano- 

 nymous reviewer docs not tell us that he ever resided 

 with any of them. If he derived his information from In- 

 dian traders and interpreters, he is not probably aware that 

 they are not the proper sources from which the knowledge 

 of the grammar of those languages is to be obtained ; they 

 do not pretend to be men of science, and it is a well known 

 fact that even Indians, who are much in the habit of convers- 

 ing with while men, will adapt their forms as much as pos- 

 sible to the construction of our own language, expecting 

 thereby to be better understood. It is thus that we often 

 speak broken English, when addiessing foreigners, and that 

 nurses will lisp when speaking to children; but it is not so 

 that Indian orators express themselves when addressing their 

 tribes on important subjects. 



I should not have taken notice of this anonymous publi- 

 cation, but that the high character and extensive circulation 

 of the Nor h American Review, in which it would seem 

 that it was inadvertently inserted, made it incumbent 

 upon me to say something to counteract the effect of asser- 

 tions so boldly ma le, and therefore calculated to make an 

 impression on those who have not leisure to investigate the 

 subject. It is but lately that the forms of the languages of 

 the American Indians have begun to attract attention ; I am 

 satisfied that the more they are known, the greater astonish- 

 ment they will excite in unprejudiced minds. In the mean 

 time we must expect that ancient prepossessions will have 

 tli ir way, and that d priori reasoners will not see their favou- 

 rite theories disturbed without a struggle; but facts are 

 stubborn, and their evidence must ;it la^l prevail. 



The most curious thing, undoubtedly, thai exists in the 

 languages of the Indians, is the manner in which they com- 



VOL. III. X 



