PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. 105 



ter; but at the age of nineteen he became a printer. During his 

 youth and early manhood he exhibited an ardent love of knowledge, 

 and devoted every moment he could spare from the necessary labors 

 of his trade to its acquisition. His taste led him especially to the 

 study of philology, and his acquisitions in this department of knowl- 

 edge were surprising. He studied not only the ancient languages, 

 including the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Samaritan, Coptic and San- 

 scrit, but the modern European and Oriental tongues. To these rich 

 and varied accomplishments he added an extensive knowledge of the 

 dialects of the American aborigines, which form a group so peculiar 

 in their characteristics, and so important in their bearings upon com- 

 parative philology. But Mr. Turner possessed not merely the talent 

 of learning languages. His mind was of a philosophical cast; he 

 mastered easily and rapidly the general principles of the science of 

 comparative philology, which has become within the present age one 

 of the surest guides in tracing the history and affinities of the different 

 branches of the human race. This science but few men of his age 

 have so thoroughly explored as our departed friend. 



In 1842 Mr. Turner was elected professor of Oriental literature in 

 the Union Theological Seminary of the city of New York. The duties 

 of this office he discharged with signal ability for ten years. In 1852 

 the Commissioner of Patents invited him to Washington to take charge 

 of the library in that department. His labors in forming a library 

 for the special use of the department and adequate to its wants have 

 been highly appreciated by those who knew them best. 



His literary activity has been various and effective. He assisted 

 the learned Dr. Nordheimer in the preparation of his Hebrew gram- 

 mar. He executed the greater part of the translation of Freund's 

 Latin Lexicon from the German for the American edition. He wrote 

 many valuable papers for the "Bibliotheca Sacra" and other kindred 

 periodical publications. A few years ago an inscription was found 

 near the ancient Sidon, cut on the lid of the sarcophagus of an ancient 

 king of that city, and copies of it having been transmitted to this 

 country by the American missionaries, it attracted the earnest atten- 

 tion of Oriental scholars, and among the rest, of Professor Turner. 

 The discovery was important, because the inscription contains the 

 longest continuous text yet known in the Phenician language: a lan- 

 guage closely connected with the Hebrew. The labors of Professor 

 Turner upon this curious document were among the last of his life. 



Two of the principal philological works published by the Smith- 

 sonian Institution were moulded into their present shape by Professor 

 Turner: the Dacota grammar and dictionary, and the grammar of 

 the Yoruba language. The materials furnished him were elaborated 

 with great skill and learning; and these two admirable volumes form 

 an interesting addition to philological science — the Dacota grammar 

 illustrating in a philosophical manner the characteristic peculiarities 

 of the American type of the agglutinating or polysynthetic languages, 

 and the Yoruba grammar illustrating the African type of the same 

 great division in the classification of human speech. 



The unremitting labors of Professor Turner gradually undermined 

 his constitution. In October last he visited New York, partly for the 



