JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 191 



are liable to perish by accident. Every investigator knows that many which survived 

 till a few years since are now irrecoverably lost. 



The language of a tribe is its most important relic. The mechanical arts were rude, 

 and the remains so scanty, that mound and bone pit, and deserted village, have given 

 us scarce a clue to the history of the peoples to whom they belonged, But language 

 is the great key to the affinities of the tribes, and often enables us to trace their migra- 

 tions, and in all casas to determine their kindred. 



We owe it to posterity to allow the work of destruction to go no further, and to put 

 in a permanent form every work now in manuscript, giving the grammatical struc- 

 ture or a full vocabulary of an Indian dialect. Our national honor is interested, and 

 the learned abroad even now begin to wonder at our indifference. 



Impelled by a desire to save these works, I began a series of them, printing a few 

 copies of each, from the original manuscripts, my object being to preserve them ; and 

 six grammars or dictionaries of different tribes have already been issued. So much, 

 however, is yet to be done, that I appeal to the public libraries, the historical socie- 

 ties, and literary institutions of the country, as well as to ethnologists, here and 

 abroad, to aid me, by subscribing to the series, as the greater the number of sub- 

 scribers, the lower the works can be afforded, and the greater the number of volumes 

 that can be issued. 



The works are handsomely printed on good paper, and carefully edited, forming a 

 series of royal 8vo. volumes creditable to any collection. 



NOW READY. 



1. A French Onondaga Dictionary. From a manuscript of the seventeenth 



century $4 00 



2. A Grammar of the Selish, or Flathead Language. By Eev. G. Men- 



garini : 4 00 



3. A Grammar of the Heve (Sonora) Language. Edited from a manuscript 



of the seventeenth century. By B. Smith, Esq 1 00 



4. A Grammar of the Mutsun (California) Language. By F. Felipe Arroyo 



de la Cuesta 2 50 



5. A Grammar of the Nevome (Pima) Language. Edited from a manu- 



script of the seventeenth century 4 00 



6. A Grammar of the Yakama Language. By the Eev. M. C. Pandosy 2 50 



IN IMMEDIATE PREPARATION. 



7. A Vocabulary of the Sextapay (California) Language. By Padre B. Sitjar. 



8. Vocabularies. Collected by the late W. W. Turner. 



9. Maillard's Grammar of the Micmac Language. 



10. Arroyo's Vocabulary of the Mutsun. 



11. Potier's Radical Words of the Huron Language. 



12. Bruyas' Radical Words of the Mohawk Language. 



13. A French-Illinois Dictionary. 



14. Potier's Huron Grammar. 



15. Lefevre's Vocabulary of the Montagnais Language. 



16. Bruyas' French-Mohawk Dictionary. 



Various others will be added, and, if encouragement is given, the series will include 

 an English translation of Molina's " Mexican Dictionary." 



JOHN G. SHEA, 

 83 Centre street, New York. 



The volumes of the series may be ordered of Triibner & Co., London; Charles 

 Reinwald, Paris ; B. Hermann, Leipzig. 



The Board of Regents, having examined the library, collections, 

 museum, &c, adjourned sine die. 



