AMERICAN LANGUAGES. 63 



astronomical system ; devoting a chapter to conjectures on the origin of American 

 civilization. 



After the lapse of nine years from the period of his first publication his opinions 

 were not materially changed. Referring to his previous essay, he says : " Taking 

 into view the words or vocabularies alone, although seventy-three tribes were found 

 speaking dialects so far differing, that they could not be understood without an 

 interpreter by the Indians of other tribes; yet the affinities between the words of 

 many of them were such, as to show clearly that they belonged to the same stock. 



Sixty-one dialects, spoken by as many tribes, were thus found to constitute only 

 eight languages, or rather families of languages, so dissimilar, that the few coinci- 

 dences which might occur in their words appeared to be accidental. But it was, 

 on the other hand, ascertained that all the languages of which partial grammars 

 could be obtained, however dissimilar in their words, were in their structure of the 

 same character." 



" As a general result, it appears to me indubitable that, however dissimilar in 

 their words, the grammar proper and general structure of all their languages is, 

 with the exception of the Otorni, founded on the same principles." 



His remarks upon the Eskimaux are worthy of particular notice, on account of 

 the contradictory opinions held respecting that people. 



" Several writers have taken it for granted that the Eskimaux were a different 

 race from the other Indian nations of America. Their language is eminently poly- 

 synthetic, and, in that respect, in its mode of forming other derivative or com- 

 pounded words, as well as in its grammatical forms, it is perfectly similar to the 

 other Indian languages, and evidently belongs to the same family. The physical 

 type seems to be essentially the same, and no further varied than might be expected 

 from the excessive severity of the climate. There is not in their size a greater dif- 

 ference between them and the Algonkins, than between the Laplanders and the 

 Finns. With respect to their true color, not easily discernible, Captain Clavering, 

 Avho reached the most northerly inhabited parts of the eastern coast of Greenland, 

 having thoroughly washed a boy, found that he was copper colored." 1 



After stating that the most striking points of resemblance between the Americans 

 and the inhabitants of the other hemisphere, refer almost exclusively to Asiatic 

 countries ; and that, as our knowledge of the languages of northeastern Asia is as 

 yet limited, further investigations are necessary before any legitimate inference can 

 be drawn, he says : — 



" From whatever quarter America may have been peopled, the first important 

 question is that of the time at which that event must have taken place." 



" We find in America more than one hundred languages, which, however similar 

 in structure, differ entirely in their vocabulary, or words. This difference must 

 have originated either before or after America was inhabited. The first supposition 

 implies that of America having been settled, not by a few distinct nations, which 

 is very possible, but by more than one hundred distinct tribes and nations of dif- 

 ferent origin, and speaking entirely different languages. This supposition, so utterly 



1 See ante, p. 48, respecting the supposed color of the Eskimaux. 



