PRE-ARYAN AMERICAN MAN. 4A 
poid apes, but by all but the lowest families of the Primates, to regard man as a recent 
intruder on the American continent. But in this, as in the archeologist’s deductions, the 
term “recent” is a relative one. To whatever source American man may be referred, his rela- 
tions to the old-world races are sufficiently remote to preclude any theory of geographical 
distribution within the historic period. 
It is not, therefore, adequate time that is wanting for the growth of a native American 
civilization. The only satisfactory evidence of the affiliation of the American races to those 
of Asia or Europe, or of Africa, must be sought for in their languages. But any trace of 
this kind, thus far observed, is at best obscure and remote. The resemblance in physical 
traits points to affinity with the Asiatic Mongol ; and the agglutinate characteristics com- 
mon to many languages of the continent, otherwise essentially dissimilar, is in harmony 
with this. But Asiatic affinities are only traceable remotely, not demonstrable on any defi- 
nite line of descent, and all the evidence that language supplies points to a greatly pro- 
longed period of isolation. The number of languages spoken throughout the whole of 
North and South America has been estimated to considerably exceed twelve hundred ; and 
on the northern continent alone, more than five hundred distinct languages are spoken, 
which admit of classification among seventy-five ethnical groups: each with essential 
linguistic distinctions, pointing to its own parent stock. Some of those languages are 
merely well marked dialects, with fully developed vocabularies. Others have more recently 
acquired a dialectic character in the breaking up and scattering of dismembered tribes, and 
present a very limited range of vocabulary, suited to the intellectual requirements of a 
small tribe, or band of nomads. The prevailing condition of life throughout the whole 
North American continent was peculiarly favourable to the multiplication of such dialects, 
and their growth into new languages, owing to the constant breaking up and scattering of 
tribes, and the frequent adoption into their numbers of the refugees from other fugitive 
broken tribes, leading to an intermingling of vocabularies and fresh modifications of speech. 
But, by whatever means we may seek to account for the great diversity of speech 
among the communities of the New World, it is manifest that language furnishes no 
evidence of recent intrusion, or of contact for many generations with Asiatic or other races. 
On any theory of origin either of race or language, a greatly prolonged period is indispen- 
sable to account for the actual condition of things which presents such a tempting field for 
the study ofthe ethnologist. Among the various races brought under our notice, the Huron- 
Troquois of Canada and the neighbouring States most fitly represent the North American 
race east of the Rocky Mountains. Their language, subdivided into many dialects, fur- 
nishes indications of migrations throughout the greater portion of that area eastward be- 
tween the Mississippi and the Atlantic seaboard, and its affinities have been sought for 
beyond the American continent. One experienced philologist, Mr. Horatio Hale, in his 
“Indian Migrations, as evidenced by language,” after remarking that there is nothing in 
the language of the American Indians to favour the conjecture of an origin from Eastern 
Asia, thus proceeds :—“ But in Western Europe one community is known to exist, speak- 
ing a language which in its general structure manifests a near likeness to the Indian 
tongues. Alone of all the races of the old continent the Basques or Euskarians, of northern 
Spain and south-western France have a speech of that highly complex and polysynthetic 
character which distinguishes the American languages.” But to this he has to add the 
Sec. II., 1883. 6. 
