CERTAIN NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 3 



be made it may be found that the usage of this universal lan- 

 guage is not yet totally neglected. In the above-mentioned ac- 

 count of the embassy, we are told only, I think, of three Chinese 

 characters, the sun represented by a circle, the moon by a cre- 

 scent, and man by two lines forming an angle representing the 

 lower extremities ; those three signs are precisely the same which 

 are used by the Western people : in order to represent the two 

 first mentioned, the thumb and fore-finger of the right hand 

 are formed either into a Circle or Crescent, and the sign of man 

 is expressed by extending the fore-finger of the right hand and 

 bringing it down, until it rests a moment between the lower ex- 

 tremities. 



It is probable that Chinese Sailors or others, may be found 

 in your maritime towns, who might give some useful informa- 

 tion, and it cannot I suppose be difficult to procure a collection 

 of Chinese characters with English explanations, which would 

 afford an opportunity of making farther comparisons upon a 

 future investigation of this curious subject. I think Captain 

 Cook says, some where, that in some of the Islands of the 

 Western pacific he found persons who possessed a great facility 

 of communicating their ideas by signs and made much use of 

 gesticulations : this was probably no other than the language by 

 signs ; and if it is found that the Chinese actually use at this day 

 upon some occasions a language by signs, actual experiment 

 alone will convince me that it is not the same which is used 

 by our Western Indians. Hence would spring forth an analo- 

 gy and connection between the Continents of the New and Old 

 World which would go directly to the decision of your question, 

 without being involved in the ambiguity arising from the im- 

 perfect resemblance of words. 



WILLIAM DUNBAR. 



Thomas Jefferson, President A. P. S. 



