246 REPORT—1852. 
each: whether there is a marked difference arising from the father or the 
mother belonging to one of the types in preference to another; also whether 
the mixed form resulting from such intermarriage is known to possess a per- 
manent character, or after a certain number of generations to incline to one 
or other of its component types. 
16. Any observations connected with these intermarriages, relating to 
health, longevity, physical and intellectual character, will be particularly 
interesting, as bringing light on a field hitherto but little systematically in- 
vestigated. Even when the people appear to be nearly or quite free from 
intermixture, their habits, in respect of intermarriage within larger or smaller 
circles, and the corresponding physical characters of the people, will be very 
interesting. 
Language. 
17. The affinity of languages is one line of evidence of high value in eth- 
nological researches, and hence the importance of obtaining accurate infor- 
mation concerning the language of a people. 
18. If the language be a written one, care should be taken to obtain spe- 
cimens of the best compositions in it, both of verse and prose. If possible, 
procure native manuscripts ; if not, obtain copies of them. 
If there be no written language, and therefore no literature, yet traditions 
will be found which should be obtained and recorded as closely as possible 
verbatim, so as to preserve their own collocation and arrangement of words, 
taking care to select as the most valuable, such as relate to their own origin, 
history, wars, habits, superstitions, &e. i 
19. If possible, cause some competent person to translate into their lan- 
guage a well-known continuous composition, as the Lord’s Prayer, the Ist 
Chapter of Genesis, and the 6th and 7th Chapters of St. Luke’s Gospel, for 
with these examples a philologist will be able to give a very good account of 
any language. 
20. In compiling a vocabulary from the mouth of an intelligent native, 
two objects must be steadily kept in view, viz. Ist, the right selection of 
words ; and 2nd, their accurate reproduction. 
Ist. The proper selection of words.—In selecting the words to form the 
first vocabulary of a strange language, we must reject,—lIst, all words which 
have no corresponding words in our own language ; 2nd, all words which 
only imperfectly correspond to words in our own language ; and take only 
such words as perfectly correspond. Words are names of things, events, 
qualities, conditions, &c. Words of the following classes should be taken. 
a. The names of natural physical objects, as sun, moon, fire, water, 
man, arm, river, hill, &c.; the names of animals, &c. 
(3. The names of physical qualities, as red, blue, round, long, heavy, &c. 
. y. The names of events, actions, conditions, &c., as ¢o fall, to walk, to 
eat, to sleep. 
6. The names of family relationships, as father, mother, sister, uncle, &c. 
e. The names of the numbers as high as they can enumerate. The ordi- 
nal numerals should also be given. 
It should be ascertained if there be Distributives, Multiplicatives, and 
Proportionals. Is there anything corresponding to our Numeral 
Adverbs ? 
¢. Personal Pronouns. 
n- Particles such as prepositions, conjunctions, &c. 
Tn compiling a vocabulary, the observer should verify every word he 
receives from one informant by the testimony of others. 
Qnd. Their accurate reproduction——The words should be so written, that 

