TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 7$ 



GEOGRAPHY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



On the Influence of the Invasion of the Danes and Scandinavians, in Early 



Times, on certain Localities in England. By Sir C. Anderson. 

 Having lately visited Denmark and the northern parts of Europe, the author 

 had been much struck with the similarity pervading the Danish and English 

 languages, and he had thought it might not be deemed superfluous if he ventured 

 to lay before the Meeting some of the results of his inquiries. The similarity he 

 ascribed to the influence which the Danes possessed when they made a conquest of 

 this island, and planted themselves as settlers in it. Sir Charles proceeded to give 

 several examples in support of his assertion. 



On the Dialects North and South of the Humber compared. 

 By Charles Beckett. 

 Mr. Beckett commenced by observing that the boundaries of English counties 

 were various, and often arbitrary, the most natural being rivers. The river Hum- 

 ber, from its width and length,'has always formed a most distinct boundary, not 

 only between two diflferent counties, but also between two classes of peasantry, 

 difl^ering much in many respects, — in origin, physiognomy, manners, conformation, 

 and dialect. Abundant evidence exists of Danish origin in the names of towns 

 and villages in both counties; no less than 212 places terminating in "by" in 

 Lincolnshire, whilst in the north and east ridings of Yorkshire 135 of the same 

 were found. This termination always points out a Danish origin. Several other 

 Danish names of places, persons, and things, are also found. The distinction 

 between the peasantry north and south of the Humber cannot escape the attentive 

 observer. The Lincolnshire peasant is somewhat more phlegmatic, his physiognomy 

 less marked and acute, and the face more oval in form than that of the York- 

 shireman. His manner is more amiable and polite, but less decisive and acute. 

 This harmonizes not only with his own appearance, but, singularly, also with the 

 general mildness of the aspect of the landscape around him. These inquiries are 

 the more interesting, because the progress of civilization, increased travelling facili- 

 ties, and the lapse of time, all tend rapidly to efface ethnological distinctions. The 

 successive irruptions of the Roman, Saxon, Danish, and Norman people into this 

 country, were analogous to the warping of low land by successive tides ; the exist- 

 ing language being a rich alluvium left by them all. Yorkshire has probably several 

 dialects; Lincolnshire, two, according to Halliwell, the north and the south. 

 Both agree in the broad pronunciation of many syllables — as, for instance, 

 changing one into two : as, sea, sea-ah ; seat, se-at ; beast, bee-ast. Both use many 

 archaic words, each county, however, having its own. The intonations and 

 inflexions of the voice vary also in the two counties. But the chief difference hes in 

 the relative value of the two vowels i and o. These are rendered ei in Yorkshire, and 

 double or long i in Lincolnshire : as, wife, weife, wiife ; life, leife, iiife, respectively. 

 These apparently trivial difl'erences are in fact sufficient to change the whole character 

 of the vernacular speech. The o also has similar varieties ; thus in Yorkshire we 

 have now, noo, and thou, thoo. In Lincolnshire these would be thaou, naou. Some 

 other characteristics were also mentioned. On the whole the Lincolnshire dialect 

 is more soft and agreeable, contains fewer obsolete words and accents, and ap- 

 proaches more nearly to pure speech. The paper closed by inquiring how far 

 climate and the social history and progress of the two counties might have operated, 

 along with some difl'erences of origin, in leading to these probably transient eth- 

 nological distinctions. 



Substance of a Topographical Essay on the Navigation of the Rivers " Plata," 

 " Parana," " Paraguay," " Vermejo," and " Pilcomayo." By Herman 



C. DwERHAGEN. 



In 1828 M. Herman C. Dwerhagen published some observations on the immense 

 importance of the free navigation of the river Plata and its various ramifications to 

 the Republics of Buenos Ayres and Bolivia, which, he complains, met with no 



