The same lansciiaire also abounds with harmo- 

 nious and sonorous syllables, which give it much 

 sweetness and variety ; this is, however, inj.ured 

 by the frequent recurrence of the u, a defect 

 from which the Latin is by no means exempt. In 

 this respect the latter has, however, been fortu- 

 nately corrected in its derivatives, particularly 

 the Italian, which has studied to avoid, especially 

 in the finals, the unpleasant sound resulting from 

 the use of that vowel. 



The Chilian differs from every other American 

 language, not less in its words than its con- 

 struction, with the exception of from eighteen 

 to twenty of Peruvian origin, which, con- 

 sidering the contiguity of the two countries, is 

 not to be wondered at. 



But what may appear mucb more singular is, 

 that it contains words apparently of Greek and 

 Latin derivation, and of a similar signification 

 in both languages ;* I am inclined, howev^,. to 

 think this merely an accidental resemblance. 



* If this is not, as our author supposes, merely a casual re- 

 semblance of a few words, which frequently occurs in Ian' 

 guages radically dijfferent, it certainly affords much ground 

 for curious speculation j and we ma,y, perhaps, he led to cou" 

 sider the tradition of a Phenician or Carthaginian colony in 

 America, as not altogether so destitute of probability, especially 

 as the language of the Chilians, so difj'erentfrom that of any 

 ether of the American tribes, appears to indicate a dijfferent. 

 fr/Virt. Amer. Trans. 



B ^ 



