OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. 395 



their descendants at equal degrees, and under the same limitations, should also be 

 brothers and sisters to each other in a like infinite series. And, third, that the 

 children of a brother on the one hand, and of his own sister on the other, should 

 stand to each other in a more remote relationship than that of brother and sister. 

 If in that of cousin and cousin, then this relationship should continue amongst 

 their descendants at equal removes, and under like limitations, in a like infinite 

 series. These provisions are far from constituting the whole of this remarkable 

 system, but a knowledge of their existence tends lo render it more intelligible. 



Finally, two inquiries naturally suggest themselves, of which the first is, What 

 assurances can be given that this elaborate system of relationship, precisely as 

 herein detailed, exists at the present moment, in actual practical use, amongst the 

 people of South India ? And the second is, By what means has such a compli- 

 cated classification of consanguinei been maintained understandingly amongst the 

 masses of the people 1 If it holds the rank of a domestic institution, it must be 

 not only permanently established, and of great antiquity, but there must also be 

 constantly operating causes by means of which a knowledge of it is both acquired 

 and preserved. These questions may be properly answered before we present the 

 Telugu and Canarese forms, which agree essentially with the Tamilian. 



The Tamil and Telugu schedules, as given in the Table, were filled out by the 

 Rev. Ezekiel C. Scudder, of Vellore, South India, a son of the late distinguished 

 American missionary, Dr. John Scudder, the founder of the Arcot mission. He was 

 born and raised in India, within the area of the Tamil speech, which thus became 

 as much his mother tongue as the English. His qualifications as a Tamil scholar, 

 to work out and verify the minute details of this elaborate system of relationship, 

 were of the highest order. It was esteemed by the writer a peculiar instance of 

 good fortune that the verification of the existence as well as of the details of the 

 Tamilian system, upon the truthfulness of which one of the main results of this 

 research must hinge, was to rest upon such distinguished authority. It may be 

 further stated that when his brother, the Rev. Dr. Henry W. Scudder, was in this 

 country in 1859, 1 obtained from him a synopsis of both the Tamil and Telugu sys- 

 tems, which he had investigated far enough to ascertain their principal indicative 

 characteristics, but as he was unable, without native assistance, to furnish its de- 

 tails, he placed the schedule in the hands of his brother upon his return to India. 

 Having thus discovered the identity of the Ganowanian and Tamilian systems, it 

 became a matter of the utmost importance that the latter should be thoroughly 

 explored, and its structure and principles verified beyond a contingency of doubt. 

 In addition to the Scudder schedule, I have a second one of the Tamil filled out 

 very completely by the late Rev. Dr. Miron Winslow, American missionary at 

 Madras ; and still a third furnished by the Rev. William Tracey, one of the English 

 missionaries at Madras. The three schedules agree in all particulars which are 

 fundamental to the system, and thus verify each other ; but as the first was the 

 most complete in its details, it was inserted in the Table. 



The answer to the second question brings to light an unexpected usage, which 

 is thus found to prevail in two, at least, of the great families of mankind. It has 

 been shown to be a universal usage in the Ganowanian. family for relatives to 



