32 [Assembly 



Danes, Low Dutch, Swedes, and Germans are the offspring of the 

 Goths. How different with the Japanese language; it is pure and 

 free from all mixtures with the language of their neighbors the 

 Chinese. The Chinese speak three different languages, according 

 to three provinces they belong to, and the native of Japan does 

 not understand either of them. The Chinese set their characters 

 one below the other in writing, without any intermediate particle 

 to connect them. The Japanese do the same, but their language 

 requires that the words and characters should sometimes be trans- 

 posed, and sometimes joined together by other words and articles 

 invented for this purpose ; their pronunciation is pure, articulate, 

 and distinct. The Chinese is a confused noise of numerous con- 

 sonants, pronounced with a singing disagreeable accent. Their 

 religion is entirely different. The probability is, that they are 

 descended from the first inhabitants of Babylon, who were among 

 the builders of the Babylonian tower. 



