122 REPORT — 1867. 



North American Indians, the picture-writing and Quippu of Central America, must 

 be regarded as of native origin. In the case of the system of letters invented by 

 Mohammed Doalu, a negro of the Vei country, in West Africa, the idea was no doubt 

 borrowed from the missionaries, although it was worked out independently. In 

 other cases, however, this cannot, I think, be maintained. Take that of the Mexicans. 

 Even if we suppose that they are descended from a primitively civilized race, and 

 had gi-adually and completely lost both the use and tradition of letters — to my 

 mind, by the way, a most improbable hypothesis^still we must look on their 

 system of picture-wi-iting as being of American origin. Even if a system of 

 writing by letters coidd ever be altogether lost — which I doubt — it certainly could 

 not be abandoned for that of picture-writing, which is inferior in every point of 

 view. If the Mexicans had owed their civilization, not to their own gradual im- 

 provement, but to the influence of some European visitors, driven by stress of 

 weather or the pursuit of adventure to their coasts, we should have found in 

 their system of writing, and in other respects, unmistakeable proofs of such an in- 

 fluence. Although, therefore, we have no historical proof that the civilization of 

 America was indigenous, we have in its very character evidence, perhaps, more 

 satisfactoiy than any historical statements would be. The same argument may be 

 derived from the names used for numbers by savages. I feel great difliculty in 

 supposing that any race which had leamt to count up to ten would ever unlearn a 

 piece of knowledge so easy and yet so useful. Yet we know that few, perhaps none, 

 of those whom Archbishop Whately would call savages, can count so lar. No 

 Australian language contained numerals for any number beyond four ; the Dam- 

 maras and Abipones use none beyond three ; some of the Brazilian tribes cannot 

 go beyond two. In many cases where the system of numeration is at present some- 

 what more advanced, it bears on it the stamp of native and recent origin. Among 

 civilized nations, the derivations of the numerals have long since been obscured by 

 the gi-adual modification which time effects in all words ; especially those in fre- 

 quent use, and before the invention of printing. And if the numerals of savages 

 were relics of a former ci\-ilization, the waifs and strays saved out of the general 

 wreck, though we could not expect to trace them up to that original language, 

 which in such a case must have existed, yet we certainly should not find them such 

 as they really are. I cannot, of course, here give to this argument all the deve- 

 lopment of which it is capable, or bring forward all the cases in point ; but I will 

 quote a short passage from a very interesting lecture delivered before the Royal 

 Institution by my friend Mr. Tylor, in which some of the facts are clearly stated. 

 " Among many tribes of North and South America and West Africa are found 

 such expressions aa — for 5, * a whole hand ; ' and for 6, ' one to the other hand ; ' 

 10, ' both hands ; ' and 11, ' one to the foot ; ' 20, ' one Indian ; ' and 21, ' one to 

 the hands of the other Indian ; ' or for II, ' foot 1 ; ' for 12, ' foot 2 ; ' for 20, ' a 

 person is finished ; ' while among the miserable natives of Van Diemen's Land the 

 reckoning of a single hand, -viz. 5, is called puganna, 'a man.'" For displaying 

 to us the picture of the savage counting on his fingers, a being struck with the idea 

 that, if he desciibes in words his gestures of reckoning, these words will become a 

 numeral, perhaps no language approaches the Zulu. Counting on his fingers, he 

 begins always with the little finger of his left hand, and thus reaching 5, he calls 

 it " a whole hand ; " for 6, he translates the appropriate gesture, calling it tafisitupa, 

 " take the thumb ; " while 7, being shown in gesture by the forefinger, and this 

 fino-er being used to point with, the verb komba, " to point," comes to serve as a 

 nrmieral expression, denoting 7. Here, then, surely we have just the e\idence 

 which Archbishop Whately required. These numerals are recent, because they 

 are uncorrupted, and they are indigenous, because they have an evident meaning 

 in the language of the tribes by whom they are used. Again, we know that 

 many savage languages are entirely deficient in such words as " colour," " tone," 

 " tree," &c., having names for each kind of colour, every species of tree, but not 

 for the general idea. I can hardly imagine a nation losing such words if it had 

 once possessed them. Other similar evidence might be extracted from the lan- 

 guage of savages ; and arguments of this nature are entitled to more weight than 

 statements of travellers, as to the objects foimd in use among savages. Suppose, 

 for instance, that an early traveller mentioned the absence of some art or know- 

 ledge among a race visited by him, and that later ones foimd the natives in pos- 



