798 EEPORT— 1889. 



reason that they are manifestly due to climatic or other local or casual 

 influences, and cannot be held to indicate any difference of race. 



But the distinction of linguistic stocks is radical and profound. The 

 differences which it indicates extend far beyond language, and are 

 displayed in the whole nature and character of the speakers of each 

 language. This fact became apparent to me many years ago, in making 

 for the U.S. Government an ethnographical survey of Oregon and of a 

 part of British Columbia.' Its existence perplexed me at the time, as it 

 has since perplexed other investigators ; and the question of the origin 

 of so many linguistic stocks, or languages radically and totally distinct, 

 found in so limited a district, has appeared to present a problem of the 

 highest scientific interest.^ 



In an address delivered before the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science in 1886, and published in their volume of 

 ' Proceedings ' for that year, I ventured to propose an explanation of the 

 origin, not only of these American languages, but of all stock languages 

 whatsoever, except, of course, the primitive language (whatever it may 

 have been) which was spoken by the first community of the human 

 species. A succinct but clear outline of this theory was given by Pro- 

 fessor Sayce in his Presidential Address at the Manchester meeting in 

 1887. While pointing out what he considered the merits of the theory, 

 Mr. Sayce asked, very reasonably, for more evidence to sustain it than I 

 had been able to include in my brief essay. This evidence I have en- 

 deavoured to give in a paper read last year before the Canadian Institute 

 of Toronto, and published in the 'Proceedings' of that society for 

 1888-89. 



With Professor Sayce's address in the hands of the members of the 

 Association, I need only say, briefly, that the theory supposes these isolated 

 idioms to have had their origin in the natural language-making faculty 

 of young children. Many instances of languages thus spontaneously 

 created by children were given ; and in my Toronto paper evidence was 

 produced to show that the words and grammar of such languages might, 

 and probably would in many cases, be totally different from those of the 

 parental speech. The fact was pointed out that in the first peopling of 

 every country, when, from various causes, families must often be scattered 

 at very wide distances from one another, many cases must have occurred 



' ' In the long and narrow section of this continent, inchided between the Eocky 

 Moimtains and the Pacific, and extending from the country of the Esliimo on the 

 north to the Californian Peninsula on the south, there are found perhaps a greater 

 number of tribes speaking distinct languages than in any other territory of the same 

 size in the world. Not only do these tribes differ in their idioms, but also in personal 

 appearance, character, and usages.' — United States Exploring Expedition binder 

 Charles Wilhes, vol. rii. 'Etlmofjraphy and Philoloyy :' by Horatio Hale ; 1846 ; p. 197. 



- ' It [the map] brings out in a most striking way the singular linguistic diversity 

 which obtains along the west line of this part of America — a fact for which it is 

 indeed difficult to oifer a reasonable explanation, knowing as we do how essentially 

 maritime the coast tribes are in their habits, and how skilled and fearless they are in 

 the management of their excellent canoes. The anomaly appears still greater when 

 we contrast the several clearly defined colonies of the coast with the wide sweep of 

 the languages of the interior of the Province, where from the generally rugged and 

 often densely wooded character of the country, and the turbulent nature of the 

 livers, intercommunication must have been by comparison extremely difficult.' — Dr 

 Gcorcje M. Dawson : Preface to ' Comparative Vocabularies of the Indian Tribes of 

 British Columbia ; with a dlajfilliistratiny Distribution ;' by Drs. Tolinie and Dawsoi, 

 1884, p. 7. 



