ETRURIA CAPTA. 153' 



noted by M. Francisque-Michel in Le Pays Basque, which makes 

 the great chief TJchin the founder of TJrbinum in Umbria.-^^ Nothing, 

 however, could be more probable than the unity or near relationship 

 of the two southern Turanian peoples, the Etruscans and the Basques. 

 The similarity of the Celt-Ibei-ian and Etruscan alphabets is another 

 point in its favour. The most convincing pi'oof, however, is afforded 

 in the Umbrio-Eugubine tables, where we read, in plain Roman 

 letters, of the trifor Tarsinater, Tuscer, Naharcer, Japuscer, that is 

 " the threefold Tyrseni, Tusci, Navarri, and Gruipusci.^^ 



In my articles on the Khitan languages, published in the Trans-* 

 actions of the Institute, in a paper read at the meeting of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science at Minne- 

 apolis, and elsewhei'e, I have set forth the fact, that, various as are 

 the grammatical forms of Basque, Caucasian, Yeniseian, Japanese,. 

 Corean, Iroquois, Choctaw, and Atzec, they are one in point of' 

 vocabulary, and constitute, with many other members, a linguistic 

 family of no small importance. The parent speech belongs to Syria ;, 

 West of Syria, in Asia Minor, Italy, Spain, and Britain, the inscrip- 

 tions yield Basque. East of Syria, in India, Siberia, and on this 

 continent, the Japanese at first, and afterwards the Aztec, are the 

 languages set forth by them.^° I have already shown how the, 

 Hittite name, Cetaei in the Troad, Cetii in Cilicia, Khita in Syria, 

 Cathaei in the Punjab, Khitt in Siberia, Khitan on the borders of 

 China and Corea, and Citin in Mexico, shows the track of the 



18 Francisque-Michel, Le Pays Basque, p. 229. 



18 In this connection I may mention a remarliable book by Curzio Inghirami, who has. 

 generally been regarded as the Chatterton or Ireland of Italy. This youth found in an 

 envelope of bitumen and other materials several documents written in Latin and Etruscan 

 characters, setting fortli the history and religious rites of the Etruscans, down to the time of 

 Sylla. Pignotti, in his Storia della Toscana, regards the Frugmenta prope Scornellum reperta 

 as a forgery, and gives cogent reasons for the opinion, although, on account of his youth, he 

 exonerates Inghirami. The discovery of the documents was made in 1634. I have bestowed 

 some attention upon the Fragmenta, and, judging them solely, of course, by the internal 

 evidence, am not convinced of their spuriousness. One of the most remarkable and, in 

 lughirami's age, uncalled for statements in the book, is that which gives the Cethic or Hittite 

 name to the aboriginal Etruscans who came with Vandimon and his son Japetus into Italy. 

 To base anything at aU upon the statement of a doubtful work would be unscientific in the 

 extreme. I simply refer to it in the hope that Inghirami's treasure-trove may be subjected to 

 a more searching analysis than has yet been made of the work. 



20 I refer more particularly to my articles on the Khitan Languages which appeared in the- 

 Transactions of the Institute, Vol. L, Fasciculus No. 4, 1883, p. 282, Vol. II., Fas. 2, 1884, p. 

 158. The coincidence of the Basque and Japanese vocabularies is set forth in many parts of 

 this paper. The Aztec, as belonging to the same family, is useful in explaining the Mound 

 Builders' written remains. Lat Indian, Siberian and ancient Japanese inscriptions are read in 

 the Japanese. 



