174 On the Yarra Dialect, 



Dra vidian and some other Indian languages. Caldwell was, 

 however, unable to trace detailed resemblances. The obser- 

 vations of Dr. Caldwell are, however, as worthy of careful 

 perusal as those of Dr. Bleek. 



The latter was near seizing the whole truth as to the 

 Australian languages, but missed, first, from devotion to a 

 theory he had laid down of subdividing languages as a 

 type for classification. Next, he failed from the besetting 

 mania of philologists of regarding chiefly grammatical forms, 

 and disregarding words. 



Were it not for these circumstances, Dr. Bleek, with his 

 intimate knowledge of the Bantu family, must have identi- 

 fied the facts here given. Strangely enough, in the same 

 volume of the Anthropological Journal is a paper and com- 

 parative table of Australian languages by the Rev. George 

 Taplin, which contain the words. 



Dr. Bleek recognised the connection of mythology with 

 language, and the fact that the mythology of Australia is 

 related to that of other regions. 



The practices and culture of Australia are well enough 

 known to present many features in common with those of 

 the rest of the world, and the relation of an Australian 

 mummy was only a few weeks ago illustrated by Professor 

 W. H. Flower at the Anthropological Institute. 



In order to explain the ground on which the observations 

 of Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Bleek rest, it may be useful to refer 

 to those which were made by me on the 22nd November, 

 1870 (Journal, p. 84). It results from the course of 

 inquiry then instituted by me, that the Australian belong 

 to a group of languages (and in this term I conform 

 with Dr. Bleek), to which also belong the Bantu and the 

 Dravidian. 



These languages, although developed in common and from 

 the same sources, constitute a group. Thus the result is 

 that roots may be differently selected in Australian, Bantu, 

 and Dravidian, and will not fit in together in each case 

 notwithstanding their common origin. The resemblance 

 between the Yarra languages and the Mozambique languages 

 is, as already stated, much closer than is commonly found. 



It has been the opinion of some distinguished anthro- 

 pologists that Australia is a centre of the human race, from 

 which India and Africa were peopled. However this may 

 be, the facts now brought forward are, so far as language is 

 concerned, in proof of the direct contrary. Africa, so far as 



