252 



Mr. Du Ponceau remarked, that the American hemisphere, its dis- 

 covery, geography, and history, seem to engage the attention of the 

 learned in Europe, as much as they did in the sixteenth century. The 

 great work of Baron Humboldt, entitled, "Examen Critique de l'His- 

 toire de la Geographie du Nouveau Continent, et des Progres de l'Astro- 

 nomie Nautique aux 15e & 16e siecles," has now reached its fifth 

 volume, and only comes down to the third and fourth voyages of Ame- 

 rigo Vespucci. Another work, less learned, but not less important, is 

 now in course of publication at Paris, by M. Ternaux Compans, of 

 which fourteen volumes have already appeared. It is entitled, " Voy- 

 ages, Relations et Memoires Originaux pour Servir a l'Histoire de la 

 Decouverte de 1'Amerique, publies pour la premiere fois en Francais." 

 The Journal des Savants considers this collection as of the " highest 

 interest." It contains many rare works, now out of print, written in 

 different languages, and difficult, if not impossible, to be obtained ; — 

 several of which have not appeared in any other compilation. 



Among these is a " Report on the Different Classes of Chiefs in 

 New Spain," by Alonzo Zurita. This work, says the Journal des 

 Savants, contains the best, the fullest, and the most interesting ac- 

 count of the system of government, and of the laws, usages, manners 

 and customs of the Mexicans before the Conquest, and proves them 

 to have been by no means so barbarous and uncivilized a people as 

 they have been represented by their conquerors, who, by degrading 

 them, thought to justify their own barbarity. Zurita was employed 

 in Mexico by the Emperor Charles the Fifth, and resided there nine- 

 teen years, with the power of a magistrate and the curiosity of a 

 philosopher. The work has not yet made its way into this country ; 

 but the Journal des Savants for the month of January last contains 

 an ample and very interesting notice of it, and a full account of its 

 contents. Speaking of the Mexican picture writing, this author, who 

 was in Mexico not long after the Conquest, and had opportunities 

 which are lost to the present generation, says : " that those charac- 

 ters had a cursive form, or running hand, and were capable of repre- 

 senting all the sounds, and all the proper names." This would show 

 that the characters were connected with the spoken language, which 

 is the doctrine advanced by Mr. Du Ponceau in his Dissertation on 

 the Chinese System of Writing. 



Mr. Du Ponceau expressed a hope that this interesting subject might 

 be further investigated. 



