337 



The Ballot was then closed, and the gentlemen proposed 

 for admission as Honorary Members of the Academy were de- 

 clared by the President to be duly elected. 



Monday, December 13th, 1852. 

 THOMAS ROMNEY ROBINSON, D.D., President, 



in the Chair. 



Rev. Charles Graves, D. D., read a paper on the affinities 

 of certain Irish and Latin words. 



One of the laws of affinity noticed by Dr. Graves is, that 

 in a number of Irish words derived from, or cognate with, 

 the Latin, the letter n disappears. He illustrated this law 

 by the following list of words, which admits of being conside- 

 rably increased : — 



Argentum, cup 5100. 

 Cantilena, ceaOal. 

 Carpentum, cctpbao. 

 Census, ciop. 



Infernus, lppionn. 



Inter, lbip. 



Mensa, mmp. 



Mensis, miop. 



Quinque, CU15. 



Tendo, ceuO. 



Ulna, mile. 



Viginti, piciO. 



Centum, ceaD- 



Consecro, coippeacaim. 



Consto, copcup. 



Dens, Oeat). 



In these instances the n disappears generally before a con- 

 sonant ; and most frequently before d or t. The full estab- 

 lishment of this fact contributes materially to the proof of M. 

 Pictet's assertion, that -ait), the suffix of the 3rd pers. plur. 

 indie, pres. in Irish, corresponds with the Sanskrit -anti and 

 the Latin -ant, -ent, -unt. 



An initial n seems to have been suppressed in the words 

 oi&ce, nox, and uiriiip, numerus. But this may, perhaps, be 



