ALGONQUIAN LANGUAGES. 



127 



Sichthal (Gustav d'). Etudes sur I'bis- 

 toire primitive des races oc^aniennes, 

 et am^ricaines, par Gustav D'Eichthal, 

 secr^taire-adjoiut de la Soci6t6 ethno- 

 logique. 



In Soci6t6 Ethnologique, M^moires, vol. 2, 

 pp. 151-320, Paris, 18*5, 8°. 



Neuvi^me 6tude, Rapports entre quelques 

 langues am^ricaines etle copte, relates in large 

 parttothe"langiie 16nap6-algonquin,"ancl con- 

 tains vocabularies of that language (princi- 

 pally from Duponceau) on pp. 280, 281, 283-284, 

 286. 



EkristOTvarsists Jesus Christ [Black- 

 foot]. See Legal (E). 



Elder (William). The Aborigines of Nova 

 Scotia. 



In N'ortlx American Review, vol.112, pp. 1- 

 30, New York, 1871, 8°. 



Terms and fragments of song in Micmac, 

 passim. 



Elekup nihillalquonk [Delaware]. See 

 Zeisberger (D.) 



Eliot (John). [A primer or catechism in 

 the Massachusetts Indian language. 



Cambridge : printed by Samuel Green. 

 1654?] (*) 



The earliest printed book in the Massachu- 

 setts Indian language of which any record has 

 been found. No copy is known to be extant. 

 In a letter to Mr. Winslow, dated July 8th, 

 1649, Mr. Eliot wrote concerning the Indians : 

 " I do very much desire to translate some parts 

 of the Scriptures into their language, and to 

 print some Primer in their language wherein to 

 initiate and teach them to read, which some of 

 the men do much a.lso desire ; and printing such 

 a thing will be troublesome and chargable, and 

 I having yet but little skill in their language 

 (having little leasure to attend it by reason of 

 my continual attendance on my Ministry in our 

 own Church) I must have some Indians, and it 

 may be other help continually about me to try 

 and examine Translations, which I look at as a 

 sacred and holy work, and to be regarded with 

 much fear, care, and reverence ; and all this is 

 chargable therefore I look at that as a special 

 matter on which cost is to be bestowed, if the 

 Lord provide means, for I have not means of my 

 own for it. " Again, on the 21st of October, 1650, 

 lie wrote : " for their own Language we have no 

 Tjook ; my desire therefore is to teach them all 

 to write, and read written hand, and thereby 

 with pains taking, they may have some of the 

 Scriptures in their own Language ; I have one 

 already who can write, so that I can read his 

 writing well, and he (with some paines and 

 leaching) can read mine." 



The native here referred to was without 

 doubt Job Nesutan, who had taken the place 

 of the Long Island Indian, Eliot's first in- j 

 atructor in the language. He is mentioned by . 



Eliot (J.) — Continued. 



Gookin in the History of the Christian Indians 

 as follows: "In this expedition [July, 1675] 

 one of our principal soldiers of the praying In- 

 dians was slain, a valiant and stout man, 

 named Job Nesutan ; he was a very good lin- 

 guist in the English tongue, and was Mr. Eliot's 

 assistant and interpreter in his translations of 

 the Bible, and other books of the Indian lan- 

 guage." 



Another letter of Eliot's, dated April 28th, 

 1651, relates that "it hath pleased God this 

 winter much to inlarge the abilitie of him 

 whose helpe I use in translating the Scriptures, 

 which I account a great furtherance of that 

 which I most desire, namely, to communicate 

 unto them as much of the Scriptures in their 

 owne language as I am able. Besides, it hath 

 pleased God to stir up the hearts of many of 

 them this winter to learn to read and write, 

 wherein they doe very much profit with a very 

 little help, especially some of them, for they 

 are very ingenious. And whereas I had 

 thought that we must have an Englishman to 

 be their Schoole-Master, I now hope that the 

 Lord will raise up some of themselves, and en- 

 able them unto that work, with my care to 

 teach them well in the reason of the sounds of 

 Letters and spelling, I trust in the Lord that 

 wee shall have sundry of them able to read and 

 write, who shall write every man for himselfe 

 so much of the Bible as the Lord shall please 

 to enable me to Translate." In the latter part 

 of the same year (1651). he wrote in another 

 letter: "And thus we order the Schoole: The 

 Master daily prayelh among his Schollers, and 

 instructeth them in Catechisme, for which 

 purpose I have compiled a short Catechisme, 

 and wrote it in the Masters Book, which he 

 can read, and teach them ; and also all the Cop- 

 pies he setteth his Schollers when he teacheth 

 them to write, are the Questions and Answers 

 of the Catechisme, that so the children may be 

 the more prompt and ready therein : we aspire 

 to no higher learning yet, but to spell, read, 

 and write that so they may be able to write 

 for themselves such Scriptures as I have al- 

 ready, or hereafter may. (by the blessing of 

 God) translate for them for I have no hope to 

 see the Bible Translated, much lesse Printed 

 in my dayes. Therefore my chiefe care is to 

 communicate as much of the Scriptures as I 

 can by writing." 



The Commissioners of the United Colonies, in 

 a letter to Mr. Winslow, dated "Boston this 

 24th of September 1653," wrote: "M"" Eliot is 

 preparing to print a Cattichisme of the Indian 

 langwige which wee shall further (as wee may) 

 by disbursing the charge of paper and print- 

 ing out of the stock but by some due allow- 

 ance shall Indeavor to Incurrage Thomas 

 Stanton to assist in the worke ; whoe is the 

 most able Interpretor wee haue in the coun- 

 trey for that Langwige that the worke may bee 

 the more pfectly carried on ; "Wee haue ad- 

 uised M' Eliot Etcet: that if heerafter they 



