84 THE LANGUAGES OF AUSTRALIA. 
other Indian languages. | Caldwell was however unable to trace 
detailed resemblances. The observations of Dr. Caldwell are, how- 
ever, as worthy of careful perusal as those of Dr. Bleek. 
The latter was near seizing the whole truth as to the Austr 
lian languages, but missed, first from devotion to a theory he had 
laid down of six denoting languages as a type for classification. 
Next he failed from the besetting mania of philologists of regard- 
ing chiefly grammatical forms and disregarding words. 
Were it not for these circumstances, Dr.. Bleek, with his inti 
mate knowledge of the Bantu family, must have identified the facts 
here given. Strangely enough, in the same volume of the Anthro 
pological Journal is a paper and comparative table of Australian 
languages, by the Rev. Geo. Taplin, which contain the words. 
Dr. Bleek recognized the connection of mythology with lan 
guage, 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, andthe relation of an Australian mummy was only a 
weeks ago illustrated by Professor W. H. Flower, at the Anthro- 
pological Institute. 
Tn order to explain the ground on which the observations of Dr. 
Caldwell and Dr. Bleek rest, it may be useful to refer to tose 
which were made by me on the 22nd November, 1870 (Journal, 
_ p. Ixxxix): It results from the course of inquiry then instituted 
by me, that the Australian belong to a group of languages eat 
this term I conform with Dr. Bleek) to which also belong | 
common origin. The resemblance between the bese — , 
3 : 
are, 80 far as language is concerned, in pee a 
i ° Afri 
centre of languages, of mythology, and of civilization. 
As, in another paper Rasietbaned by me, High Aine - s 
treated on as a centre of culture, it is not necessary t0 $0" 
_ whole subject here. of the 
_ The Australian languages will be found to belong t0 0" gy 
earliest epochs of development of language in this a 
