Î22 An Hijîorï cal Journal of 



In the Huron all is conjugated ; a certain Device which Ï 

 „ , J > cannot well explain to you, diftin^uilhes the 



Parttculartttesof ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ PronounsT the Ad- 

 ibe 1-iuron Lan^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ r^.^^ ç^^^^,^^ y^^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^^j^ 



Conjugation, one abfolute, and the other re- 

 ciprocal ; the third Perfcns have the two Genders, for there are 

 but two in thefe Languages ; that is to fay, the noble and the 

 ignoble Gender. As to the Numbers and Tenfes, they have the 

 fame Differences as in the Greek: For Inftance, to relate Travels, 

 they exprefs themfelves differently according as it was by Land, 

 or by Water. The Verbs aélive multiply as often as there are 

 Things which faii under Adion ; as the Verb v/hich figniiies to 

 eat varies as many Times as there are Things to eat. The Aélion 

 is expre/Ted differently in Refped to any thing that has Life, and 

 an inanimate Thing ; thus to fee a Man, and to fee a Stone, are 

 two Verbs ; to make Ufe of a Thing that belongs to him that 

 lafes it, or to him to whom we fpeak, are two different Verbs. 

 There is fcmething of all this in the .Algonquhz Language, tho* 



T,. . 7 . . ^ not the famxe, of which I am not able to p-ive 

 rarticulaniies of a /xt^--l/> j- h/t3°«/- 



^7 Ai ' any Account. Notwithitandinp;, Madam, if 



utF'^^''\ ^'^"^ '^'^ ^ ^^^^ ^""'^ " '^^^ 



S^^i^* ' Richnefs and Variety of thefe Languages ren- 



ders them extremely difficult to learn ; their Poverty and Barren- 

 nefs produces no lefs Difficulty : For as thefe People, when we firfl 

 converfed with them, were ignorant of almcil every Thing they 

 did not ufe, or which did not fall under their Senfes, they wanted 

 Terms to exprefs them, or they had let them fall into Oblivion: 

 Thus, having no regular Worfnip, and forming of the Deity, 

 and of eVery Thing which relates to Religion, but confufed 

 Ideas, not making fcarce any Reflexions but on the Objeds of 

 their Senfes, and on nothing which did not concern their own 

 Affairs, v/hich were confmed within a fmall Compafs, and not 

 being accuflomed to difcourfe on the Virtues, the Pafîions, and 

 many other Subjeds of our common Converfaticn ; not cultivat- 

 ing any Arts, but thofe which were neceffary for them, and which 

 were reduced to a very fmall Number ; nor any Science, only 

 obferving what was within their Ability; and for Life, having 

 nothing fuperfiuous, nor any Refinement : When we wanted to 

 fpeak to them of thefe Things, we found a great Vacuity in 

 their Languages, and >ve v/ere obliged, in order to make our- 

 felves underlicod, to fill them up with Circumlocutions that were 

 troublefome to them as well as to us : So that after having learnt 

 of them their Language, we were obliged to teach them another, 

 compofed partly of their o\yn Terms, and partly of our's tranf- 

 lated into Hurcn and Algcnquin, to make the Pronunciation 

 eafy to them. As to Charadcrs they had none, and they fiip- 



plied 



