20 
nexion with each other, three fifths resem- 
ble the Mantchou, theTongouse, the Mon- 
gul, and the Samoyede ; and two fifths the 
Celtic and Tschoud, the Biscayan, the Cop- 
tic, and the Congo languages. These words 
have been found by comparing the whole 
of the American languages with the whole 
of those of the Old World ; for hitherto we 
are acquainted with no American idiom, 
which seems to have an exclusive corres- 
pondence with any of the Asiatic, African, 
or European tongues. Whal some learned 
writers have asserted from abstract theo- 
ries, respecting the pretended poverty of 
all the American languages, and the ex- 
treme imperfection of their numerical sys- 
tem, is as doubtful as the assertions which 
have been made respecting the weakness 
and stupidity of the human race through- 
out the New Continent, the stunted growth 
of animated nature, and the degeneration 
of those animals, which have been trans- 
ported from one hemisphere to the other. 
Several idioms, which now form the lan» 
\ 
