NOTES. 
235 
in). It is possible, that the Araucans may have re- 
ceived this division of time from eastern Asia, deriving 
it from the same source from which the Asiatic cycle of 
twenty times thirty-seven sunas, or sixty years, came to 
the Muyscas of Cundenamarca ; but we find nothing 
inconsistent with the admission of the calendar of the 
Araucans having taken its birth in the hew continent. 
Several nations have at first had years only of 360 days ; 
not because solar revolutions had formerly a shorter 
duration, as we are gravely assured by an estimable 
writer. Count Carli ; but because a stop was made at 
a round number, the result of h first view of the length 
of the years. Twelve full moons, observed during the 
interval of about 360 days, led to months of thirt}’^ days ; 
and the complementary days were added on perceiving 
the confusion arising from the employment of years too 
short. In the manners and customs of nations, as in 
the analogy of languages with each other, there are 
certain marks, by which we directly recognize the 
identity of origin, or the communications that have ex- 
isted between one people and another. We conceive, 
for instance, that the signs of our solar zodiac may 
have taken their denoniinations in Egypt, in India, or 
in some other region watered by great rivers, and 
placed under the same parallel ; but, these denomina- 
tions once fixed, we can no longer doubt, that the na- 
tions, who employ the same asterisms, have received 
them one from the other. It is thus we distinguish in 
languages that community of roots, which are as it 
were the arbitrary signs of things ; or those grammati- 
cal forms, which seem founded on mere caprice ; from 
whatever is connected with imitative harmony, the 
structure of our organs, or the nature of our intelli- 
gence. 
