ON ETHNOLOGY. 
299 
that of the Burmese, would probably offer the nearest link between the 
Chinese and the more recent formations; but even the comparison with 
Sanscrit roots will not be without results. 
It would be presumptuous to anticipate the issue of such well-prepared 
and sifted comparisons; but we have no Iipsitatitm in saying, that wv incline 
to believe it will be in favour of the existence of a primitive connexion. 
There is a gap between that formation and all others; and that gap corre¬ 
sponds probably to that caused in the general development of the human race 
by great destructive floods, which separate the history of oiir race from its 
primordial origines. In this senae the Chinese, may be called the monument 
of antedilunan speech. Indeed the first emigration from the cradle of man¬ 
kind is said in Genesis to have gone eastward. 
But whatever be the result, tlicre U only one method of arriving at it, and 
that is a combination of accurate philological observation and analysis with 
philosophical principles, and with the collateral rescHrehes of history and of 
physiology. It is only by such a combination of researches that we can hope 
to fix definitively the place of the Chinese language in the general history of 
human speech, and to pronounce witli hi.'»torieal certainty on the great ques¬ 
tions connected with that problem. I'hc ditRcultics are immense; but 
greater ones have been overcome in the la.st thirty years, and we believe that 
our method of distinguishing between primary and seeondary formation, 
and of determining the succeMi'on of the phenomena of development, and 
thus of languages, will not be found entirely useless in the pursuit of those 
ulterior researches. At all events, we flatter ourselves that we have made 
good Our assertion, that the Egyptologic discoveries are most intimately 
connected with the great question of tlie primeval language and civilisation 
of niankimi, both in Asia and Africa, and that they give a considerable sup¬ 
port to the opinion of the high, but not indefinite antiquity of human history, 
ami to the hypothesis of the original unity of mankind and of a common 
origin of all languages of tlie globe. 
London, 27 April, 18-18. 
J. Bunsen. 
