€ De vraye amour aultre amour reciproque 
C’eit le parfai&t de fon plus grand defir 
Mais fy l'amour de Paultre amour ce mocque 
Pour ung amour trop moings digne choilir 
eft ung ennuy qui ne donne loyfir 
‘Temps ne repos pour trouver reconfort. 
Le defefpoir eft pire que la mort 
Et jalouzie eft ung vrai defefpoir 
O foy rompue o trop aparent tort 
Pour vous me fault-pis que mort recepucir.” 
«* Rapport fait 42 Academie Celtique, 
fur POuvrage Ruffle de M. le Profeffeur 
Pallas; intulé, Vocabulaires comparés des 
_Langues de toute la Terre.”"—-Copy of 
the Report made to the Celtic Academy, 
on the Ruffien Work of Profeffor Pallas, 
entitled, Comparative Vocabularies of the: 
Languages of all the Nations of the 
Earth. By the Senator VOLNEY. 
The Celtic Academy, fully confcious 
that the end and aim of all literary foci- 
eties ought to be directed towards the pro- 
grefs of human knowledge, has exhibited 
a diftinguifhed zeal to carry this principle 
into effec&t. M©. Volney, one of its moft 
celebrated members, has on this occafion 
been feleGted to deliver in a report on one 
of the moft extenfive and aftonifhing works 
hitherto publifhed on the fubjeét of Jan- 
guages; andhe has performed his tafk in 
fuch a manner, as to prove that he was 
equally capable to undertake as to criticife 
fuch a performance, 
We learn from him, that Profeffor Pal- 
las’s book, which was compofed by order, 
and printed at the expence, of the Ruffian 
government, is exceedingly fcarce; that 
but a few copies only were publifhed, and 
that none of them have been circulated 
but fuch as were tranfmitted as prefents. 
In aduition to this, with an exception to 
the Latin preface, which explains the 
Ruffian one, all the vocabularies, to the 
number of 200, are figured in Ruffian 
characters, the ufe of which is almoit un- 
known in Europe. Heat the fame time 
informs his readers, that the Celtic Aca- 
demy is indebted to the munificence of 
M.de Grave for the firft volume of a 
book fo {carce in Paris; that it is not in 
pofleffion of the fecond, and that the Im- 
perial library poffeffes neither of them. 
We are told, that the Ruffian empire, 
more extenfive than the Roman, at the 
fame time exhibits a greater diverfity of 
tongues and of nations; and that Ca- 
tharine II., in 1784, wrote a certain 
number of words with her own hand, for 
the purpofe of being compared in all the 
languages of the globe. ‘The author has 
arranged his labours in three volumes, of 
which the twe frft contain ace gf the 
Retrofpedt of French Literaiure—Myeellaniess 
of the languages of Europe. and Afiat 
the languages of Africa and America be- 
ing referved for another feétion, Thisy 
he adds, has never yet been’ pubiifned 5 
and he at the fame time intimates that, 
froma the period of time which has expir- 
ed, but little hope can be entertained- at 
prefent of its completion. He obferves, 
however, that this lofs is likely to be made 
geod by the labours of the learned DoStor 
Barton, who has-already collected more 
than 200 vocabularies of America, and 
alfo fome appertaining to Africa. 
After having indicated the names of 
the books and perfons who have funifhed 
the homenclature of ‘the languages or dia- 
leéts, the reporter firft tranfcribes the lift 
of 150 words, which are compared in the 
200 vocabularies of Pallas ; and then thofe 
of the zoo languages compared in the 
firft volume of the vocabularies of the fame 
author. In refpeé& 30 the claffification 
adopted by him on the prefent occafien, 
he takes each of the words feparately, for 
example, beaven; he then infcribes the 
title of the chapter, and ranging every 
page in two columns, compares it through. 
out the 200 languages. By this mode, 
the analogies and different divifions are 
feen at a jingle glance; and as M. Pallas 
has clafled the various tongues in relation 
to their affinities, the effect of the whole 
is equally curious and fimple. 
M. Volney concludes his labours with 
the following deductions : 
x. That in refpeét to extent of views, 
and abundance of materials, as well as 
the ftriking novelty of the refults, the 
comparative vocabularies of M. Pallas 
conftitute a work of the firft order, infi< 
nitely fuperior to whatfoever has hitherto 
appeared of the fame kind. 
2. That of the 200 languages of which 
he treats, all thofe which by their pronun- 
ciation are connected with the Ruffian 
language, and conform to its alphabet, 
may either be confidered as exact, or ap- 
proaching nearly to exaftitude. 
3e That the languages which have fome 
vowels for the elements of pronunciation, 
or confonants and afpirations unknown te 
the Ruffian language, undergo alterations 
in a great number of their words, which 
fometimes totally disfigure-them. 
4. That the errors and imperfections 
which have crept into this work, may be 
afcribed to three caufes: os 
z- To the having attributed to. the 
Roffian alphabet a degree of perfe&tion 
which it does not poflefs ; and to the hav- 
ing conftituted it an univerfal alphabet, 
without a previous difcufion whether it 
oa Niet + policies 
