of novelty, if the reader should find no other inducement to follow us through our remarks upon it; and the present work will have the more importance in the estimation of an American reader, when he is apprised of the simple fact, that more than one third part of all the languages of the globe belong to our continent, in which this learned author enumerates the astonishing number of twelve hundred and fourteen native dialects!

If the present age is to be hereafter celebrated for its extensive and exact researches in those branches of physical knowledge, which had been before studied and in some sort digested into the form of sciences, it will be no less remarkable as the epoch of a new science also-the comparative science of languages. Until the present period, the languages of man have been for the most part studied singly, and merely with a view to an intercourse between nations for commercial or

literary purposes. Just as man, in the early periods of his history, contented himself with studying the properties and phenomena of his native planet, with a view to his immediate necessities, comfort, or pleasure; and did not once think of extending his inquiries even to the other parts of the planetary system, much less to the worlds beyond those worlds. By degrees, however, he dared to venture beyond the narrow bounds of this little globe, and began to observe the other bodies in the system, and to compare their phenomena with those of his own planet; and at length, under the direction of the powerful minds of Newton, La Place, and their illustrious pupils, he has been enabled to unravel their countless irregularities, and arrange them into that wonderful science, which such names alone would be sufficient to immortalize.

In the same manner, since the impulse given by that extraordinary princess, Catharine the Great (for we pass over the original hints which were given by the great Leibnitz, because they lay unheeded till our own times,)-since that impulse, we say, the science of comparative philology has grown up and advanced with no less rapid a pace than even chemistry or any other part of physical science. Man is no longer satisfied with studying the peculiarities of two or three languages of his immediate neighbors, with the limited views we have mentioned; but he now takes a wider range, and studies the phenomena of language (if we may so speak) as he investigates the phenomena of any other part of his own nature or New Series, No. 9.

17

of the physical world in general. The prosecution of these inquiries has been attended with the more brilliant success, as the learned of the present day, instead of speculating a priori upon what languages ought to be, have, after the example of the great masters in other sciences, been endeavoring to ascertain the simple fact-what they are; or (to adopt the fashionable language of the day) are following the method of induction that much vaunted method, which has of late been so often forced upon our attention as the peculiar discovery of modern times; when, in truth, it had been applied centuries ago by that most universal genius of antiquity, that very philosopher, Aristotle, whom the wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind' and other moderns have most unjustly (but, we ought in candor to hope, unintentionally) treated as if he were a stranger to it, and indeed as the patron of the opposite method of attaining knowledge. Well would it have been, if these philosophers had themselves always followed the same method in forming their judgments of that extraordinary man, and, before they ventured to condemn his supposed opinions, had first carefully examined his works to ascertain what his opin

ions were.

The learned, as we have remarked, are now studying languages, as we study other parts of human knowledge-by collecting facts-by ascertaining what languages there are on the globe, and collecting vocabularies, or specimens, of them all, The work now before us, though small in bulk, must have been the result of great labor, and is of the first importance in the inquiries which are now making in comparative philology. It is a catalogue of all the languages of the globe, as far as it has been possible to ascertain them; and, that the author has made a very near approximation to the true number, seems in the highest degree probable, when we consider the numerous regions over which his Survey carries us, and the prodigious sum total which his list exhibits; as the reader will be able to judge for himself from the general view that will presently be laid before him.

We should, however, first apprise those readers, who have not particularly attended to the investigations which are now going on in Europe, that the present work constitutes but a very small part of the grand and extensive plan of the learned author; it is, in fact, a mere index or prospectus, though a most valuable one, to the intended BIBLIOTHECA GLOTTICA;

and that the reader may have some conception of the proposed work and its great importance to the learned world, we shall here insert the analysis of the author's general introduction to the great work. This introduction alone, (as has been justly observed,) will of itself form a most important and interesting work.'

Introduction to the Bibliotheca Glottica.

I. HISTORY OF THE GENERAL SCIENCE OF LANGUAGES.
II. EARLY ATTEMPTS AT A BIBLIOTHECA GLOTTICA.

III. OF LANGUAGE IN GENERAL:

1. The faculty of speech in man; considered
a. Physiologically.

b. Psychologically; with an Appendix, on the language of
brutes.

2. The origin of language:

a. Divine; by direct communication.

b. Human:

a. Arbitrary.

B. Accidental.

3. On the original (or primitive) language.

4. Question, which is the oldest of the known languages? 5. The language of signs.

6. On the diversity of languages, and their physical, historical, and moral causes.

7. History of the attempts at a universal language.

IV. GENERAL GRAMMAR.

V. OF WRITING:

1. The origin of writing:

a. Pictures.

b. Hieroglyphics:

a. Egyptian,

B. Mexican,
7. Various others.

c. Alphabetic writing.

d. Arrow (or Babylonish) characters.

2. Account of all the known alphabets.

S. History of the attempts at a universal character.

4. Short-hand writing:

a. Stenography.

b. Tachygraphy.

c. Pasigraphy.

d. Abbreviations (or contractions :)

a. Notæ Tironianæ.

6. Monograms.

5. Secret writing:

a. The art of decyphering.

8. History of cyphers.

7. On the nature of cyphers.

c. Telegraphy.

VI. AFFINITY (or connexion) OF LANGUAGES.

VII. WORKS ON THE COMPARATIVE SCIENCE OF LANGUAGES, (or comparative philology :)

1. Polyglots:

a. Dictionaries.

b. Grammars.

c. Bibles.

d. The Lord's Prayer, collections of.

e. Separate essays:

d. Bachmeister's specimen.

B. The parable of the Prodigal Son.

7. The words of the great comparative vocabulary
[of Catharine II.]

2. Comparisons of various languages with each other.
3. Maps of languages.

Vill. DEAD LANGUAGES:

1. Ancient.

2. Modern:

a. Literature.

b. Remains of languages.'

Such is the gigantic plan, which the learned author hopes to see carried into execution; and, as the basis of it is to be facts, he begins by an attempt to ascertain the names of all the languages of the globe and to collect specimens of every dialect. This labor, (as he justly observes in his preface, p. iv.) was by far the most difficult part of his undertaking. But, that he has been eminently successful in this particular will be evident from the following result of his labors:

That my work will be free from errors I cannot expect; but I venture to affirm, that it gives a more complete view of the subject than has hitherto appeared, and perhaps than it has been possible to exhibit. For this advantage it is indebted to the abundant sources of information, which the modern travels, particularly of the English, the bible societies, and the more extended range of philological science, have opened during the last ten years; and it will hardly appear credible to those, who

* The author here, in a note, acknowledges his obligations to the Transactions of the Historical and Literary Committee of the American Philosophical

have not ascertained the fact by comparison, that my survey ex

hibits

987 names of Asiatic languages,

587 European,

276 African; and

1214 American;

making, consequently, in the whole 3064 languages and dialects; while the indefatigable and successful diligence of the authors of The Mithridates could collect together only about 2000. Pref. p. vii, viii.

The work consists of two parts; in the first, the author gives a list of all the languages, arranged according to their respective stocks, or families, and the geographical situation of the nations that speak them; and in the second part, the names of the languages are arranged alphabetically under each quarter of the globe.

Monosyllabic

I. Chinese.

1 ASIA.

II. Tibetian, Thöbböt, Tangutian.

III. Boman, Boma, Barma, Burman, Byamma, Myamma,
Avan.

IV. Peguan.

V. Anamitic.

VI. Siamese, Siuanlo.

Polysyllabic; arranged under the following geographical divis

ions:

A. Southern Asia; comprehending

I. The Malay; from the eastern coast of Africa and Madagascar, to Easter Island in the South Sea.

II. Farther india, stock of.

B. Western Asia; comprehending

I. The Semitic stock.

II. Armenian, Haikan.

III. Georgian, Grusinian, Iberian.

IV. Caucasian.

C. Middle Asia; comprehending

I. The Turcico-Tatar stock.

II. Mongolian.

III. Mandschu.

IV. Corean.

Society of Philadelphia; which, he says, furnished him with thirty new names of American dialects. He also particularly mentions Mr Du Ponceau in terms of high and just commendation.