and for various important stations in India. The advantages of such an education would be incalculable. What he has published, shews his vast attainments, and his great work, nearly ready for the press, "A philosophical account of the European Languages, and their connection with the Eastern," will greatly add to his reputation, and be equally conducive to the interests of literature and of religion. Should Mr Murray die in the remote parish of Urr, the patrons of learning in Scotland might regret that he was not promoted, but such regret would not repair the loss. I am under no obligation to Mr Murray, nor he to me. He never asked me to favour his views here. It will therefore, I trust, be believed, that what I have written is the result of esteem for uncommon merit.

ALEX. CHRISTISON, Professor of Humanity.

Argyll Square, 22d June 1812.

Rev. Sir,-You appear to me to have acted a very laudable part with regard to the interests of the University, in exerting your endeavours to procure the best qualified person to fill the vacant chair of Professor of Oriental Languages. I hope you will be able to obtain a fair investigation of the relative merits of the different candidates, in order that the most deserving may be preferred without regard to favour or interest. You may depend upon every support which I can give to assist you in the accomplishment of so meritorious an undertaking. But I can hardly promise to possess any influence with those who have the disposal of the appointment. I have no personal acquaintance with any of the gentle

men who have offered themselves as candidates, excepting with Mr Dickson, but our intercourse was very transient, and has ceased for more than a twelvemonth. But of Mr Murray's superior merit as an Oriental scholar I have heard much from persons in whose judgment I rely; and when every circumstance is fairly stated, I hope that his absence from town will be no prejudice to his claim for attention from the Patrons of the University. I am, with respect, your most obedient servant,

JAMES RUSSELL.

8, St Andrew's Square, Tuesday, 23d June.

No. VII.

Letter from the office of the Secretary for Foreign affairs, to Rev. Alex. Murray.

Foreign Office, Downing Street,
March 1, 1811.

Sir, The Marquis Wellesley being desirous of obtaining a translation of a letter written in the Ethiopic language, and addressed to his Majesty by the King of Abyssinia, and having been informed of your knowledge of that language, has directed me to transmit the copy of that letter to you, and I am to convey his Lordship's request that you will be pleased to furnish him with the desired translation * as soon as your convenience may permit. I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient and humble servant,

CULLING CHAS. SMITH.

P. S. I beg to observe, that Marquis Wellesley has taken the liberty of referring the enclosed to you at the suggestion of Mr Salt, who has been the bearer of the letter from Abyssinia. C. C. S.

See No. XIII. XVIII. & XXXV.

No. VIII.

Extract of a letter from Rev. Alex. Murray to Principal Baird, of date 22 Feb. 1811.

"The work is an Inquiry into the Origin and Progress of all the principal Ancient and Modern Languages of Europe. I include in that list all the Teutonic dialects, AngloSaxon, German, Islandic, Alamannic, Visigothic, &c.; the Greek, Latin, and its dialects; the Sanskrita, or Indian, and its dialects; the Persic; the Sclavonic or Russian, Polish, &c; the Celtic or Earse, Welsh, Armoric, &c.

"The introduction to the work contains a short account of the inhabitants of Europe, and the tribes related to these, viz. an account of the Celtæ, or Gauls; of the Teutones, or Germans; of the Slavi, or Sauromatee; of the Finns; of the Greek and Latin tribes.

66

"I then divide the work into two parts;-the first part contains the history of the origin of that language, which is the base of the dialects of the above-mentioned nations. It explains the words which, by investigation, appear to be radical; the manner in which they were at first used; the process by which they were first compounded, by which the verbs acquired tenses, moods, and persons; the origin of pronouns, and (previously) of nouns, adjective and substantive; the origin of cases and terminations expressive of gender; then the process by which derivative words of every kind enriched speech; and, lastly, the history of indeclinable words. I use the Teutonic for illustration, as being the purest dialect of the common case. Consequently, the first part explains the history of the English and its cognates, while

“A Philosophical History of the European Languages," which is soon to be published.

the general properties of all the dialects undergo examination.

"In the second part, the princi ples already established are applied to explain the history of the different properties of nouns, verbs, and indeclinable words, in the Greek and Latin, in the Sanskrit and Persic, in the Sclavonic, in the Celtic, viz. the Irish and Scotch Galic, and in the Welsh.

"I have derived much benefit from the originality of the Celtic,it is a noble relict of the earliest inhabitants of Europe. The work concludes with a sketch of the laws of analysis, as applicable to the European tongues; of the general law of philological analysis in all languages; of the uses of philology, and the means of promoting the study of it, until all the dialects of mankind have been collected, compared, and arranged.

"I have made what I consider to be a multitude of discoveries in the history of the European tongues.Amongst these I reckon the illustration of the cases of all nouns; of the origin of the middle and passive voices of verbs; of the primitive radicals on which all the dialects are erected. I discovered the radicals, by observing the process of compounding words, which process I have detected to be the same in substance from the Ganges to the Shannon.

"The publication of Dr Wilkins's Sanskrita Grammar did me material service, though I got his book only in May 1809. Before that time I had limited my views to an examination of the European dialects. I understood Hindustanee and Persic, and was able to confirm the opinion of Sir William Jones, as to the ancient affinity of the Greek, Teutonic, Persic, and Sanskrit. But although I knew the alphabet, and had some specimens of the Sanskrita, I could not explain any passage of it. Ireceived his book with the pleasure felt

in gratifying a favourite passion, and I am now happy in being able to identify the languages of the Edda and the Vedas. It will amuse you to hear that Oeda in Islandic and Veda in Sanskrit, are not only in the main the same word, but that they are actually the same as our own term Wit, or wita, which, as you know, inold times signified knowledge. By means of the Sanskrit I have detected the ancient form of many Persic words, and the history of the several parts of the verb. I have ascertained the identity of the Sarmatee and Slavi, and traced their affinity with the Medes; of course, I have made the tour of Asia and Europe, and I hope with some advantage to a study which is rather too much despised, but which occupies a considerable portion of the time of every man who reads foreign or ancient books.

"As all the European and Indian languages are of one race, it were to be wished that these properties of similarity in words and structure, that are common to them all, could be collected and arranged, with a view to facilitate the study of them. I recollect to have discerned the affinity between the Greek and Teutonic in 1797, while at college; and in 1805 I was quite delighted with the discovery that the Greek middle and passive voices resembled the Visigothic verb, and that they were in fact reflective verbs like the French, Je me leve, tu te leve, il se perd, he loses himself, or he is lost; so tuptom-ai, tupt-es-ai, tupt-et-ai, I, thou, he, strikes self; ai is self. The pronouns om, es, et, are I, thou, he, as in leg-am, as,-at, in Latin. Would you believe it, that Ganga, the name of a river in Sanskrit, is the very same word as our Scotish gang, a going, a race, run of water; null-race, mill-lade, and mill-gang, are nearly the same in Scotish. Ga, go, and gati, a gate, a movement, are comJuly 1812.

July

5

mon Sanscrit; Rajâ is Rex, pita is father, and so on in innumerable instances. If such similarities were properly arranged, it would be easy to retain the meaning of words, and if the similarities in grammar were joined to these, a leash of languages, as it is called in Hudibras, might be learned at once.

"I coincide entirely with you in thinking that the arrival of MSS. from India is likely to continue, and to produce much benefit. Britain now possesses, either publicly or privately, a large stock of Persic and Arabic, and a considerable number of Sanscrit works. But I fear the oldset and best Sanscrit books are still left to moulder in the recesses of the decayed seats of Indian learning, at Methella, Varanasi (Benares,) and elsewhere. The Bramins are ignorant, suspicious, and idle. We are not very forward in exciting their industry.

"You recollect how nearly the book of the law had perished in the Jewish temple, and I am informed that hardly a Bramin can be found who knows any thing of the Vedas. At present, the curious in Oriental literature ought to unite their efforts towards obtaining a Sanskrita dictionary, for, until that be procured, all must be dark on the European side. There are many good native vocabularies already in this country, in the possession of individuals.

"The Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Abyssinian, form an interesting knot of dialects which are far too little studied in this part of the island. I have a distant intention of investigating their properties at some future period, especially if the work now in hand meet with any kind of success. I do not expect that it will be popular among any except those who prosecute classical, Oriental, or Northern Literature. If it gain a suitable reputation among these, it will compensate for the

trouble

trouble of the author, and the expense of publication.

I should like to perform for religion and morality, those important guides of life, the same services, however feeble, in which I have been engaged for the literature of the West."

No. IX.

to our times, was spoken in the days of Abraham; or if the authority of Moses be disputed, as to former ages, at least in his own times. Môou-si is water-drawn, that is, drawn from the river: The town which the Hebrew slaves built for their tyrant sovereign, was Pi-thóm the fortification; the district where they lived

now in the Press.

The chronology of the world, so far as it is to be ascertained by history, depends on the writings of Moses, by descent a Chaldean, born and educated in Egypt, a man destined to be the legislator of his race, and the instrument of Providence in promoting the greatest and best interests of mankind. His birth must be placed 1611 years before Christ; he lived 120 years. The chronology found in his writings has been corrupted by those who copied or translated the text. He was intimately acquainted with Egypt; and his notices of that country remount three or four centuries beyond his own time. He was no stranger to the solar year of 12 months of thirty days; and though he does not mention the Egyptian addition of five days to each of three years, and of six to each fourth year, it seems to be implied. The era of the Egyptian astronomy, in so far as relates to the solar year, is therefore very ancient. Moses reckons the period of the deluge according to the Egyptian solar year. By his own appointment, the Jews used lunar months and years, and deserted the Egyptian accuracy. He relates that the king of Egypt was called Pharaoh (Pha-ouro)" the king," (which was pronounced Pha-u-rô) in the days of Abraham. Thus the Coptic, or that language which has been transmitted

• Composed for his third edition of Bruce's Composed for his third edition of Bruce's

Travels, and not, as said by mistake in No. I.

for his Philosophical History of the European Languages.

the LXX., Gesem "the grass," or land of grass, the region where the king's cattle pastured.

of all the Arabian tribes in that peThe language of the Cushites, and ninsula, was what has been called Hebrew, Assyrian, Arabian, or Abysdialects by nations so called. It is sinian, from being used in different reader who aims at precision in these not related to the Egyptian. The

ancient matters, must distinguish the Red Sea, or in the countries adja

several races of men on the coasts of

cent to it.

Phoenicians, including all the Ca1. The Assyrians, Chaldeans, Jews, naanitish tribes, the Arab tribes of the north, including the descendants dants of Cush and Joctan, partly in of Ishmael, and Lot, and the descenthe north and chiefly in the south the north and chiefly in the south of Arabs, from Hamyar or Sheba, near the Indian Ocean. The colony who settled about Axum, were of Beni Joctan; the Geez dialect, or written Abyssinian, is their tongue.

All these nations now enumerated

were one race. Their colour was red and swarthy; their features regular; and their hair not woolly, but black and lank.

the sons of Mesraim, which is an 2. The Copts, said by Moses to be Arabic, not a native name, and signiLower Egypt. Lower Egypt was fies the two Messirs, viz. Upper and called by the natives Chemi, low ground, and Upper Egypt, Ma-rês the part of the south, or Pa-tho-rês (Pathros, a name used by Moses,) the region of the south, or upper

country.

country. The ancient Egyptians were a short, ill-shaped, thick and copper-coloured, or red division of the species; less beautiful than the Arab race, more robust and fit for labour; their language little resembles any that has been transmitted to our times; they founded Thebes before the dawn of history; they were civilized and divided into casts, at least 2000 years before Christ; they appear to have had a religion fully formed, and even verging into a more corrupted state in the days of Joseph. Among their tenets were the eternity of the Supreme Spirit, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, a future state of rewards and punishments, along with very accurate sentiments as to morals. They had a considerably clear notion of the solar system, and of some other parts of science. Their efforts in the arts, particularly in architecture, were great, and made at the expense of enslaving the community. They were at one period distinguished for military enterprise, and founded colonies in Colchos and in Ethiopia. But it is a common error, to suppose, that the body of Coptic soldiers that deserted their king at Assouan and removed into Nubia, were the fathers of the Abyssinians.

3. The people called Berber, or in antient times Lybians. These inhabited the country from Egypt to Morocco, and are still found in Fezzan, Siwah, and in the habitable parts of the great desert between the Niger and Barbary. Their language is not Arabic, nor is it Coptic, though perhaps it bears some affinity to the latter. This is the people called Lehâbim by Moses, and Lybians by the Greeks. They are the aborigines of the north of Africa.

4. The people originally along the western shores of the Red Sea, called by the Greeks Troglodytes, by the Hebrews Suchiim. They lived on fish and dwelt in caves. Their posterity are at present found about

Souaken, and in the south of Atbara, and seem to be the people called Taka, or Taka Hallanga. They have a peculiar language, not of Arabic descent, nor probably Coptic. They are not black, but tawny, or red.

5. The native black Africans, called in Abyssinia Shankala, Begla, and Belowé, at Sennaar Fungi and Shilook, above Sennaar Nûba, and at the head of the White River Ferteet and Donga. They are jet black, strong made, woolly-haired and thicklipped. They are the aborigines of that part of Africa, and possibly the parents of all that singular species of men. This race was called Cushites, or Ethiopians, by the Hebrews and Syrians. These blacks have been driven into the mountains by the Arabs, in many places, especially near Darfoor, which is an Arab principali ty. They have experienced a like fate on the Niger, at Tombuctoo and in that vicinity, where the Arabic tribes have also penetrated. The black nations of the Mandinga and Yalofe name, are probably of this race. The language of the Abyssinian and the other negro nations, is in a manner totally unknown, so that the unity, as a race, of those widely extended tribes, has its probable, but uncertain proof, in their physical appearance. Yet the Hindoos are black, though not woolly-haired; and we are certain that they and the African negroes are not of the same stock.

6. Around the lake of Dembea, and in many parts of Habbesh, there is an original race that are not black, but copper-coloured, who are the aborigines of that district, or at least were its inhabitants before it was possessed by the Axûmite Arabs. They were once independent in Dembea and Samen. They speak a peculiar language, of which a specimen is given in Vol. VIII. of this work.They were converted to the Jewish