The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-05-07
ORIGIN OF THE INDIAN TRIBES

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This topic is ably handled, with the
lights OF history and o,hnology, in the
ChcvalIer Bunson's recent great work on
"IA" Philosophy of Universal History"
The following views are expressed by him
respecting the elaborate collections and iii.
gc>tS Of the mat, falS, published under the
authority Of Congress, On the su(,icct Of
the Indian uibcS. Chcvalicr Bunson has
been several wears Pru>San minister at the
court Of London
Il had written so far in July, lS47. |
WAS not then aware that on the Sd March
OF the same year an act had passed the
Congress Of the United States Of America
authorizing tn" publication Of a great ua.
ton work on the Indian tribes Of the ter
rtory of that republic. In 1850 the first
volume OF that gigantic work appeared,
and now third volume, printed in 1853.
has been transmitted TO me bv the Hber
aIIty OF that government.
at may fairly be said tha, by this
great national aud Christian undertaking
which realizes the aspirations Of President
Jefferson, and carrie. ont to then tul extent
the Iabors am ettnItS of Scceiarv Of the
treasury, the Hon. Albert Gallutin, the
government Of the IT, tied States has done
more for the antiquities aud language Of
foreign race than any European govern
iI.ent has hitherto done for the language
OF their anc' stors. Certainly, scarcely
any single man has done more for collect
ing and digesiing the materials than Mr..
Schoolcrati, whose own observation and
inquiries form the most important part of
that publication. The whole work is con
ce'red Ia true spirit of philanthrophv,
aud hreatlcs feeling OF brotherhood to-
wards the Indian scion cE the hunsaa spa
cies. The section on language is without
doubt the most important portion it oc
cupies place III the second and third vol
uEaes, and we may hope 20 see it comple-
ted IN the course Of the following volumes.
But the linguistic data before us, comLin.
ed with the traditions and customs, and
particularly with the system of pictorial
mncmonic writing, first revealed in this
work. enable ne to say that the Asa,ic
origin Of all these tribes. is as tiIl!y proved
as the unity Of nEuily among themselves.
Accos,laag to, onr system, the Indian Ian
guage can only be IA deposite Of a North
Turanian idom.
Indeed, in addition 10 the evidence al
ready collected 10y Prichard, the passage
OF tribes from Siberia (where wc also find
traces Of the same pictorial writng) over
the northern islands is placed beyond all
doubt by the work in question. The
MonGalIan peculiarily Of the skull, the
type Of the hunter, the Shamatic excite
mc"t which leads. 10y means of fasiings
ana dreams, into a visionary or clairvoy
aut STATE, and the fundamental religious
views and symbols, (amQug which, the
;"TtoIse Is noe to. Ee foESottSn,) bring Us
back to primitive TuranisB.
"As to the languages thamselves, there
IS no one popularity in them which NAV
no, easily be explained by our theory Of
uie second, formation, and Of the conse-
quences ofisolatior.
The unity Of The grammatical type
was long ago acknowledged; !; bat we have
now (as | ,hink) the evidences Of the ma
terial, historical, physical unity. The In
dian mind has NOT oply worked in one
tyne, hut with one material, and that
a furanian one. We may row hops. to
receive in few years, from these energot-
ic efforts Of th9 gcySrnmert, and citizens