New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-11-24
Tezzofanh.

tains. amongst other good articles sketch of the
life Of that wonderful lingust, Cardinal Mezzofanti
who died about ten years ago. His bographer Dr.
RUSSELL has collected and preserved in his work Just
published multitude of instances proving the very
extensive, indeed almost miraculous knowledge of
languages possessed by this son of a carpenter of
Bologna. Won ZACH who made an occasional visit to
Bologna in 1920, was accosted by the learned priest
as he then was, in Hungarian, then in good Saxon
and afterwards in the Austrian and SWahian dialects
With other members Of the scientific corps the priest
conVersed in English Russian, Polish French and
Hungarian. Won Zach mentions that bis German was
SO natural that cultivated HanoveTiau lady in the
company expressed her surprise that German should
be professor and librarian u Italian University
Professor Jacobs, Of Gotha, was struck not only
with the number Of languages acquredby the "inter-
prefer Of Babel but at the facility with which he
passed rom one to the other, however opposite Or
eognate their structure
DR.. Iholuch heard him converse in German Ara.
bic, Spanish, Flemish English and Swedish, received
from him an original distitch in Persian and found
him studying Cornish. He heard him say that he
had studied to some extent the Quichus or old Peru
Wan, and he was employed upon the Btmbarra. DR.
Wiseman met him on his way to give lesson in Cali
fornia India TO some natives in that country He
heard Niger Dutch from Culfacoa mulatto and
10 less than Two weeks wrote short piece of poetry
for the mnlattO to Fecite in bis rude tongue He
knew something of Chippewa and Delaware aud
learned the language OF Algonquin Indians. A Cev-
lon student remembers many Of the strangers with
whom Mezzofanti was in the habit Of eonyersing in
were Peru
an, Abyssinian Amariua, 6yriuc, Arabieo Maltesse
Iamule, Bulgarian Albanian besides others already
named Els facility Ia accommodating himself to
each new cooqnist iustes the expression applied to
| him as the E chameleon Of languages
But we have no space for enumerating the names
Of the languages be has mastered and must wind IN
with Dr. Russels summary and careful estimate Of
the Cardinals acquisition, He adopts as bis defn-
ton OF thorough knowledge Of language an ability
TO read It lenty and with ease to write it correctly
and TO speak it automatically. Judging Merchant
by this high standard, bis biographer comes to the
following result in brief his work giving the details
at length:
l. Languages frequently tested and spoken BY tile
Cardinal with rare excellence-thirty.
y Stated to have been spoken fuently but hardly
sufficiently tested-nine.
5. Spoken rarely and less perfectly-eleven.
4 Spoken imperfeetly a few sentences and con.
versational toTm-eight.
8, Studied from books, but not known to have been
spoken--fOurteen.
9. Dialects spoken, or their pecuartes understood
-,thirty-nine dialects Of ten languages many of
which might justly be described as different Ian.
gaages.
This list addsu one hundred and eleven, exceed
ing by all comparison everything related in history
Jonadab Almanor and Sir VIM. Jones are not claimed
tohave gone beyRnd twentyeight; while Mrthridates
and PieO OF MIrandela have been made famous BY
twenty-five. The Cardinal said he made it rule to
learn every new grammar and apply himself to every
strange dictionary that came within his reach. He
did not appear to consider his prodigions talent SO
1r3pnr, al. III
e&1ta9ralhaty q DINERS did : 10 addition to an eX
csiets memory sad ne, S9d mas blessed me with
an Incredible teXtbiilty of the organs of speechn
another remark Of bis was that when one has
learned ten or dozen languages essentially different
IRON one another one may with little study and at
marked, " i you wish to know bow preserve these
languages can only say, that when once hear the
meaning Of word in any language, never forget
It,
Aha yet 7 Y not elamed tor this man Of many
mo.as snat ns lucas ~ an correspondent lie had
twenty words lor one dea d be said q himself but
he seemed to agree with Catherine de Medicis ia
remarkable for the number of langnares ,hieh he bad
made his own, but was not distinguished as gram
marian, a exicographer, q philoogist philosopher
department of "the study Of words much less Of Nh
ence.'
Ills personal character was gentle, humble modest,
humane, and he was sincere and devout man. His
goodness was his own work, his peculiar talent the
Gpu4g uuh DC lauBnt transferred or even eS-