New-York tribune., 1870-10-25
THE AMERICAN ORIENTAL SOCIETY.

NTw-U,yEN. Oct 22-The American Oren-
tal society is the OF purely pathological societies in
the country designed entirely to aid Its members
not simply in the study Of the classical languages, but
I'm those also Of the further East-the Aabc and the
Semitic tongues; the sanscrt and the Drayidian Ian
gages OF India the Chinese and Japanese and TO
plete the worlds circle, American Indian
tongues It's semi-annual meeting held on Thursday
and Friday, in the new Theological Hall In this cit
Among the members present were tbe President OF the
who has lately received from Germany medal for the
best service done for some years to sanscrt
Prof Hadley of the Greek Department, and Prof Day
Of the Hebrew Department Of Yale College; Addison
Van Name, Librarian of Yale College. and diligent
Chinese and japanese scholar; j. II. Trumbu of Wat
knson Library Hartford, who it is said has studied the
Algonquin languages Till he almost repeat Elliots
Indian Bible by heart Ezra Abbot LID, Librarian at
Harvard College who has the reputation OF being the
photographer and the best textua critic Of the New
Testament in this country, and numerous other enth
sasc students IN these not very popular departments
After the election of several new members, Prof Whit
ncy read selections from the correspondence OF the past
year, after which the Rev Wn H. Ward exhibited photo
graphs and of portions Of the Moabtc stone These
aroused much interest as the best exlsng specimen OF
apha6etical writing dating backtO period DQut yO
B. G. Prof whitney then read communication from the
Rev. +. b. Cross Of the Baptist Mission TO Burmah. ncO-
inga copy OF the Inscription ona sacred metahc pate IN
for many generations object Of reverence None
count of the meaning of the inscription characters
not like those of any OF the languages 50 far as
known, that spoken in the vicinity. The Karens
believe that they brought the plate with them in the
immigration from the North at the time ithat they sep
arated from their Chinese brethren. Prof Packard Of
Yale followed with elaborate paper the pronuncia
of the classical languages. His essay. was mainly de.
voted to meeting the argument OF the leading writer's OF
modern Creek who insist that they the ancient
pronunciation. Prof Packard wished Epsilon pronoun
ced like in met; Eta like the same sound proonged
and the dipthong Epsilon Ioia, like our dipth0nga
sound Of Ell rein. The series OF Greek yowels he
would pronounce follows: Onicron like In Wholiy;
omega, in mote, and the diphong OicrOn UpSaOn like
in moon: To the other vowes he gives the ordinary
pronunciation. The paper called out some criticism from
Prof Whitney Dr. Abbott, and others. DR.. Abbott
gesed that omega should not have the dipthonga sound
Of in NOTE but that of the in rh0Hy prolonged with
trace of The final a. which we find in our English long
o. He would then give s long sound 70 the aipsonS
would be found possible 10 instruct students TO giyea
pure prolonged 60 Eta and Oega without prOduc
ing our dpthonga sounds OF IN tdte, and in note
DR.. McyrOwitsz presented paper ON the TaiHld lie
character of the society which he met with for the first
time and his paper was too elementary consisting OF an
ancrs ,erc f6owed NV an announcement for the even
ing TO the residence Of Mr. Van Name where the ORR
entalists with their families enjoyed themselves greatly
and were handsomely entertained.
On Friday morning Prof. Whitney presented two
netics relating 10 the doubling OF consOnanls in certain
positions, according TO the rules iad down IA tle ifa
philosophical for. They found in certain elab
crate sanscrt treases on Phonetcs, which were writ
ten several centuries before Christ, and which Prof
whitney is publishing with Translation In the Proceed
gs of the American Oriental Society. His other com
munication was criticism on COXs "Aryan MythOl-
Ogy which he regards sound in s basis like the la
bors of Max Miller in this department Mr. Cox follows
Muller quite slNlshy acrcptng as settled whatever ne
had suggested as plausible and carrying his comparisons
of Greek with Hi.O and other thOoSes 70 an eA-
tremc, and oftei eonradicting his own explanations
Prof Haley egarded the principles OF Muller ana cox
tCq universal solvent and believed they would nave
a. little difficulty in explaining the stories OF fgr
Progress by early Aryan mythology as those Oi the
| Iliad and odyssey.
Prof. Hadley read criticism of Westphal's Greek
Grammar which he egardod as hasty and crude, spcc
fvng many errors and contradictions 10 he found IN H.
Mr. fainter of three young men selected three years
ago from Yale, Harvard and Union Colleges Tor thc 'N
service OF the Chinese Government, presented remark
able inscription Chinese column, written NANNY IN
sanscr letters OF the nth century, and arranged IN tc
coumuar fashion OF The Chinese. President NOscy pr,
sented an inscription found the present year IN Athens
and concentrating ten hOrsemcn who iell IN battle
against sparta Alter the reading Of that paper the 30
| ciety adjourned 20 meet next May in Boston.