“An Arrow.” Istoa (_Basque_), Ios Oistos (_Greek_.) “A Raven; Black.” Balcha Belcha (_Basque_.) “End.” Ondoa (_Basque_.) “To Go.” Gan (_Basque_), Gang (_Lowland Scotch_), Gehen (_German_.) “To Sell.” Saldu (_Basque_.) “Zeal.” Kharra (_Basque_), C’H.r.a (_Chaldoe_), C’H.r.e (_Hebrew_.) “Morning.” Bora (_Welsh_), Biar (_Basque_.) “To shine very brightly.” B.c.r (_Arabic_.) PLAN OF THIS INVESTIGATION. LORD BACON’S PRINCIPLES APPLICABLE TO INQUIRIES INTO THE ORIGIN AND CHANGES OF HUMAN LANGUAGES. The fanciful theories in which even some of the most distinguished writers have deemed themselves at liberty to indulge, when they have entered upon the field of Philological research, have naturally tended to create, among men of calm and dispassionate minds, a general distrust in the results of all inquiries into the origin and early history of human languages. But it must be obvious that the errors into which the first inquirers on this—as on every other—subject have been betrayed is not a fair test of the attention due to Philological investigations. In this, as in every branch of human knowledge, the authenticity of the results must be tested solely with reference to the principles appealed to, and the weight, amount, and consistency of the evidence adduced. In this, as in every other branch of knowledge, the value of those results must depend solely on the interest and importance of the truths which such results may involve. In the following pages are developed proofs of two leading propositions, viz.: 1. That the languages of the continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, and America, were originally the same. 2. That the differences which exist between the individual languages of those continents may be explained consistently with the proofs of original unity, by causes still in operation. In this place, the principles appealed to in elucidation of these propositions may be explained with advantage. 1. As regards the proofs adduced of the original unity of the languages of the four continents. These proofs are in no instance founded upon speculation or surmise. They consist in every instance, either of a comparison of terms absolutely identical in sound and sense, or of terms, of which the mutual connexion is equally certain, in accordance with those principles, with respect to which philosophical writers on language are agreed. Terms belonging to two different continents have been compared in those instances only, in which the affinities are of the same nature, as those which have been shown to be characteristic of words belonging to different dialects of the same language, in the writings of Court Ghebelin, Horne Tooke, Adam Smith, Dugald Stewart, Humboldt, and Du Ponceau. These great writers do not belong to the class of Philological speculators, but to that of authorities on the origin and mutations of human tongues.