K)3 OBSERVATIONS, & C .
direction between the Negro dialects on the southern side, and the
Moorish or Arabic of the Mediterranean coasts, and that it was the
general language of all Northern Africa before the period of the
Mahometan conquests. Independently of the Arabic terms, which
must ever accompany the progress of that religion, I think it exhibits
some strong marks of affinity to that class of Oriental languages
which the German writers have distinguished by the name
of Shemitic; and if this should be established, (contrary, however,
to the opinion of Host,) it will not be unreasonable to suppose it
the ancient Punic, corrupted by the influx of words successively
introduced by the colonies or armies of Greeks, Romans, and
Goths, and at length mixing again with a branch of the original
stream, in its connection with the modem Arabic.
I am, Dear Sir, &c.
W. M,
Spring Garden, ist May, 1800.
P..S. Since writing the foregoing, I have adverted to the chapter
on the Oasis of Ammon, in the learned work of my friend Major
Rennell, (the Geographical System of Herodotus examined,) and
perceive from the extracts he has selected, (p. 589, 590) that Herodotus
understood the Ammonians to be composed of Egyptians and
Ethiopians, and their language to be formed from a mixture of both,
which might have been true in his time; but that the Arabian
geographers, Edrisi and Ibn A1 Wardi, assert that Santariah (which
the Major has proved to be the Oasis of Ammon, or Sizvab) is inhabited
by Berbers mixed with Arabs.
C 193 3
MAY, 1802.
LI ST OF THE SOCIETY,
IN S T IT U T E D 1 7 8 8 , FOR TH E PU RPO SE OF E X P L O R IN G
T H E IN T E R IO R OF A F R I C A .
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C c
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