in any o f the European languages arifes out o f the alphabets
ofthofe languages.
The hiftory o f the world affords abundant evidence that, in
the dawn o f civilization, moft nations endeavoured to fix and
to perpetuate ideas by painting the figures o f the objects that
produced them. The Egyptian priefthood recorded the myfte-
ries o f their religion in graphic emblems o f this kin d ; and the
Mexicans, on the firft arrival o f the Spaniards, informed their
prince Montezuma o f what was palling by painting their ideas
on a roll o f cloth. There is no way fo natural as this o f expref-
fing, and conveying to the underftanding o f others, the images'
that pafs in the mind, without the help o f fpeech. In the
courfe o f the prefent voyage, an officer o f artillery and myfelf
were difpatched to make obfervations on the fmall illand o f
Collao, near the coaft o f Cochin-china. In order to make the
natives comprehend our defire to procure fome poultry; we
drew on paper the figure o f a hen, and were immediately fup-
plied to the extent o f our wants. One o f the inhabitants taking
up the idea drew clofe behind the hen the figure o f an egg,
and a nod o f the head obtained us as many as we had occa-
fion for. The Bosjefmen Hottentots, the moft wild and favage
race perhaps o f human beings, are in the conftant habit o f
drawing, on the fides o f caverns, the reprefentations o f the different
animals peculiar to the country. When I vifited fome
o f thofe caverns I confidered fuch drawings as the employment
o f idle hours; but, on fince reflecting that in almoft all
fuch caverns are alfo to be feenthe figures o f Dutch boors (who
hunt thefe miferable creatures like wild beafts) in a variety o f
attitudes,
attitudes, fome with guns in their hands, and others in the
aCt o f firing upon their countrymen ; waggons fometimes proceeding
and at others Handing ftill, the oxen unyoked, and
the boors fleeping ; and thefe reprefentations generally followed
by a number o f lines fcored like fo many tallies ; I am inclined
to think .they have adopted this method o f informing their
companions o f the number o f their enemies, and the magnitude
o f the danger. The animals reprefented were genérally
fuch as were to be met with in the diftriCt where the drawings
appeared ; this, to a people who fubfift by the chace and by
plunder, might ferve as another piece o f important information.
The Chinefe hiftory, although it takes notice o f the time
when they had no other method o f keeping their records, except,
like the Peruvians, by knotting cords, makes no mention
o f any hieroglyphical characters being ufed by them. I f
fuch were actually the cafe, the remains o f fymbolical writing
would now be moft difcoverable in the radical, or elementary
characters, o f which we fhall prefently have occafion to Ipeak,
and efpecially in thofe which were employed to exprefs fome
o f the moft remarkable objeCts in nature. Out o f the two hundred
and twelve, or thereabout, which conftitute the number
o f the radical figns, the following are a few o f the moft fimple,
in none o f which, in my opinion, does there appear to be the
lead refemblance between the picture and the objeCt.
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