cannot be said that-these languages are connected with or-derived
from each other.
It must be admitted that there are many American Mioms
of which the structure is as yet entirely unknown,' and that
although the remarkable analogy prevailing among.thosevyet
examined, gives expectation th a t this uniformity of system
will be discovered in the remainder, exceptions may yet be
found, and that in. some instances the characteristic differences
here pointed out may not exist. But we have no ground for
assuming th at this will be the fact. We must at present acquiesce
in the "conclusion, of M.v de Humboldt, th a t; the Iberian
is| t>f all the idiroms ^of Europe, that which has ^preserved
with the least change its original character.: “ In thl^j” hto
continues,. “ we recognise a confirmation of an ©pinion^deduced
from other grounds, vizr, th a t the Iberians bg|||ngj^f0
the very earliest stock of European* nations. Their history
manifestly reaches back beyond the periods?.of languages
which we regard as ancient, namely, those of the Greeks and
Romans, and if we seek a point of comparison, cannon I y
be placed on a line with the Pro-hellenic idiom-;of the old
Pelasgi.”*
S e c t io n . I I I .—Domains o f the Euskaldunes and q f i^m
Celtici in Spain, investigated.!-
That the Euskarian is - identical with thedanguagelbf the
artcient Iberi, or its genuine descendant, and that the. Euskal-
dunes are the offspring-of the-aborigines of the Spanish
peninsula, are points which M. de Humboldt has undertaken
in his work to establish. The Iberia, of the early Greek
writers was a part of the coast of the Mediterranean, reaching
westward from the mouth of the Rhone. In this sense the
term is used by Herodotus; and Humboldt has proved that
the Iberia of Polybius, and even of Diodorus, did not comprehend
the whole of Spain,' in which there may have- been
many other races of people besides the Iberians and the
Untersuchtingen, g. 177*
Celts. Straboyindeed, speaks of the ancient Spaniards in terms
which‘seem tdiknply'that he regarded them as one race, with
whom he-sayslthat the Aquitani, in Gaul, agreed in language
and manners. But the fact that the entire peninsula, as well
as the southern parts of Gaul, was occupied by people who,
with'the exception of some Celtic tribes, were of one race, and
that:from that race the Euskaldunes are descended, admitted
of no} other method ^of Satisfactory proof than that which has
béën adopted by M. de Humboldt, namely, a careful collection
and analysis of local names -^throughout the peninsula,
as well ds4n/theï-Ö0untries beyond ..its limits, which are said
to have been tenanted by people of the- same stock with the
kberi. B y this writer, it hâs;been clearly proved that a very great
ÿiôportion hof&tke ancient name«» of places, cities,,,or townsi
and districts, both within the countries where th e Basque is
spoken, find beyond them, in parts of Spain and Aquitaine
which ithis probable that the Iberians formerly inhabited, are
certainly of Euskarian .origin, since they bear aiclearly significant
and appropriate meaning, and may be interpreted with
ease and probability, by,-.means of words actually ,in use
among the Biscayan or .Basque, people. The following, instances
will exemplify the proofs of this fact.
m L A sta, meaning -a rock, appears as the etymon of many
local names. These occur in Biscaya Asta, Asteguieta, Asti-
garraga, Astobiza, Asiorga, Astulez* Asturia. Asta is menti
oned^ by Pliny in the Turdetanian, Astigi and Astapa, by the
same writer and by Livy, in Bætioa,:and the latter name, as
its meaning indicates, is still appropriated in Biscay to places
situated at the- feet of rocks, • Asturia, Asturia, and the name
of the river Astura, are derived$r®m Asta, rock, and lira, the
Euskarian term far water.
2. Not less evident|li| the Euskarian origin of local names
beginning or ending with iria, written also uria, and frequently
ulia, or ilia, which in the Basque langg&gqimeans
city, town, place. 'Examples are Iria Fla via, Urium, Ulia,
Ilia, Ilipa, Graccuris,1 Galagurisj Lacuris, Ilarcuris, and many
other similar harness .mentioned by Pliny, Ptolemy and Livy,
in different parts of Spain.
3. Erom UR a water, comes a variety of names, as Asturia,