5. A Standard Troy pound, carefully compared &c.

These deposits are accompanied by a memoir, stating in detail the result of a number of comparative experiments, to ascertain their accuracy, together with the following books relative to the same subjects, also deposited by M. Vaughan in the Library of the Society.

La figure de la terre déterminée par des observations faites au Cercle Polaire, par M. de Maupertuis, Paris, 1738, 8vo.

Idem, par des observations de M. M. Bouger & de la Condamine aux environs de l'equateur, par M. Bouger, Paris 1749, 4to.

Degré du méridien entre Paris & Amiens, determiné par la mesure de M. Picard, &c. Paris, 1740, 8vo.

Mesure des trois premiers degrés du méridien dans l'hemisphere austral, par M. de la Condamine, Paris, 1751, 4to.

La méridienne de l'Observ. Roy. de Paris, verifiée par M. Cassini de Thiery, Paris, 1744, 4to.

Observations astronomiques & physiques faites, pour determiner la figure de la terre, par Don Geo. Juan & Don A. de Ulloa, Amst. 1842, 4to. Voyage astron. & geograph. dans l'Etat de l'Eglise, par les P. P. Maire & Boscovich, Paris, 1770, 4to.

Journal d'un voyage au Nord. 1736, 7, par M. Outhier: Paris, 1744, 4to. Relation de deux voyages en Allemagne par rapport a la figure de la terre &c. par M. Cassini de Thiery, Paris, 1763, 4to.

Rapport fait a l'Inst. Nat. de France sur la mesure de la méridienne de France, avec le discours prononcé, lors de la presentation des etalons prototypes du mètre & du Kilogramme, Paris, l'an. 7, 4to.

Method proposed for determining the relative situation of the R. Observ. of Greenwich & Paris, with observations on the magnitude and figure of the earth, by Major General Wm. Roy, London, 1787, 4to. Translation into French by M. De Prony, of the methods of measuring the Base at Hounslow Heath by Major General Wm. Roy, Paris 1787, 4to. An account of the trig. operations employed to determine the difference of the Observ. of Greenwich and Paris, by Maj. Gen. Wm. Roy, 1790, 4to. Operations faites en France, 1787, pour la jonction des observatoires de Paris & de Greenwich, par Cassini, Mechain, & le Gendre, Paris, 1789, 4to. Le systéme des nouvelles mesures de la France mis a la portée de tout le monde, par Aubry, 5me ed. Paris, l'an. 7, 8vo.

Beschreibung der Ausmessungsmethode, welche bey den Danischen geographischen Karten angewendet worden, mit Kupfern, von Thomas Bugge, Dresden, 1787, 4to.

Schriften-Maasse und Gewichte betreffend, der Helvetischen Regierung vorgelegt, 1801, 8vo.

Report of Thomas Jefferson, when Secretary of State, to Congress; on the subject of establishing a uniformity in the weights, measures and coins of the United States, New-York, 1790, 8vo.

The above may be considered as valuable data, whenever the Government of our country shall undertake the necessary task of establishing a general standard of weights and measures for the United States.

TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, &c.

No. I.

On the Language of Signs among certain North American Indians. By William Dunbar, Esq. of the Mississippi Territory, communicated by Thomas Jefferson, President of the Society.

NATCHEZ, June 30, 1800.

SIR,

Read 16th January, 1801.

MR. NOLAN'S man of signs has been here, but was so occupied that a long time elapsed ere I could have an opportunity of conversing with him, and afterwards falling sick was seized with such an invincible desire of returning to his own country, that I had little hopes of gaining much upon his impatience.

A commencement however we have made, and although little has been done, it is sufficient to convince me, that this language by signs has been artfully and systematically framed. In my last I took notice of some analogy which I conceived to subsist between the Chinese written language and our Western language by signs; I had not then read Sir George Staunton's account of the British Embassy to China. I will here beg your permission to transcribe a paragraph or two from that work, which appear to strengthen my ideas of the probability of their common origin. "Almost all the countries border

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ing on the Chinese sea or Eastern Asia, understand and use "the written Chinese, though not the oral language. About "200 characters mark the principal objects of nature; these may be considered as roots of language, in which every other "word or species in a systematic sense is referred to its proper 66 genus or root. The heart is a genus represented by a curve line, somewhat of the form of the object, and the species "referable to it, include all the sentiments, passions, and affections, that agitate the human breast, each species being accompanied by some mark denoting the genus or heart. Now Sir if the commencement of this extract was altered and we were to say "Almost all the Indian nations living between the Mississippi, and the Western American ocean, understand and use the same language by signs, although their respective oral tongues are frequently unknown to each other," the remainder of the paragraph would be perfectly descriptive of the organization of this language by signs, and would convey to an adept a full and complete idea of the systematic order which has been observed in its formation. Permit me to refer you to the short and very imperfect list of signs enclosed, where you will find water to be a genus, and rain, snow, ice, hail, hoar-frost, dew, &c. are species represented by signs more or less complex, retaining always the root or genus as the basis of the compound sign.

We are also informed that "if any uncertainty remains ás "to the meaning of a particular expression, recourse is had to "the ultimate criterion of tracing with the finger in the air or "otherwise, the form of the character and thus ascertaining at "once which was meant to be expressed:" here also is a strong analogy between the language and practice of those countries so far separated from each other, for those Western Indians are so habituated to their signs that they never make use of their oral language, without instinctively at the same time tracing in the air all the corresponding signs, which they perform with the rapidity of ordinary conversation. I cannot avoid concluding that the custom of the Chinese of sometimes tracing the characters in the air, is a proof that this language by signs. was at early periods of time universally used by them and by all the nations of the east coast of Asia; and perhaps if enquiry

be made it may be found that the usage of this universal language is not yet totally neglected. In the above-mentioned account of the embassy, we are told only, I think, of three Chinese characters, the sun represented by a circle, the moon by a crescent, and man by two lines forming an angle representing the lower extremities; those three signs are precisely the same which are used by the Western people in order to represent the two first mentioned, the thumb and fore-finger of the right hand are formed either into a Circle or Crescent, and the sign of man is expressed by extending the fore-finger of the right hand and bringing it down, until it rests a moment between the lower extremities.

It is probable that Chinese Sailors or others, may be found in your maritime towns, who might give some useful information, and it cannot I suppose be difficult to procure a collection of Chinese characters with English explanations, which would afford an opportunity of making farther comparisons upon a future investigation of this curious subject. I think Captain Cook says, some where, that in some of the Islands of the Western pacific he found persons who possessed a great facility of communicating their ideas by signs and made much use of gesticulations: this was probably no other than the language by signs; and if it is found that the Chinese actually use at this day upon some occasions a language by signs, actual experiment alone will convince me that it is not the same which is used by our Western Indians. Hence would spring forth an analogy and connection between the Continents of the New and Old World which would go directly to the decision of your question, without being involved in the ambiguity arising from the imperfect resemblance of words.

WILLIAM DUNBAR.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, President A. P. S.

-Signs made use of by the Indian Nations to the West of the Mississippi, refered to in the foregoing letter.

White, with the under side of the fingers of the right hand, rub géntly upon that part of the left hand which corresponds with the knitting of the bones of the fore-finger and thumb. Egg. The right hand held up with the fingers and thumb extended and approaching each other as if holding an Egg. within.

Stone. The right hand shut give several small blows on the left.

The same or similar to what went before, Place the two forefingers parallel to each other and push them forward a little. Water. The hand formed into a bowl and brought up to the mouth passing a little upwards without touching the mouth. Rain. Begin with the sign of water, then raise the hands even with the forehead, extending the fingers outwards and give a shaking motion as if to represent the dripping of water. Snow. Begin with the sign of rain, then the sign of air or cold and conclude with the sign of white..

Ice. Begin with the sign of water then of cold, then the earth and lastly a stone with the sign of sameness or similarity. Hail. Begin with the sign of water, then the sign of cold, next the sign of a stone, then the same, then the sign of white and lastly conclude with the sign of an Egg; all which combined gives the idea of hail.

Frost. Begin with the sign of water, then the sign of night or darkness, then the sign of cold, then the sign of white, and lastly the earth.

Cloud. Begin with the sign of water, then raise the two hands as high as the forehead and placing them with an inclination of 150 let them gently cross one another.

Fire. The two hands brought near the breast touching or approaching each other and half shut, then moved outwards moderately quick, the fingers being extended and the hands a little separated at the same time, as if to imitate the appearance of flame.

Bring, fetch or give me. The hand half shut with the thumbs