1927. CREEK INDIANS, Carthaginians and.—
I shall be very glad to receive the con
jectures of your philosopher on the descent of
the Creek Indians from the Carthaginians, supposed
to have been separated from Hanno's
fleet, during his periplus. I see nothing impossible
in his conjecture. I am glad he means to
appeal to similarity of language, which I consider
as the strongest kind of proof it is possible
to adduce. I have somewhere read that the
language of the ancient Carthaginians is still
spoken by their descendants, inhabiting the
mountainous interior parts of Barbary, to which
they were obliged to retire by the conquering
Arabs. If so, a vocabulary of their tongue can
still be got, and if your friend will get one of
the Creek languages, the comparison will decide.
* * * My wish, like his, is to ascertain
the history of the American aborigines.—
To E. Rutledge. Washington ed. ii, 434.
Ford ed., v, 41.
(P.
1788)
