4466. LANGUAGES (Indian), Vocabularies of.—
I had through the course of my
life availed myself of every opportunity of procuring
vocabularies of the languages of every
[Indian] tribe which either myself or my
friends could have access to. They amounted
to about forty, more or less perfect. But in
their passage from Washington to Monticello
the trunk in which they were was stolen and
plundered, and some fragments only of the
vocabularies were recovered. Still, however,
they were such as would be worth incorporation
with a larger work, and shall be at the service
of the historical committee, if they can make
any use of them.—
To Mr. Duponceau. Washington ed. vii, 92.
(M.
1817)
See Aborigines and Indians.