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Fire is the great civiliser. When man learnt to produce fire, he made a great step in his development; from its usefulness and from the benefits derived from it, man in gratitude worshipped it. For the same reason, gratitude for the benefits derived from them, rivers and fountains have been worshipped. The Indian worships the Ganges, the Egyptian worshipped the Nile. Fountains and wells are objects of veneration in many countries. These and other modes of worship are grounded in the instincts of mankind, and are evolved in accordance with the stages of man's intellectual development.

In the earlier ages of nations no adequate idea of God is developed but such as would be formed by a child. In the writings of Homer, and the earliest writings of ancient nations, we find no adequate conception of the divine nature but what we see in the case of children, diversified here and there by some happy surmise or solitary flash of truth. A purer conception of the Deity was formed in a later stage of development. Anaxagoras was the first among the Greeks who recognised the existence of a supreme intelligence directing and governing all things.

The mythology of various nations is nothing but the embodiment or giving human form and shape to the various physical agencies of nature. Such ideas seem to have arisen within the minds of, and have been suggested to, the people of various nations in their primitive state, this of course more or less modified by circumstances, such as the land they live in, the climate, the temperament.

The mythical origin of mythology would seem to be of later origin than the elementary. The mythical is but the poetical embellishment of the elementary. The mythical is the youth, the elementary, the childhood of the religious development of a nation.

The law of adaptation of every thing to its position in the world, is not only evident in the adaptation of the camel to the desert, the whale and the walrus to the northern ocean, but we may also adduce, as a wonderful instance of adaptation in nature, the eyeless fish (Amblyopsis pellucida) in the mammoth cave of Kentucky. Its eyes are covered by an opaque skin, or are entirely absent. The natural conclusion is, that, from the dark and gloomy habitat of this singular fish, the power of vision being unnecessary, nature, which adapts every living creature to the mode of life assigned to it, has withheld a faculty which would serve no purpose in the economy of its being. The appearance of eyes is preserved in obedience to the law of uniformity in nature, as paps are in man.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF METHODICAL CLASSIFICATION IN AMERICAN RESEARCHES.*

By A. de BELLECOMBE,

PRESIDENT OF THE COMITÉ D'ARCHÉOLOGIE AMÉRICAINE;
Translated by WILLIAM H. GARRETT, F.A.S.L.

ASSEMBLED for the instruction of a purely American society, we must commence by rendering unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's. The idea of originating this Society does not belong to us; we only continue the undertaking with the concurrence of its learned promoters.

About five years ago, one of our most distinguished young scholars, M. Léon de Rosny, now professor at the Imperial Library, and M. l'Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg, a missionary and traveller, well known for his important works upon Mexico, struck with the neglect of Europe towards America, conceived the desire of accomplishing for the New World what had long been effected for Asia and other eastern countries, by bringing into one centre all works treating upon America. At that time there was not an American society in Europe; even England, which had so often led the way in science, and discoveries of all kinds, had not conceived the idea of establishing it. Messrs. de Rosny and Brasseur de Bourbourg, with the assistance of many members of the Institute and others, feeling the time most favourable for the institution of such a society, set themselves earnestly to the task, and from the masses of statistical and topographical information, scattered or buried in unappreciated volumes, compiled their admirable works.

This address was delivered to the Comité d'Archéologie Américaine de France by M. de Bellecombe, July 23rd, 1863. (TR.)

One section searched amid the philosophic and religious traditions of America, to find, if possible, traces of a common origin with European people; another section entered into a comparison of the indigenous American languages with those of the three ancient continents; while a third explored the history of the country before the Conquest. One examined the national literature, another was devoted to the fine arts of Mexico and Peru, whose little known and poorly appreciated remains are still visible to travellers.

Such, in part at least, was the function of La Revue Américaine, established by M. de Rosny, a publication which has hitherto met with the most encouraging success, and has reached its eighth volume. Among its contents will be found papers of the greatest interest and research on the several subjects just mentioned.*

From 1858 to 1862 important articles appeared in the Review upon the American nations before the Conquest, throwing new light upon questions which, though still somewhat obscure, are certain one day to be elucidated.

Among these papers may be mentioned "Studies on the Constitution of the New World," by M. Charles de Labarthe; "Essays upon the Science of American Language," by M. l'Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg; and "Central America and its Monuments," by the venerable Jomard, whose recent loss the learned world deplores. There are also the very curious papers of M. Aubin, on "The Didactic Painting and Figurative Writing of the Ancient Mexicans;" "America before its Discovery," by the Abbé Domenech; "Mexican Palæography," by M. Ferdinand Denis; "The Grammatical Elements of the Othomi Language;""The Relations of the Ancient Americans with the Peoples of Europe, Asia, and Africa," by M. José Perez, and many other works, the enumeration of which would occupy too much time.

In consequence of the efforts of these learned men, the directors of the Musée Impérial du Louvre earnestly took in hand the subjects of American architecture and sculpture, and ancient America began to occupy an important place in our public galleries.

An American society is still a desideratum in the learned world. The present seems a most favourable time for its establishment, when we call to mind that the New World is brought nearer to us by the extension of the telegraph, and by the adoption of our system of military tactics in the conduct of that fratricidal war now unhappily dividing the Northern United States from the Southern provinces. There is also the important question pending between France and Brazil, as to the possession of the immense province situated between the Rio Grande and the Oyapoc, a country which *The first series appeared under the title of " Revue Orientale et Américaine".

has been the scene of the struggles of our gallant soldiers* for the last two years, and the principal cities of which, Puebla and Mexico, have but recently yielded to our arms. On these and other grounds we are convinced that an American society is an institution not only useful, but highly necessary.

And now, suppose we succeed in founding such a society, what assurance have we of its duration? Our answer is that its permanence is beyond question, provided we heartily unite, and resolutely concentrate our powers, experience, and labours upon those distant lands, which are assuredly not more inaccessible to scientific investigation than they were to the destroying swords of the Spaniards.

Our desire to-day is to lay open this strange and mysterious America, with its legends historical and fabulous, its undeciphered monuments, its original manners and usages.

Having premised so much, we must now refer, as briefly as possible, to those subjects which will first occupy our attention.

Among all nations the primary inquiry should be as to their religion; after that follows the study of their history. Religion, though it throws no light upon the origin of the indigenous inhabitants of America, gives certain connecting links between these peoples and the inhabitants of Asia, Europe, and Africa. For instance, the Peruvians and Mexicans have their general and partial deluge. The four brothers Ayar Tapa among the Peruvians, Cortoz and Quitequetzel among the Mexicans, are the Satiavetra of the Indians, the Xizouthros of the Chaldeans, the Peroun of the Chinese, the Ogyges of the Greeks, and the Noah of the Bible!

The Kiouasa of Virginia is the Jupiter of the pagan Olympus. The Toia of Florida is the Christian Satan; the Zemes of the Antilles are the Darvans of Persia. Attabeira of Haïti is the Phrygian Cybele; the Mexican Theotl, Flacatekolototl, and Miclantemcli, form the Indian Trinity, represented by Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva; Vitzlipochtli, the Grecian Mars or the Gaulish Taran; Pachakamak is Apollo; Joalticit is the Lucinian Juno; Xintenchtli is Vulcan. Polytheism prevails everywhere. There are gods of the air, of fire, of wind, of the heavens, and of the earth; gods of war, of peace, of evil, of good, and of justice; gods of the sun, of the moon and of the stars; of houses, of medicine, and of agriculture, of hunting, of fishing, and of travelling; in short, gods of everything, near or afar, which is supposed to influence the moral and physical state of man, all relating to a Great Spirit or Manitu, not less great, noble, or sublime than the Jehovah of the Hebrews.

The Peruvians and the other indigenous inhabitants of America, to whom the idea of the immortality of the soul became by some means

The French army. (TR.)

communicated, had, besides their rites and ceremonies, their human sacrifices.

I shall not dwell on the singular relations which existed, or are said to have existed between the primitive Americans and the navigators and travellers of other parts of the globe, because, with a spirit of partiality easily understood, these have been in all probability greatly exaggerated. There are curious resemblances between the races, the characters, the religions, and the languages of America and those of India, China, and Phoenicia. But the great question of the origin of the American races still remains for solution. In our opinion it would be rash in the extreme to take certain physical and moral resemblances in races or analogies and affinities in languages or religions, or certain philosophic tendencies, and on these to base the theory that Asia is the cradle of the Mexican people. Until the contrary has been clearly proved, we must continue to believe that the Americans are indigenous, and that the great southern migrations -the three great races, the Aztecs, Toltecs, and Chichimecs in Mexico, the Aymarás, under the command of Manco-Capac, in Peru -have all sprung from the same root, and are without doubt indigenous to America.

The course of all these primitive migrations being from north to south, it may be fairly inferred that the Americans of the south came originally from the north. It is in this part of the New World we must search for the original seats of the great indigenous races which inhabit it. It must be confessed, however, that the traditions of the north are little known, and that researches in that quarter are extremely difficult; but it is into the unknown that our labours lead us.

We shall next consider the judicial and administrative customs anterior to Columbus. And here we find a vast field opens before us; and Manco Inca among the Peruvians, Quetzaltcoatl among the Mexicans, are legislators and statesmen who cannot fail to excite our curiosity. The incomplete information we possess of Mexican legislation furnishes us, however, with some idea of the divisions and classes of the people. The nobles possessed honours, authority, and legislative powers, as well as military and judicial authority. There was a proud and haughty clergy, a labouring population, and a class of abject slaves. We find among the Mosquitos of Guatemala monarchy, with its aristocracy and hereditary peerage, its sovereign council of state; its laws and penalties for sacrilege-mild against the nobles, severe against the common people. And here we cannot help admiring the Peruvian custom which humanely equalised domestic labours and duties between the man and the woman, the husband and the wife.

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