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The Mortonian cranium differs much from that here described; for whilst the Tharrenian head has all the characters which place it among the most perfect dolicho-cephali orthognathi, the Maltese, on the contrary, is peculiar, and is decidedly prognathous. Dr. Nicolucci says, that, if there be any skull with which this cranium of Morton's may be compared, it is that of the indigenous inhabitants of the Atlantic Coast, the descendants of the Lybians of antiquity, who spread from the confines of Egypt as far as the Fortunate Isles, and from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Sahara. In these, also, he affirms the cranium is narrow and long, the jaws prominent, but the teeth so placed in the alveoli, that, as in the Maltese skull, they approach the vertical direction. He adds, the same conformation is observable likewise in the crania found in the burial places of the ancient Guanches, inhabitants of the Canary Islands. By such comparisons it is easy to infer, that the skull, believed by Morton to have belonged to an individual of the Phoenician race, ought only to be regarded as purely Lybian, its form being similar both to that of the heads of the the Guanches of the Lybian stock, and of the Berber tribe of the present day, the legitimate descendants of the aborigines of Northern Africa.*

Dr. Nicolucci declines to discuss the question, whether the Lybians of antiquity might have occupied the Island of Malta before any other people. Still, since the Phoenicians colonised and ruled over this island for a long time, he thinks it not improbable that they might also gather colonies there from the neighbouring African coast, where their power was so extensive; and that precisely to one of these, or their descendants, this head, which Morton believed to belong to the Phoenician race, may be referred.

Finally, the author speaks of the resemblance of this calvarium from Tharros to the skulls of Arabs and of Jews. He affirms that it is

The Guanches have usually been regarded as allied to the Lybian tribes. It would probably be very difficult to decide this point craniologically, from a want of sufficient materials even, were there not other causes. The writer, from an examination of about thirty skulls of Guanches from the sepulchral caves of Teneriffe, is disposed to look upon them as of a peculiar type, it may be distinct from all others. As far as his observation goes, they do not present any remarkable similarity to the Mortonian skull from Ben Djemma. Dr. Garbiglietti showed the error of the strange opinion, that the Guanches were a race of giants. (Nicolucci, Razze Umane, i, 295.) And Dr. Hodgkin has gone much farther. He has collected evidence to prove that they were of very moderate stature, even of less than the medium stature of Europeans; in fact, diminutive. (Ethnological Journal, 1848, i, 167, " On the Ancient Inhabitants of the Canary Islands.")

The prominent acquiline nose, raised on elevated nasal processes of the superior maxillary in this Tharros calvarium, are unquestionable approximations to Jewish features.

on one model that the Phoenician skull and those of Arabs and Jews are formed, and that from this alone may be determined the identity of the race of these three peoples-an additional argument, he adds, to so many possessed by ethnological science, respecting the common origin of all the branches of the family of Shem.

We have thus given, as often as possible in the words of the author, a full analysis of a Memoir of the greatest interest, which discusses, in a very able and complete manner, the origin of this rare calvarium, and satisfactorily proves it to appertain to the Phoenician race. This learned dissertation will exhibit to English readers the readiness and preparedness of its author to discuss the most intricate problems of ethnology and craniology with judgment and candour.

The three carefully executed lithographic Tables, which give a profile, a front and a vertical view of the calvarium, of full size, are of great value in acquiring a due appreciation of the peculiar forms of this rare relic.

In conclusion, it is scarcely necessary to add anything further, unless a remark or two may be permitted which would bear on the value of craniological evidence in its present nascent state. Whether our knowledge of the ethnic conformation of the human skull in different races, especially those introduced into this recondite discussion, is yet so complete as to enable us to come to precise and definite conclusions may admit of further consideration, at least. And, particularly, whether the materials up to this time at our disposal for deciding the question of the typical form of the Phoenician cranium are sufficient for such purpose, may be deserving of some doubt. Whether the crania of what are usually called the Semitic families, of Jews, Arabs, etc., have been hitherto adequately studied and compared for valid inferences to be deduced as to their differences and resemblances, is not yet certain; nor, indeed, whether the different branches of the Phoenician family may not yet be found to present appreciable cranial diversities. In the very desirable and still requisite advancement of craniological research, there is room for many laborious and cautious observers, and there are few who have turned their attention to such subjects better able than our author, from his medical instruction, his varied knowledge, and his acuteness, to contribute to the building up of a more substantial and permanent scientific structure. We hope often to meet with him again in these investigations, and are persuaded it always will be with substantial additions to our knowledge. J. B. D.

39

ON THE SCYTHO-CIMMERIAN ORIGIN OF THE
LANGUE ROMANE.*

BY RICHARD STEPHEN CHARNOCK, F.S.A., F.R.G.S., F.A.S.L.

Ar a meeting of the Royal Society of Literature of Great Britain, held in June last, a paper in the French language was read by M. le Duc du Roussillon on the Scytho-Cimmerian origin of the Langue Romane, which paper has since been printed among the transactions of the Society. As the subject is ethnographical, as well as philological, I will take the liberty of making a few remarks upon the paper.

Let us see what the author says at the first setting out:— "J'ai l'honneur de communiquer à l'Académie une découverte qui pourra servir à faire connaître toute l'utilité que l'on peut retirer, au point de vue des origines, d'un élément fort négligé jusqu'ici dans les études archéologiques. Cet élément n'est autre que la nomenclature des noms de lieux d'une contrée, habités ou non, de montagne, vallon, cours d'eau, promontoire, étang, etc., etc. Il est logique d'admettre, que chaque association humaine qui s'est fixée la première sur un sol, a dû déterminer et arrêter toutes les désignations de cette nature nécessaires à ses fins, soit qu'elle apportât avec elle un langage tout fait ou bien que la formation de son idiome soit postérieure à l'époque de son établissement. Il est évident aussi que ces désignations ont été prises dans son langage même. Certes, si les races ne s'étaient pas mêlées, rien ne serait plus facile que la classification des éléments que fournirait la plus superficielle investigation. Malheureusement, il n'en serait pas ainsi pour les pays anciennement habités, à ce que l'on suppose. Ici, la conquête aurait successivement déposé sur le même sol, comme les couches multiples d'un limon different de nature, vingt peuples dont de langage ne se ressemble point. Et en admettant que chaque nouvelle conquête ait amené une nouvelle modification, dans le sens du dernier idiome introduit, comment est-il possible de se reconnaître au milieu d'une telle confusion? C'est là du moins l'opinion admise. C'est contre cette opinion que j'aurai à lutter lorsque j'avancerai, par exemple, que sur un sol qui m'est très-familier, j'en conviens, les deux versants des extrêmes Pyrénées-Orientales, entre le cours de l'Aude, de la Sègre et la Méditerranée, à peu près, je puis démontrer que la plus grande partie des noms de lieu est tirée de la langue romane. Elle n'en sera que plus rebelle si j'ose affirmer que deux mille noms de lieu environ, relevés sur les cartes de la Kersonèse taurique, bords du Palus Maotis et du Pont Euxin, présentent le même caractère, d'où résulterait que l'idiome vulgaire de la Gaule

Mémoire sur l'origine Scytho-Cimmérienne de la langue Romane. Par M. le duc du Roussillon. Première partie, 1863. J. E. Taylor, Little Queen Street, London.

celtique et nord de l'Ibérie aurait été introduit dans ces deux dernières contrées par une émigration appartenant à des peuples déjà établis sur le sol de la péninsule cimmérienne et ses environs."

M. du Roussillon tells us he is far from ignoring the quicksands of etymology, in which nevertheless he is continually sinking.

"Il est d'abord un premier principe à poser, démontrer et établir assez solidement pour qu'il résiste à toute objection, car il forme la base sur laquelle repose principalement mon travail. Ce principe c'est que les noms de lieu monosyllabiques ne sont pas sujets, généralement parlant, à produire des erreurs d'étymologie, étant pris dans les limites assez étroites ci-dessus indiquées, c'est-à-dire l'Aude, la Segre et la mer. Malheureusement, ils ne sont pas nombreux, et jusqu'à présent je n'en ai recueilli que 126."

*

Then follows a list of monosyllabic names of habitable places on both sides of the Eastern Pyrenees. Of these, eighteen are untranslated, about half-a-dozen are rendered reasonably enough, whilst the etymology of the remainder is wholly misconceived. Witness the following:-Ax, torche; Bel, voile; Bols, vols; Bot, vou; Bren, petit pain; Cerche, recherche; Corb, corbeau; Cors, cœurs; Cuel, recolte; En, vase à liquide; Er, aire; Faü and Fay, je fais; Fals, faux; Ger, jarre; Gos, chien; Ix, il sort; Joch, jeu; Llar, du lard; Nils, miaulements; Oix, il sort; Os, as; Pau, paix; Pao, paon; Ples, plaisirs; Pals, batons; Quart, quart; Scarp, prix fait; Sort, le sort; Tech, il tisse; Tost, tôt; Vos, vous; Lli or Lli,† lin. It may be true, as M. du Roussillon asserts, that monosyllabic names are less liable to corruption than polysyllabic names, but does it follow that all names which are now found as monosyllabic were originally so? I am inclined to think not, and that we can seldom judge of a name as it stands, the more especially if it translates nonsense; and that the only scientific way is to endeavour to discover the earliest orthography of the name. Let us take such a name as Autun. Nothing is easier than to assert that au means to the,' and tun 'an enclosure'; but if, upon research, we find that the place was originally called Augustodunum, we can have little hesitation in concluding that Autun has been corrupted down from Augustodunum.‡ Leclerc made a great mess of it when he derived names direct from the Celtic, without considering the earliest and intermediate orthographies of names.§ Among other

Sur les deux versants des Pyrénées-Orientales extrêmes.

+ M. du Roussillon says in a note, la gly peut être l'abbréviation de l'ayguali, 66 masse d'eau". It is rather the Celtic lli, found in so many names, and signifying "water".

Archéol. Celt. Rom. Par J. B. Leclerc. Paris: 1843.

Bescherelle has, I am sorry to say, followed in the footsteps of Leclerc.

trash, witness the following: Passy, pic à l'étang (pé a sy); Gentilly, terre du château à l'Hy (gé en ti ly); Choisy, champ à l'étang (ca au sy). After laying it down that, notwithstanding foreign conquests and the introduction of Christianity, denominations have generally remained the same, our author has the following on the influence of the Latin language upon local names :—

"Ce n'est pas à l'influence de la langue latine que l'on peut attribuer les désignations primitives, puisque plus d'un demi-siècle avant la conquête romaine cette contrée était couverte de nombreuses tribus d'origine diverse, mais la plupart gauloises. Pour s'en convaincre, il suffit de consulter Polybe, Tite-Live et Pline. A cette race appartenaient les Sardones d'après le premier auteur, et les Ilerdenses d'après le troisième, quoique les deux tribus fussent établies sur les deux versants opposés des Pyrénées. Cela s'explique par un passage de Diodore de Sicile, où il est dit qu'après de longues guerres, Ibères et Celtes s'accordèrent mutuellement le droit de fonder des établissements sur chacun de leurs territoires respectifs que divisait la ligne des Pyrénées. Le poëte Silius Italicus dit aussi : Pyrene celsa nimbosi verticis arce, divisos Celtis longè prospectat Iberos.' L'autorité de Polybe établit le même fait.

'

"(Polybe)... Il ajoute même expressément: que les deux villes d'Illiberis et Ruscino étaient habitées par les Gaulois.'

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"Pline dit textuellement: Narbonensis provincia . . agrorum cultu... opum. . . nulli postferenda, breviterque Italia verius quam provincia.' Puisque la Gaule narbonnaise était l'égale de l'Italie en richesse et en culture, c'est probablement qu'elle l'était aussi en population."

It may be observed with reference to the influence of the Latin language, that more than two-thirds of the words contained in the Spanish, Portuguese, the Romance languages, and the French, are of Latin origin, and that the Celtic dialects contain thousands of words derived directly or indirectly from the same source. No doubt, generally speaking, the Romans merely Latinised local names as they found them, but Europe, notwithstanding, contains thousands of names of purely Latin origin. Instance Autun (before-mentioned), Faye, Le Faou, and Faouët, in France, from fagus, a beech-tree; Badajoz, Zaragoza, and Trujillo, in Spain, respectively from Pax Augusta, Cesarea Augusta, and Turris Julia; and such names as Aix, of which there are seven in France, Sardinia, and Germany; and even Dax itself, all derived from aquis. On the antiquity of the Langue Romane, we are informed, teste Strabo, that the Iberians made use of two words still found in the Catalan: "They called buckers pels, and rabbits liberides; and with them the rabbit was only a little hare, now llebrete, derived from llebre." No doubt; they

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