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192 ANNUAL REGISTER

quités du Monde: the antient world,
analysed and compared with the modern; or an enquiry into the
antiquities of the first ages; under 
the following heads. 
I. Of the origin of language and 
writing; of universal grammar; 
an alphabet and dictionary of the 
primitive language; and the relation of these with the alphabets, 
grammar, and languages of the present time.
II. The symbolical genius of antiquity 
demonstrated in the hieroglyphical
writing, allegorical language, mythological tables, and 
symbols, that have been in use among all nations; with the 
heraldry, heroic poetry, cosmogony, 
and theogony of all nations. 
III. Of the primitive religion; 
with a general key to the theology
of all ancient nations.  
IV. Of the history, traditions,
and customs of the primitive world, 
and how far the knowledge of them 
has been transmitted to us. 
V. Of its laws and customs, 
relative to agriculture, the sources of 
the grandeur and power of ancient empires. 
VI. Of its calendar and feasts, 
and the objects to which they 
related. 
VII. Of its principal monuments, 
with an explanation of them. 
An account of the books, which 
the author has read upon these subjects, 
and of these which he has 
not been able to procure. 
The author is aware, that the 
nature of his work, including discoveries, 
which, in general, will 
be thought impossible, 
must expose it to censure, as illusive and visionary, 
like the figures that are sometimes seen in clouds, which depend 

upon the fancy of the beholder, 
rarely appearing the same to any 
two persons, and always vanishing as 
they are approached. 'How,' says 
he, 'can things be traced to their 
first source, since, in proportion as 
science and art become perfect, their 
origin becomes obscure; as the 
light of a taper totally disappears 
in that of the sun?'
This objection he removes, by 
observing, that, if some common 
principles can be ascertained, 
all things may be traced into their 
source without much assistance from 
history: and that, if the learned 
have failed in the attempt, it is 
because they have taken the tree 
by its branches, and not by its 
trunk: they have been bewildered 
by their multiplicity and convolutions,
and, not having been able 
to comprehend them all, have never 
discovered where they unite in 
a common stock. 'I,' says he, 
'have endeavoured to trace the 
branches from the trunk, and not
the trunk from the branches. As 
man was placed upon this earth to 
enjoy and cultivate it, all his knowledge 
must originally be produced 
by imitation: to trace all his inventions, 
therefore, to their source, 
it is necessary to consider the objects 
with which the first men were 
surrounded, the sensations which 
struck them, the ideas which were 
necessarily excited, the organs with 
which they were furnished to communicate 
their thoughts, the signs 
and expressions which would naturally 
result, the manner in which 
abstracted and metaphysical ideas 
were derived from an acquaintance 
with natural or physical objects, 
from the mutual wants and relations 
which united families, and from

For the YEAR 1772. 193

the natural progress of the 
human mind towards perfection." 
The work will be divided into 
two parts; one relative to words, 
and the other to things. 
The first part, among many other 
curious particulars, contains a dictionary 
of the Hebrew language, 
traced into its true radicals, and 
both into the primitive and modern 
languages, by which many difficulties 
in its construction will be removed. 
A dictionary of the Latin language, 
traced into its true radicals, 
with the reason of each; so that 
the reader may, in a very short 
time, not only acquire the knowledge 
of all the words in that language, 
but assign the reason of each. 
An etymological dictionary of 
the French language. 
A comparative dictionary of the 
Celtic, the Teutonic, the Northern, 
the Greek, the Persian, and the 
Indian languages, shewing their relation 
to each other, and to the 
primitive language. 
An account of the origin of the 
Chinese language and writing, and 
their relation to the primitive language and alphabet. 
An enquiry concerning the languages 
of Africa and America, and 
a demonstration that they are derived 
from the primitive language. 
The second part contains the 
geography of the primitive world, 
its history, traditions, dogmas, 
laws, &c. 
The work will be illustrated with 
a great number of curious copperplates; 
and the first volume, intitled, 
"Principes fur l'origine des 
langues, et leur rapports," will be 
delivered to subscribers next Michaelmas. 
Each volume will contain 
about 5oo pages in quarto, and 
every volume will make a compleat 

VOL. XV.
 
work of itself. The subscription 
for the first volume is twelve livres, 
half to be paid at the time of subscribing, 
and half on the delivery
of the book. 
Subscriptions are taken in by 
Mr. Elmsly, bookseller, over against 
Southampton-street, in the Strand. 
This ingenious author, upon receiving, 
from Mr. Bonet, a vocabulary 
of words of the language 
spoken by the inhabitants of the 
South-Sea islands, assigned the 
meaning of several of them, by an 
application of his general principles; 
which is a demonstration that 
his system is not a chimera, but 
founded in truth, and capable of 
being reduced into practice. 

State of Smithfield Market for forty Years. 

SIR, 
IN September laft I communicated 
my sentiments to the publick 
on the dearness of provisions, 
and endeavoured to prove that a real 
scarcity, arising from the unnecessary 
breed of horses, was the principal 
cause of so heavy a misfortune. 
To support the truth of my assertion 
beyond the possibility of question, 
I shall now take a comparitive 
view for forty years back of all 
the black cattle and sheep brought 
to Smithfield-market; from which 
the reader will fee at one glance, 
that, however the buildings in the 
metropolis, and the inhabitants, 
have increased, no material increase 
has taken place in the consumption 
Of butcher's meat. 
In justice to a gentleman equally 
known to the world for his integrity 
and his benevolence, I must acknowledge
that the following table 
it not my own ; but I have a pride 
in 

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