that we remember to have seen of Chinese poetry. 'This poem,' continues Mr. Mathieu, ' verses of which are inscribed as well Mr. Mathieu tells us that he chanced on fans as on paper-hangings, is entireupon this poem of the Seasons, or ly composed of simple expressions, rather of the Months,' on a suit of ta- and written in key or radical characters pestry, and takes occasion, very justly, of what we term the Chinese alphabet; as well as opportunely, to compliment which is an evidence that it was prothe Chinese on their taste in displaying duced at a remote period, when Chiin the hangings of their rooms something nese writing was restricted to its prifor the mind as well as the eye to re- mitive signs, the roots of its present pose on. We hope the hint will not characters, and consequently before the be lost. If the Chinese are too proud invention of these complicated characto learn of us, let us not be ashamed to ters.' be instructed by them. From this source It is a long time,' he adds, 'since the translator obtained the entire Poem we have had an opportunity to obtain on the Spring. Mr. Mathieu informs us, also, in regard to a point on which any production of this singular and interesting people. It is a kind of disevery reader will be ready to put an covery, to have found out a means of interrogatory.—that the poem appears reading the inscriptions on their fans to be written in blank verse, except the and tapestry, the characters of which introduction, in which the lines rhyme at first blush, appear to have so little by their initial syllables. This is, relation with those we know. They however, a singularity even in the Chinese language, most of their verses the more curious, that they seem inopen, however, a field of observation; Thyming by their closes. In regard to tended to bring under the eye of the metre, the lines are irregularly of three, spectator the more esteemed extracts four, five, six, or nine feet. If we may of the poetry of the country, sometimes believe the translator, notwithstanding without reference to the designs of the the want of statedly recurring sounds paintings, but always with the laudable and of modulated cadence, poetic inspi- view of promoting instruction and moration is easily discernible in the imrality.' petuosity of the style. He thus expresses his veneration for this fragment of antiquity. Such is the account the translator gives us of the original of the poem which he has entitled Le Printemps. On retrouve dans ce poëme le laconisme impétueux, ce beau désordre, que l'on We have been the more sedulous in pourrait appeler pindarique, qui caracté. gleaning these particulars relative to it rise les poésies antiques, et dont les poë- since it is exceedingly difficult to dismes orphiques nous donneraient le pre- cover any traces of its former self in the mier type, si la poésie chinoise, dans une dress which he has given it. Unwilling langue que plusieurs indications me feraient volontiers croire la langue primitive et his loyalty, Mr. Mathieu bas plentifully to lose any opportunity of discovering peut-être plus antique encore, dans ce pre- interlarded his performance with the mier chant du poëme chinois des saisons. most fulsome and impertinent flattery of the House of Bourbon, whilst, with "We find in this poem that energetic laconism, that charming wildness, which may be an equally deplorable want of taste, he termed Pindaric, which indicates antiquity, and of has tricked out his primitive, antediluwhich the poems of Orpheus might be regarded vian, radical, straight-mark'd, Chinese as the prototype, did not Chinese poesy, in a language which I have been led by many con- bard, in all the common-place of a siderations to look upon as the primitive and an- mincing, set-phrased, palavering, Pari antédiluvienne, ne nous en fournissait un, tediluvian tongue, furnish us, in this very produc- sian petit-maitre. The poem appears to us, from what we can gather in regard to it, to have nois avoir aussi des comparaisons dans been designed as a georgic. The fol- leur poésies. lowing is given by Mr. Mathieu as the "Argument." Cette remarque prove évidemment que cette figure est inspirée par la nature elle-mème. his "Exposition of the Subject. The Again, on introducing an episode of traces of winter still subsist; it is ne- own, yet of considerable interest cessary to break up the ice to aid the we confess, describing the renversement emancipation of nature. The ice is cut of a fisherman's cabin by an inundation, in pieces with sharp instruments. New he tells us, indeed, that the passage is frosts intervene to baffle hope. Let not in his author, and adds, in his own ardour be redoubled to counteract these justification, last efforts of winter. The time has Il ne m'a pas paru dans tous les vers now come to construct new habitations, Chinois, que j'ai vus jusqu'ici, que le goût Chinois adoptât l'épisode; mais si celui and to till the ground, that the seeds n'est pas de ce pays. j'ai cru qu'il etait may germinate. The heat of the sun dans la nature du poëme, et qu'en vers increases, and reanimates industry and Français, il devait s'y trouver. nature. Now gardens are formed and How far this may be satisfactory to embellished. The melting of the snows others we know not,-for ourselves we on the mountains occasions floods which had far rather see a Chinese poem, in alarm the busbandmen. The waters at all its nudity, than bedizened "en vers last subside. The caravans assemble. Français." At any rate, we do not The soldiers are mustered-may they think Mr. Mathieu's poetic merit extehave no wars to wage. Commerce re- nuates the audacity of his innovations. vives, the vessels sail on their voyages. We shall limit ourselves in quoting from The children, who had been benumbed his version to a mere specimen, as we by the cold weather,resume their studies, do not wish to multiply French extracts, and return to the charge of the old men. and because we are still less inclined The middle-aged men undertake the to turn poetic strains into humble execution of those projects which they prose. In fact, if filtered through anbad matured in the winter. New families other translation, probably as little extend themselves. The youths en- would remain of the sentiment as of gage in exercises suitable to their years. the language of the original. The folThose who study mathematics apply lowing debut of the poem may possibly the principles they acquire to geogra- convey some idea of the brusquerie and phy and astronomy. Finally, those abruptness of the Chinese; and is a who learn to write, apply geometry to favourable instance of the faithfulness the regular construction of their letters." and even of the manner of Mr. MaSuch is the plan of this poem, as far thieu. as we can disengage it from the episodes and allusions' with which the translator has so injudiciously encumbered it. We are indebted, however, to his candour and simplicity, for two further facts in regard to the style of the original. The dissolving of snow by the sun is likened by the poet to the fusion of metals by fire. Mr. Mathieu takes care, and it is not amiss, to let us know that this simile is found in the text. He further observes, with great naïveté, Il est vraiment curieux de voir les Chi Mortels, ranimez vous, le soleil va renaître ; teaux propices, Pour vos nombreux enfans, il faut des toits Du temps et des saisons les immuables Que le hardi triangle aille, en sa marche sûre, De la terre et des mers vous donner la figure. Qu'il forme des remparts, qu'il élève des tours, Des palais de vos rois, qu'il trace les contours; Et qu'au joug suspendu le soc fendant les plaines, Prépare l'abondance et le prix de vos peines. était venu là faire un traité d'alliance et de commerce avec les Américains Cet In, de la Chine, est le chef de la hutième des cent premières familles chinoises au temps d'Yao, l'an 2296, 48 ans aprés le déluge d'Ogygés, auquel on peut rapporter la submersion de l'Atlantide. Il a pu en sortir quelque temps avant la submersion, et se trouver encore quarante-huit ans aprés, au So much for the poem. There are, temps d'Yao, selon le Pě-Kia-Sing, livre qui however, some fanciful speculations, on contient tous les noms des cent familles a point concerning our own country, chinoises, au temps de cet empereur, et contained in a note, that have a bold- qui conserve toujours ce même nom : quoiness which commends them to cousi- que le nombre des noms propres qu'il conderation, and are supported by a cor- tient, soit augmenté jusqu'a 438. Ces carespondent confidence of assertion. If ractères numeriques sont employés, à la Chine, dans les livres les plus anciens, et they fail to convince, they will serve jamais les Chinois n'ont voulu se prêter à to amuse. In his prefatory remarks, speaking of the primitive characters in which these verses are written, Mr. Mathieu says les changer. J'ai, en ce moment, à ma disposition un manuscrit chinois qui en fait la preuve, concurremment avec le dictionnaire chinois de M. de Guignes, qui est le titre le plus moderne. Ce manuscrit A l'aspect de ces caractères, au style de est un traité de mathématiques appliquées. ces vers, on serait tenté de croire cette Il paraît être fait par quelque missionnaire poésie tirée de ces livres antiques et sa- pour introduire à la Chine les mathémacrés, écrits avec les fragmens de la ligne tiques européennes. droite, entiere et brisée, qui ne sont sûre- culs, et sur-tout une espèce de table de loment pas de l'arithmétique binaire, comme garithmes, où l'on voit figurer le O, parmi l'a cru si bizarrement Leibnitz; puisque les autres signes de numeration chinois, les caractères numériques chinois sont les qui sont aussi atlantiques. caractères romains dont l'origine est atlantique. On this he introduces the following note, which will be read with some avidity by our antiquarians. Il contient des cal Il semble que l'auteur ait eu l'intention d'inspirer aux Chinois l'envie de se servir de ce O, pour faciliter la formation des nombres, en l'employant concurremment avec leurs signes ordinaires, à la manière des chiffres arabes. Le dictionnaire chinois, au contraire, ne Cette idée de Leibnitz de voir son eal- fait aucune mention du zéro dans la table cul binaire dans les anciennes écritures qu'il donne des signes numériques chinois. chinoises, ne peut être que la rêverie d'un Îl indique toujours cette numération à la inventeur de calcul qui veut trouver son maniere romaine, ce qui prouve que les système par-tout. Le système de numé- Chinois, toujours fidèles à leur ancien usage ration chinois, les signes de cette numéra- n'ont pas voulu adopter seulement ce zéro ; tion sont les mêmes que ceux de l'hiéro- par conséquent s'ils avaient eu originaireglyphe atlantique de Dighton, près Boston, ment une autre numération, ils l'auraient en Amerique, lequel paraît être de l'an du plutôt conservée que de la changer contre monde 1902, selon la traduction que j'ai une nouvelle aussi peu commode que la trouvé le moyen d'en faire, d'après l'art de romaine, pouvant choisir l'arabe de préfé On ne dira pas qu'ils tiennent la lire les hiéroglyphes, que j'ai découvert. rence. Cette numération atlantique est la même leur des Romains. Ce peuple n'a jamais que celle des Romains, qui la tenaient des été à la Chine; et les livres chinois de Pélasges, peuples sortis originairement de Confucius, où se trouvent employés les l'Atlantide, où, selon Platon, qui donne le chiffres romains, ou plutôt atlantiques, sont nom de Pélagos à la partie de l'Ocean si- trop anciens, pour pouvoir supposer que tuée entre cettee ile et l'Amérique, ils de- la numération dont ils se servent, y a été vaient par consequent habiter la côte occidentale. Elle paraît avoir été portée à la Chine par cet In, fils d'In-dios, roi de l'Atlantide, nommé dans l'hieroglyphe d'Amérique, pour le chef de l'expédition, qui maines dont il s'est servi, ne peuvent dene portée depuis la découverte de la Chine, même par saint Thomas. Confucius existait 550 ans avant notre ére, ou au moins, Ces chiffres roselon d'autres, 483 ans. y avoir été portés que par un peuple anté- which had arrived there for the purrieur; or, aucun people n'est rapporté par pose of concluding a treaty of 'coml'histoire, y avoir été avant notre ére. Sans la traduction de l'hieroglyphe atlantique This In became the founder of a dismerce and amity' with the Americans. de Dighton, en Amér que, ce fait serait inexplicable. L'identité de numération de tinguished family in China, and was cet hieroglyphe et de celle de la Chine, living in the time of Yao, in the year l'identité de nom, d'In, Chinois, et de l'In, 2296, being 48 years after the utter atlantique de l'héroglyphe, dans le même submersion of the island of Atlantis in temps, prouvent bien, au contraire, que ces deux monumens viennent du méme peuple; the Ogygian deluge. This island of que ces deux In sont de la meme famille, Atlantis was, in its day, what Great comme je le prouverai d'ailleurs par nom- Britain is in ours; carried on a brisk bres d'autres faits que j'ai rassembles dans trade with the four quarters of the globe, un ouvrage que je publierai bientôt. L'on and established colonies and factories verra qu'à l'époque de l'hieroglyphe atlanto facilitate exchanges. Unfortunately tique d'Amérique, en l'an 1902 du monde, où l'île Atlantide pouvait exister comme this great emporium of the arts and 'hieroglyphe le prouve; Les Atlantes, au sciences was swallowed up about 1800 milieu de l'Océan, comme aujourd'hui les years before the Christian era!! Such Anglais, comme eux, fréquentaient alors is the amount of this wonderful story les quatre parties du monde, y faisaient of the events in which Mr. Mathieu des établissemens. Ils y portaient leur langue et leur numération, qui s'y sont speaks as familiarly as of the oecurconservées jusqu'aux découvertes moder- rences of yesterday. We may safely nes, aprés l'interruption de communication recommend it to the reader to believe avec ces contrées, qu'occasionna, pendant as much of it as he can. si long-temps, la submersion de cette île fameuse. Voilà comme les scènes du monde se sont succedées dans des âges differens, et que les hommes, dont la vie est éphémère, ont toujours cru que celle qui se passait sous leurs yeux, ou à la portee ne leur mémoire, était la premiére. Ce sont les moucherons d'un jour, qui bourdonnent et voltigent sous l'ombre du cedre antique, en disputant sur la durée de cet arbre éternel, et le soir ils ne sont déja plus. As the inscription on the rock at Dighton, seems to be the pivot on which this ingenious theory hinges, it may be. well to append such authentic information as we have, in regard to it. This information is furnished in a paper communicated by the Honourable James Winthrop, of Cambridge, to the A. A. S. from which we have made the follow ing extract: Account of an Inscribed Rock, at Dighton in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts communicated to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Nov. 10, 1788. By James Winthrop, Esq. "In Taunton river, about six miles be For the benefit of those who may need an interpretation, we will give the substance of the above in a few words. Mr. Mathieu, in controverting an opinion of Leibnitz, states, that the Chinese system of numeration and the signs einployed in it, are the same as those found in the Atlantic hieroglyphical inscription at Dighton in Massachusetts, which appears to have been written in the year of the world 1902! This sys tem of numeration is similar to that of the Romans, who derived it from the Pelasgi, a people originally from the island of Atlantis ! The same system was communicated to the Chinese by that very In, son of Indios, king of Atwide. The other sides are shorter, and Jant's, who is named in the inscription drawn to a point towards the hore and of Dighton, as chief of the expedition, are rough, as if large pieces had been bro- VOL. I. NO. IV, low the town of Taunton, and within the limits of Dighton, is a rock containing an hieroglyphical inscription, which has long engaged the attention of the curious. The rock is on the eastern side of the river, upon the beach, and the inscribed side the water retires from the foot of it, but fronts northwesterly. At the lowest tides at high water it is commonly covered. The longest side contains the inscription, looking towards the channel of the river, and is the natural face of the rock, not. This side is ten feet smoothed by art. six inches long, and four feet two inches 2. L ken off. The rock is of the dull reddish co- the rock, tracing the character, and paintlour, common to the stones in that neigh- ing it black, beginning to work when the bourhood. Tradition says, that in the last water had fallen so as not to be above our century it stood as much as four rods from knees, and finished the operation when the the river, but the inhabitants by digging water was about as deep upon the flood. round it, upon the foolish expectation of The next day the same company went to finding money, gave a passage to the tide. the rock, provided with a large sheet of It is agreed on all hands, that the inscription is hieroglyphical; but for want of an exact copy of it, no satisfactory explanation has been given. A very imperfect copy was published, early in this century, in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, and about twenty years ago a much more accurate one was taken by Professor Sewall, which is deposited in the Museum of the University in Cambridge." In the course of August, 1788, Mr. Winthrop took a copy of it. He was as sisted by the Rev. Mr. West and Col. Edward Pope,both of New-Bedford, and the Rev. Mr. Smith and Judge Baylies, of Dighton. The method of taking the transcript is very particularly described, and as it proves the perfection of the copy, may be of service on similar occasions. We will give it in Mr. Winthrop's own words. "We spent one day in cleaning the face of paper of the whole size of the inscription, and after retracing the character with paint, to cure any viscidity which the first paint might have contracted from the extreme heat of the weather, we applied the paper to the face of the rock. two of us managing the ends of the sheet, and the others, with towels, which we dipt into the river, pressing the paper upon the rock. As soon as the paper was dry enough to be removed, we laid it upon the shore, and completed the character with ink. Afterwards I brought it home, and hanging it up to the light, traced the inscription with ink upon the other side of the paper, it ha ving been reversed by the manner of copying it from the rock. "The inscription comes within eight inches of the bottom of the rock, and runs off at the top and ends, which makes it highly probable that it has suffered considerably since it was first wrought. The character is generally about half an inch wide, and very shallow, appearing as if it were made by some pointed instrument." E ART. 4. Essays on Hypochondriacal and other Nervous Affections. By John Reid, M. D. Member of the Royal College of Physicians, London, and late Physician of the Finsbury Dispensary. 8vo. 209 pp. M. CAREY & Son. Philadelphia. SOCIETY can furnish few characters plore the secret springs of action. more worthy of love and veneration, Pharmacy,' says Doctor Reid, is but than that of an accomplished physician. a small part of physic; medical cannot If he be adequately endowed and tho- be separated from moral science withToughly furnished for his good work,' out reciprocal and essential mutilation.' he becomes not only the soother of pain In conformity with this opinion is that and the healer of disease, but one of the of our illustrious countryman, Doctor most efficient auxiliars of morality and Rush. that if physicians would become public order. In order that he may better metaphysicians, and metaphysibecome so accomplished, however, he cians better physicians, it would essenmust not confine his attention to the tially facilitate the inquiries, and throw study merely of inorganic and irra- light on the pursuits of both Nor tional nature, and the laws of the ani- would physicians and metaphysicians mal economy; he should, also, as the only, find advantage in uniting the stumeans of his most extensive usefulness dies of natural and moral science. The and the crown of his glory, analyze the ministers of religion and the instructors human heart-ascertain the constituent of youth-all, whose care it is to preprinciples of the moral agent-and ex- pare members for society and citizens 1 |