203 A SYNOPSIS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES. [iNTROD. unaware of its ultimate and extensive consequences, and of the character it would impress on the whole language. It may be doubted, whether the utmost sagacity of men could have anti- cipated those effects, and whether a more perfect language could, even at this day, be formed by the most learned philolo- gists, than any that has been produced by what may be called natural causes. If, from all the facts which we can collect, it appears that inflections and compounded words have been, amongst the natural and common means, resorted to .in the most ancient times by other nations, for an intelligible and full communication of their ideas ; if it is also natural to suppose, that, where not regulated by writing and eminent writers, the application of the principle may have become superabundant and excessive ; there is not, it seems, sufficient reason for inferring from the peculiar character of the languages of the Indians, that they had their origin in a state of society, differing from that which was found to exist in North America, when discovered by the Europeans.
