[427] The Gulistan is found in the Cardinal’s catalogue, p. 109.
[428] p. 26. Oddly enough they are classed among the Bohemian books.
[429] Friesche Rymlerije. It is mentioned by Adelung, II. p. 237.
[430] Vol. xvi., p. 229-30.
[431] See a very curious chapter in Tiraboschi, vol. vii., p. 139-201; which Disraeli has, as usual, turned freely to his own account in the Curiosities of Literature, p. 348-54.
[432] This is the origin of the nom-de-guerre, La Lasca—(the Roach,) by which the too notorious novelist, Grazzini, chose to designate himself as member of this society.
[433] All’ Em̅o Signor Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, Applausi dei Filopieri, 8vo. Bologna, 1838.
[434] Algebra, with Arithmetic and Mensuration; from the Sanscrit of Brahmegupta and Bhascara. Translated by H. T. Colebroke, London, 1817. The Bija Gannita had already been published by Mr. Strachey in 1813. In referring to these Hindoo treatises on Mathematics, I may add, that an interesting account of the Hindoo Logic, contributed by Professor Max Müller, is appended to Mr. Thompson’s “Outline of the Laws of Thought,” (pp. 369-89,) London, 1853. The analogies of all these treatises with the works of the Western writers on the same sciences, are exceedingly curious and interesting.
[435] Some curious and interesting remarks on the peculiarity of the Indian languages here mentioned by M. Libri, will be found in Du Ponceau’s “Memoire sur le Systeme Grammaticale des Langues Indiennes,” pp. 143, and foll. Some words in the Chippewa language contain thirteen or fourteen syllables; but they should be called phrases rather than words. M. Du Ponceau gives an example from the language of the Indians of Massachusetts—the word wutappesittukquissunnuhwehtunkquoh, “genuflecting!” p. 143. The same characteristic is found in the Mexican and Central American languages. In Mexican “a parish-priest” is “notlazomanitzteopitzkatatzins!”
[436] While M. Libri was writing this letter, he learned that Count Pepoli was in possession of a short autobiographical sketch of Mezzofanti. The count subsequently was good enough to permit me to inspect this fragment; but I was mortified to find that it was not by the Cardinal himself, but by some member of his family. It is very short, and contains no fact which I had not previously known.