John Pickering to Thomas Jefferson, 4 February 1823
From John Pickering
Salem, Massachusetts, Feb. 4. 1823.
Sir,
Knowing the interest you take in the inquiries which are now going on respecting the Indian Languages, I beg leave to offer you a copy of the new edition of Dr Edwards’ Observations on the Mohegan Language, which is just published by our Historical Society, and constitutes a part of the present volume of their “Collections.”
With the hope of stimulating our students of Indian, I have added a few Notes to this edition, and also a Comparative Vocabulary of various dialects. The words are given just as I found them in the various authors; which I mention lest I should be thought answerable for blunders which are none of my own. In all our Indian vocabularies there is a shocking want of accuracy and system, as you well know.
Jno Pickering
RC (ViW: TC-JP); dateline at foot of text; endorsed by TJ as received 20 Feb. 1823 and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure: Jonathan Edwards (1745–1801), Observations on the Language of the Muhhekaneew Indians. A New Edition: With Notes, by John Pickering (Boston, 1823); also printed in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society 10 (1823): 81–98.
The enclosure was originally published in New Haven in 1788 and reprinted in the American Museum 5 (1789): 21–5, 141–4.
Index Entries
- American Museum: or Repository of ancient and modern Fugitive Pieces, &c. prose and poetical; prints observations on American Indian languages search
- Edwards, Jonathan (1745–1801); Observations on the Language of the Muhhekaneew Indians. A New Edition: With Notes, by John Pickering search
- Indians, American; languages search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; works sent to search
- language; Indian (American) search
- Massachusetts Historical Society; Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society search
- Observations on the Language of the Muhhekaneew Indians. A New Edition: With Notes, by John Pickering (J. Edwards, J. Pickering) search
- Pickering, John (1777–1846); and American Indian languages search
- Pickering, John (1777–1846); letter from search
- Pickering, John (1777–1846); Observations on the Language of the Muhhekaneew Indians. A New Edition: With Notes, by John Pickering search