Grammar of the Wyandot (Huron) language, in Latin, with many examples in Wyandot, and equivalent meanings usually given in French. The manuscript appears to be in the hand of Pierre-Philippe Potier. The last major section of the manuscript (p. 103-172) is headed Quadam substantiva (p. 103). The manuscript appears to come to an end at the bottom of p. 171 with the Latin: finis; the following page contains only one line: Quadam substantiva qua supra non reperiuntur (p. 172). However, the volume has a table of contents (Index rerum; p. i-ii) that details more contents than the manuscript actually contains; following the entry for Quadam substantiva is the heading Miscellanea, followed by many additional headings, associated with page numbers beyond the number of pages actually contained in the manuscript. Some of these additional headings refer in French to animals, plants, furniture, and clothing; the last headings are: Nomina huronum; Nationes barbarae et bene morata; Urbes et arces; Variorum nomina; and Revieres et pointes (p. ii). The last page number listed in the table of contents is 212. In comparison to another manuscript of Potier with the same title, held in the Jesuit Archives of Canada (published in facsimile in: Fifteenth report of the Bureau of Archives of the Province of Ontario,Toronto: Clarkson W. James, 1920, p. 1-158), the present manuscript contains grammatical material that seems, on the whole, to be similar but not identical, and/or is given in a different arrangement. The present manuscript consists solely of a grammar, with no additional types of materials. A note tipped in at the back of the manuscript (p. 174) highlights a comparison of this work with Pierre Chaumonot's Grammar of the Huron language, in Transactions of the Literary and Historical Society of Québec, v. 2, 1831. Leaves throughout the manuscript have water damage around the margins that generally does not affect the legibility of the text except in the table of contents (p. i). A letter in French from Philéas Gagnon to Daniel Garrison Brinton, dated Québec, 29 December 1887, which was originally tipped onto the inside back cover, alludes to Gagnon's sale of the manuscript to Brinton. Gagnon notes that although the manuscript does not contain the name of the author, he feels certain, based on the handwriting, that it is the work of Potier, whose handwriting he knew from having examined another manuscript by Potier. The letter has been removed and is stored in a separate folder shelved with the manuscript.
Language:
Text in Latin, with examples in Wyandot, and equivalent meanings in French.
Provenance:
Sold by Philéas Gagnon (Québec), 1887.; From the collection of Daniel Garrison Brinton (letter addressed to Brinton, dated 1887, from P. Gagnon, seller; tipped in, inside back cover).
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