In my Atlantic Journal of 1832 will be found a kind of classification of the ancient nations of both Americas, divided into 25 groups, 14 in North, 11 in South America. But this first attempt, cannot be perfect: it requires a close study of all the American languages, before we can ascertain correctly all their mutual affinities, and reduce each to the real parent group. Meantime this attempt, and the further correction of it in this work, will become very useful historical bases. I give therefore the list of the 25 groups, with a well known nation and language as the type, to which others may be gradually reduced.
In North America 1. _Uski_ or _Innuit_, type the Esquimaux.
2. _Ongwi_, type the Hurons and Iroquois.
3. _Linni_, type the Lanapi or Delawares.
4. _Wacash_, type the Chopunish, and Nutkas.
6. _Nachez_, type the Cados and Chetimachas.
7. _Capaha_, types the Washas or Ozages, and Dacotas or Sioux.
8. _Chactah_, types the Chactahs and Chicasas.
13. _Maya_, types the Mayas and Huaztecas.
14. _Chontal_, type the Tzendals and Chols.
In South America 15. _Aruac_, types the Haytians, Aruacs, Taos, &c.
16. _Calina_, types the Caribs and Tamanacs.
18. _Yarura_, types the Guaraos and Betoys.
22. _Guarani_, type the Tupis and Omaguas.
23. _Mara_, type the Quichuas and Aymaras.
24. _Lulé_, types the Vilelas and Mbayas.
Notwithstanding the condensed form of these outlines, the ample materials to be brought together, will extend them perhaps beyond the desirable limits. In order to lessen this difficulty and yet omit nothing that is new or important, the work will be divided into three series.
1st. The annals of South America, where many generalities will be introduced, that need not be repeated in the 2d series, on the annals of North America.
3d. Illustrations of these outlines, where will be thrown and collected all the collateral proofs, documents, vocabularies of languages, manuscript facts and events, essential quotations, and results of all the investigations.
The Peruvian and Austral regions of South America will first be introduced, because of paramount importance. By the Peruvian region is meant the whole western part of South America from the equator to the southern tropic, and by Austral America, the whole of it from that tropic to the Magellanic Islands. The gulf of Rio Plata and the river Paraguay, appear to divide these regions from Brazil, both physically and historically. Austral America includes the countries and nations of Chili, Tucuman, Chaco, Buenos Ayres, Patagonia and Magellania; but it shall often be needful to mention their neighbors, with whom they are more or less related, and even distant nations that are not always strangers to them.