Pickering (J.) —Continued. and then studied law. He returned to Salem in 1801, and, after being admitted to the bar, practiced in Salem until 1827, and then removed to Boston. Mr. Pickering became celebrated by his philological studies, which gained for him the reputation of being the chief founder of American comparative philology. These he began as a young man, when be accompanied his father on visits to the Six Nations of central New York, and as he grew older they increased by his study abroad until, according to Charles Sumner, he was familiar with the English, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, German, Romaic, Greek, and Latin languages; less familiar, but acquainted, with Dutch, Swedish, Danish, and Hebrew, and had explored with various degrees of care Arabic, Turkish. Syriac, Persian, Coptic, Sanscrit, Chinese, Cochin-Chinese. Russian, Egyptian hieroglyphics. Malay in several dialects, and particularly the Indian languages of America and the Polynesian islands.—Appleton's Cyclop. of Am. Biog. Piegan. See Blackfoot; also Satsika. In Massachusetts Hist. Soc. Coll. first series, vol. 6, pp. 16-33, Boston, 1800, 8. In four parallel columns, English, Micmac, Mountaineer, and Skoffie: about 300 words and sentences in each language. The ensuing vocabulary I transcribed viva voce from Gabriel, a young Mountaineer Indian (servant to Louis, a Micmac, in the Bay of St. George, Newfoundland), whom I met with in the Bay of Islands. He spoke both French and English tolerably, and was well acquainted with Skoffie, Micmac, and Mountaineer dialects."-Introductory remarks. "Even the Micmac vocabulary of Gabriel can not be depended upon, and although he was an Indian boy, yet he was not a Micmac native, but a Montaneer, whose dialect differs widely from the Micmac language. I have examined his vocabulary, and compared it with the manuscripts of Father Menard and with the living Micmacs, and I found it very erroneous. Whatsoever may be his worth in the Mountaineer language, his Micmic is certainly not correct."-Fetromile, manuscript Abnaki dic. tionary, preface. Pierson (Abraham). Some | helps for the | Indians | Shewing them | How to improve their natural Rea- | son, To know the True God, and the true Christian Religion. 1. By leading them to see the Divine Authority of the Scriptures. 2. By the Scriptures the Divine | Truths necessary to Eternal Salvation. Undertaken | At the Motion, and published by the Order of the Pierson (A.) - Continued. commissioners of the United Colonies. by Abraham Peirson. | Examined, and approved by Thomas | Stanton Interpreter-General to the United Colonies for the Indian Language, | and by some others of the most able | Interpeters [sic] amogst [sic] us. | Cambridg, Printed by Samuel Green 1658. Title within a border of acorn-shaped ornaments verso blank 1 1. "To the Reader" (signed "A. P.") p. 3, title in Indian with interlinear English translation (being a repetition of the above as far as the word "Salvation") p. 4. text in Indian with interlinear English translation pp. 5-67, verso blank, 2 blank leaves at the end, sm. 8°. Signatures A to D in eights, and E iu four. See the fac-similes of the titlepages and of the first page of the text. Copies seen: Lenox. This copy, with the original title as first issued, is supposed to be unique. It is bound in blue morocco, gilt edges (by F. Bedford), and cost Mr. Lenox 121. 128. A biographical sketch of Mr. Pierson is given at the end of this article. On account of the curious variation in the title-pages of the two varieties of this edition, the following par. ticulars concerning the interpreter named in the above title are inserted here: Thomas Stanton was born in England about the year 1615. In 1635 he sailed from London to Virginia, and from there to New England, where he was one of the first settlers of the town of Hartford, in Connecticut, founded in 1636. In 1637 he was employed as an interpreter of the Indian language, to accompany the English forces in the expeditions against the Pequot Indians. He was also in the service of the Commissioners of the United Colonies as an occasional interpreter as early as 1644, and was often employed by them in treating with the Indians. In 1650 he was regularly "entertained .. to attend the meetinges of the Comissioners as an Interpretor to the Indians: to gather vp the Tribvte; and to doe such other services for the Comissioners with Reference to the Indians as might accrew," for which he was to receive a yearly salary of 301. out of the tribute paid in. When Mr. Eliot was preparing his Indian catechism for the press in 1653, the Commis. sioners recommended "Thomas Stanton to assist in the worke; whoe is the most able Interpretor wee haue in the countrey for that Lang. wige that the worke may bee the more pfectly carried on." In 1656, they "spake with and desired Tho: Stanton to aduise with Mr Pear. son about a fitt Season to meet and Translate" his catechism into the Indian language of Co necticut; and in the following year they gave him a suitable allowance" for having "Improued his skill in healping Mr Person |