Swallowfield.
June 4th 1847.
Dear Sir
It gratifies me to think that while I have been amusing myself, I may have contributed, with my etymological pursuits, to amuse you. Since I sent my paper to you, several points have occurred to me, of which I have made notes; and among them was the name Benjamin, to which you refer. Benjamin was the favourite son of Jacob, the "Son of his right hand"; and in the 17th verse of the 80th Psalm, the expression of "the man of thy right hand" occurs, where I conclude that the word, in the original Hebrew, is Yemen. When my Brother was reading my note upon the word of Yankee, he laughed and told me that I had referred to the Christian name only, when I had in fact explained the the Sir name as well; Yengee Doonia being the evident origin of Yankee Doodle. In the derivation of the Spanish word for a river, I find on examination that the Arabic word s bears two shapes, it is both Rood and Wadee, the latter being the one from which the Spanish Guad is taken, by the same change that we use from Gallia to Wales, Gulielmus to William, and Gualterus to Walter.
I will send you these additional notes when my daughter has copied them; though a young lady’s hand is not quite so agile as an old man’s tongue; and I hope that when you receive them they will not serve, as I am afraid the others did, to tease you when you are not well.
Believe me
Yours very faithfully
H. Russell.