not having a real syllabic value, i. e. in not being capable of indicating the sound of the word which they represent without an exclusive reference to the one object denoted by this word. As to those hieroglyphics which we may really call syllabico-phonetic, they exist in Egyptian in considerable numbers. In Lepsius's scheme they amount to about 60, and with the assistance of Mr. Birch, we have been enabled to make a large increase to their number. We shall give in our list all the signs of which we think the reading is proved. In these remarks the historical order of the hieroglyphic signs has been established. We think, in the first place, that we have proved, from the nature of the language, and the conditions of the character, the later origin of the phonetic signs in general, as compared with that of the pictorial signs; and, secondly, that we have discovered the steps by which the pictorial, as well as phonetic hieroglyphics, were gradually formed. As regards the pictorial signs, we may distinguish from those which represent the object itself— and which we may on that account call symbolic-such as serve to determine the genus or species either of the symbolic or of the phonetic groups which precede them. These we shall term determinative pictorial hieroglyphics, and we believe them not to have been pronounced. As for the symbolic pictorial hieroglyphics, they may be classed as representing a direct or indirect meaning. The phonetic signs which form the second great class, are subdivided into syllabic and alphabetic, of which we have stated the former to be the older. In favour of the gradual development of the alphabetic signs out of the syllabic, we had, in consequence of researches already made, an argument in the fact, that in the time of the Ptolemies and Romans, many signs were used as pure phonetics, consequently alphabetically, which occur at an earlier period not phonetically at all, or at least merely syllabico-phonetically. Champollion had already remarked a similar tendency to the phonetismus of pictorial characters in the monuments of the 20th Dynasty; and Lepsius 240 had called attention to the mode of writing the name of a foreign general on the monuments of the great Empire. The individual sounds of this name are indicated by hieroglyphics, which otherwise only occur as pictorial signs. But convinced of the truth of our assumption, we determined to consult the monuments of the Old Empire, from the 4th to the 12th Dynasty, to see whether they do not thus early offer instances of gradual advancement in the phonetic element. Mr. Birch kindly undertook to examine all those in the British Museum in order to ascertain this, and the conjecture has been fully confirmed. Many of the thirty-four signs, to which Lepsius reduced the Old Egyptian alphabet, have on those monuments merely a syllabic and not an alphabetic value. The third great division of the hieroglyphics, lastly, consists of those which comprehend images, like the branch of a tree and the guitar, and which may be called phonetico-pictorial, as exhibiting a tendency to pass from the stage of mere pictorial value, to that of an initial letter. If we add together all the signs that belong to these three classes, we get about 700 hieroglyphics. Before the publication of Champollion's dictionary they had not been counted since the time of Zoega, who rated them at about 960. Champollion estimated them at 800. No general list, moreover, had been made of the deciphered hieroglyphics until that work appeared: for Champollion in his grammar, as well as Wilkinson and Lepsius, had only given a list of the alphabetical signs. The synopsis of the hieroglyphics, with which the 240 Lettre à Rosellini, p. 34. dictionary ends, contains 750 signs, while the work itself gives 567. In the latter, all the representations of the same object (man, for example) are comprised under one number; in the synopsis, on the other hand, compound signs (groups) are introduced with them. Neither of the two methods seems to us correct. A simple sign is the only one which can properly be reckoned as a distinct symbol, except where the amalgamation of the two produces a new and simple idea (for instance, the combination of heaven and a star which represents night). Again, no sign which represents the same object, and expresses precisely the same idea as the preceding one, ought to be reckoned separately. We are justified, on the other hand, in making two distinct representations of a god in a sitting and a standing posture, for they may have two different significations. The hawk for instance, when placed on the symbol of gold (Gold-Hawk), must be reckoned separately, because he never appears in this particular title of the Kings represented in any other manner. The phonetic signs, of course, must be introduced and reckoned separately; for, although the hieroglyphic may be the same, the meaning is different. Even those of the pictorial signs which are at the same time phonetico-pictorial must be counted twice. If then we count only the ancient hieroglyphics upon this principle, we shall hardly find more than 700 signs. But if we add to them those which were used in later times, and especially under the Romans, as phonetics— of which there are above 90-we may venture to call the whole number together about 800241. This then is the first attempt that has been made at a brief and systematic arrangement of the whole of the hieroglyphics hitherto deciphered, that is to say, of about eight ninths of all the simple hieroglyphical signs. 241 [Since the publication of additional monuments by Lepsius and Brugsch, the number may be estimated at circa 1000.-S. B.] While we trust that it may be the means of facilitating the learning of the Egyptian characters, its main object has been to represent as clearly as possible the strata in that marvellous masterpiece of the olden time of Egypt, which forms not less than language, and in a strictly national sense even more than it, a great fact in primeval history. The tables, by subdividing the first class into two parts, exhibit the following quadruple classification: A. Signs of Objects, whether simply objective (figurative), or conventional (symbolic). This class we will venture to call Objective Signs. Their individual arrangement is in the main that adopted by Champollion, in 1821, corresponding with the principal divisions of the natural world: 1. Celestial, or cosmic, objects. 2. Human figures. 3. Animal forms. 4. Plants. 5. Stones, metals, &c. 7. Unknown objects. In order not to encumber our pages unnecessarily we have not marked these divisions, which are almost selfevident, upon the tables, so that the numbers run on uninterruptedly through the whole series of objective signs. They amount, exclusive of the different phases of the same sign, which are given as exceptions, to about 400. B. Determinative Hieroglyphics. Under this name we comprehend not only those images which indicate the genus or species of the preceding sign, but also those which exhibit the so-called grammatical determination of the preceding word: for instance, its gender and number, if a noun-if a verb, its voice. Thanks to the deep research and kindness of Mr. Birch, we are enabled to give about 120 of these signs. C. Phonetic Signs. The syllabic signs were intended to come first here according to their historical order. But as they occur on the monuments as frequently with as without their alphabetical complements, and since, therefore, a knowledge of these alphabetical hieroglyphics is requisite in order fully to understand them, we have given the precedence to the pure alphabet. We mean, of course, that of the old character before the time of the Romans. Their number amounts, in consequence of the augmentation which they likewise received from Mr. Birch's labours, to above 70. The number of the pure phonetic or alphabetic signs is nearly that which Lepsius makes it, 36. In this alphabet, those hieroglyphics which are marked with a dagger (†) are such as continued to be syllabic signs down to the 12th Dynasty, whereas they are used on the numerous monuments of the 18th and 19th Dynasties strictly phonetically, i. e. alphabetically. There are a few which we do not meet with as phonetic signs on the monuments of the first twelve dynasties in this country, or in other published collections, these we have marked with an asterisk (*). It may be mere accident that they do not occur on any of these monuments, and we simply wish to notice the fact that we have not found them on those of the Old Empire. D. This division comprises certain hieroglyphical groups, consisting of an objective sign, followed by one or two (very seldom three) phonetic hieroglyphics, which represent the sound of the corresponding word, generally its last letter. Thus the objective sign appears to express the first element of the word, although in reality, as Lepsius was the first to show, it represents the object itself, and may be used objectively without any phonetic complements, and may also be preceded by the first element of the word. Thus the lute, which by itself is pronounced nefru, good, is |