attribute chiefly to the incompleteness of the alphabet.[567] When the letters of Rawlinson’s original alphabet were distributed into the various classes of gutturals, palatals, and so on, and among the subdivisions of surds, aspirates, and sonants, they were found sufficient to suggest the existence of some such law in the cases that have been named. With Holtzmann’s correction of 19 (𐎮) from _t_ to _d_, he had the three _d’s_ required to complete his sonants of the dental class. His own list gave him the three _m’s_ required for the sonants of the nasal class; and he already knew that one was used only before _i_, and the other only before _u_. He knew also that the aspirates of three of the classes were to be found indifferently before any vowel. In the case of the surds, he had found that five of them (_k_ 𐎣, _ch_ 𐎨, _t_ 𐎫, _n_ 𐎴, _r_ 𐎼) are always to be found before either an _a_ or an _i_. He knew also that his second sign for _n_ 𐎵 (43) and his second sign for _r_ 𐎽 were only to be found before _u_; and he observed that the signs he still read (𐎤) _kh_ and (𐎬) _th_ were also only found before _u_. It required, therefore, no great effort to deprive them of their _h_, and to range them with the others as the second signs in the surd grades for _k_ and _t_. Once the existence of this law was inferred, Rawlinson was led to make other modifications in his original alphabet, in order to bring it into strict conformity, and in every instance the alteration has been confirmed. The following Table shows the distribution of the letters into the various classes and grades, and the modifications they underwent. When they fail to comply with the supposed law, the deficiencies are left blank: when they violate it, the offence is marked by ‘!’. RAWLINSON’S ALPHABET, AFTER AUGUST 25, 1846[568] _Gutturals._ Followed by _a_ (𐎠) by _i_ (𐎡) by _u_ (𐎢) _k_ surd 𐎣 𐎣 𐎤 _kh_ aspirate 𐎧 — 𐎧 _g_ sonant 𐎥 ? 𐎦 _Palatals_ _ch_ surd 𐎨 𐎨 — _j_ sonant 𐎩 𐎪 — _Dentals_ _t_ surd 𐎫 𐎫 𐎬 _th_ aspirate 𐎰 𐎰 𐎰 _d_ sonant 𐎭 𐎮 𐎯 _Labials_ _p_ surd 𐎱 𐎱 𐎱! _f_ aspirate 𐎳? ? ? _b_ sonant 𐎲 𐎲! 𐎲! _Nasals_ _n_ surd 𐎴 𐎴 𐎵 _ñ_ aspirate 𐎾 ? ? _m_ sonant 𐎶 𐎷 𐎸