by comparing different modes of writing the same word.’ His success, so far as it goes, is certainly remarkable. He recognises correctly the signs for the three principal vowels, _a_, _i_ and _u_ (Nos. 1, 4 and 7); a second sign for _u_, used in the late Babylonian, is also correctly identified. The breathing sign is rendered with approximate correctness by _ya_ (No. 2; _cf._ King 226), and the two diphthongs _ai_ and _ia_ figure as _yu_ and _ya_ (9 and 3). The list of consonantal sounds is, of course, far from complete; but it is remarkable that in the great majority of cases the signs are presented to us as syllabic. They even include two compound syllables, ‘bar’ and ‘sar.’ They are distributed among twenty-one different sounds: _r_ or _er_, _ra_, _ru_; _n_, _na_, _nu_, _ana_; _ba_, _bu_, _bar_; _ak_, _ka_, _ku_; _ta_, _da_; _s_, _as_, _us_; _sa_, _su_, _sar_, and the signs for the plural. It will be seen that this affords a remarkable anticipation of a later discovery. A careful examination will show that, so far as the consonantal sounds are concerned, there are extremely few errors. Indeed, out of fifty-five signs, we have only found twelve radical mistakes in this respect. On the other hand, he was able to give to many signs their absolutely correct syllabic value. At the time of writing he was of opinion that the distinction between _i_ and _u_ was not observed; and he accordingly classifies together the syllabic ending in either of these vowels. He thought that the same confusion existed among the consonants. He considered that the language did not admit of distinction between _r_ and _l_, or between _b_ and _p_, or _w_ and _m_; nor between the gutturals _k_, _g_ and _kh_; nor between the sibilants; and that _ch_ is expressed by _s_, and _j_ by _k_. He identified the personal pronoun I—_a-na-ku_; and he read the name and titles of Nebuchadnezzar in various inscriptions which Grotefend had mistaken for forms of prayer. He saw clearly the ideographic and determinative value of some of the signs, and fixed correctly upon those for ‘and,’ ‘son,’ ‘great,’ ‘earth,’ ‘one,’ ‘house,’ ‘god,’ ‘man’ (two), and another sign for ‘king’ not previously recognised by Grotefend. He also pointed out two signs for the plural. (December 1846.)