2 On the Inscription on the 



its being legible. That they totally failed in doing so is evident 

 from the concluding paragraph of the article on this column, 

 by Monsieur Norry, given in the first volume of the Mtmoires 

 sur VEgyptCj who says, *' On doit beaucoup regretter qu'une 

 inscription qui etoit sur Tune des faces du piedestal ne soit 

 plus lisible ; on seroit eclaire sur ce monument, que les auteurs 

 attribuent, les uns k la memoire de Pompee, d'autres a celle de 

 Septime Severe." 



An attempt was afterwards made to give to Monsieur Jaubert 

 the credit of having made out the inscription, and to Monsieur 

 Villoison of having first explained it; but there can be no doubt 

 that the former obtained a copy of the inscription as taken by 

 Messrs. Leake, Squire, and Hamilton, in 1802, and which had 

 been widely circulated by them, and this is strongly corrobo- 

 rated by Monsieur Chateaubriand, who, in giving the inscription, 

 says, " Je crois etre le premier voyageur qui Tait rapportee en 

 France," and adds, " Le monde savant la doit a quelques 

 officiers Anglais." 



These officers were Colonels Leake and Squire, who, in 

 September 1801, ascertained that the inscription was still in 

 part legible. The deciphering of it was however delayed till 

 the March following, by the absence of Colonel Leake, who 

 accompanied Mr. Hamilton to Upper Egypt, but it was actively 

 undertaken on their return, and the result was the ascertaining 

 the whole of the inscription excepting three words. 



In February 1803, Colonels Leake and Squire communicated 

 their discovery to the Society of Antiquaries, and in their letter 

 they give full credit to Mr. Hamilton as a fellow-labourer. An 

 unsuccessful, attempt has, however, since been made to deprive 

 Messrs. Leake and Hamilton of all share in the thanks due to 

 the discoverers by the literary world. Two letters have been 

 published by Dr. Clarke, written by Colonel Squire to his 

 brother, and from which the doctor infers that " all idea of 

 attempting the discovery is due to Colonel Squire, and that he 

 had the greatest share in its execution*. " 



• Clarke's Travels^ Sec. II. Part IL page 257. 



