1863.] 277 [Chase. 



for the letters t and 0, — the rising sun, which was employed both for 

 H and 9, — the Greek words "HXioq, 0e6^j — and the Chinese figure of 

 the sun, which resembled the in form. [PI. I, fig. 32,] 



X. The rounded shape of the mouth in pronouncing. and U, 

 makes the open mouth, or the eye, or any other round object, a 

 natural symbol for those sounds. In the Chinese forms that repre- 

 sent mouth, eye, and revolving, may be found fac-similes for nearly 

 all the alphabetic representatives of 0, U, and V. Even the curve 

 or hook, which the Hebrew 1 was supposed to denote, was represented 

 in Chinese by one of the characters for mouth. 



1/. The Chinese may perhaps furnish a clue to some lost alphabetic 

 forms, and some unexplained Egyptian symbols. Thus the ancient 

 form of Z is said to have been ffl. These two forms are both em- 

 ployed in writing the Chinese Kung, Rad. 48. [PI. II, line 7, Nos. 

 3, 4.] The Egyptian symbol of life, the crux ansata, may be 

 readily formed by placing the Chinese Sze, " self" (0), upon Ting, 

 " to support " (T), as if to imply that which is living or self-support- 

 ing. This combination is actually employed in the Chinese Yu, ''to 

 give mutually." [PI. I, fig. 15, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5.] The Chinese 

 characters, Shih, "tongue," [Do., No. 1], and Tsze, "child" [Do., 

 Nos. 6, 7], have analogous forms, and the former is added to the 

 radical Shwuy, " water," to form the word Hwo, " living ; to vivify." 

 The Egyptian winged sun [PI. I, fig. 18, No. 4], may perhaps be 

 etymologically connected with the Chinese Seih, " what existed in 

 time past; anciently;" " custom; habit." [Do., Nos. 1, 2, 3.] The 

 Chinese open mouth, " Kow" [PI. I, fig. 17, Nos. 1, 2], has the 

 same phonetic value, and nearly the same form as the Egyptian K. 

 [Do., No. 3.] 



z. In attempting to penetrate the mists of the pre-historical past, 

 it is desirable to make use of every clue that may promise to fur- 

 nish any guidance. Such a clue has been given us in the names of 

 the Hebrew and Greek letters, and the significance, — partly well es- 

 tablished, partly hypothetical, — that has been attached to those 

 names. Plate II exhibits a few of the Chinese forms, which 

 seem, both by shape and meaning, to have the most obvious connec- 

 tion with those employed by other nations. 



1.* N. The Hebrew Aleph is said to have denoted "an ox; a 

 leader; a prince." Some writers have supposed that the letter was 



* The figures in the following paragraphs refer to the lines that are similarly 

 numbered in Plate II. 



