of the Letters of the Hieroglyphic Alphabet. 161] 
forms of words which contained expletives, to the hieroglyphic forms which 
excluded them. Many hieroglyphic texts, such as, for example, the Paris obelisk, 
contain no expletive characters. 
I have now completed what I have to say in regard to the newly-discovered 
principle of expletive letters. Ignorance of this principle has led former inves- 
tigators into many errors, even such as had right views as to the nature of syllabic 
signs, and the mode of completing them by letters. This, however, is not the 
only cause of the errors that have hitherto prevailed. Independently of this, the 
mode of investigation heretofore pursued seems to me very objectionable. I 
have next, then, according to what I proposed, to consider the modes of proceed- 
ing which have been heretofore adopted, with a view to ascertain the exact 
powers of the phonoglyphs, and to lay down rules for a more correct investiga- 
tion. This is the object of the second part of this paper. 
PART II.—BEST MODE OF INVESTIGATING THE VALUE OF PHONOGLYPHS. 
It is pretty obvious that all investigations into the value of Egyptian pho- 
noglyphs must proceed from data of the four following kinds. 
Ist. Transcriptions of Egyptian words, expressed by phonoglyphs, in charac- 
ters of a known foreign language. 
2nd. Transcriptions of words of a known foreign language, in Egyptian pho- 
noglyphs. 
3rd. Various modes of expressing by phonoglyphs the same Egyptian word. 
4th. Comparisons of Egyptian words, expressed by phonoglyphs, with cor- 
responding words in kindred languages. 
All these sorts of data have been used by Champollion and his followers ; but 
they have been used, as it appears to me, with so little judgment, and with so 
little regard to the precautions against error that should have been taken, that 
great errors could scarcely have been avoided, and in fact have occurred. 
Before I proceed to consider them in succession, it will be proper that I 
should state clearly the object which is mow to be sought, and that I should 
notice a precaution of a general nature, which, though obviously proper, has been 
hitherto too much neglected. I am not now seeking the powers of the Egyptian 
phonoglyphs, as if nothing were known respecting them. If I were, data of a 
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