494 REMARKS ON THE ORIGIN 
No. 1, is the primitive form of the character, the sides 
being all straight lines. 
No. 2, an after variety, where the sides are composed of 
curves. 
No. 3, another variety, in which the tail of the character 
is lengthened out. 
No. 4, a character combined with varieties of the short 
arrow-head, as seen in No. 5, 6. 
All of these, including No. 7, I believe comprise 
every variety met with in Babylonian remains, the 
depressed feature is general throughout. It was 
this consideration which led the author to inquire 
within himself, by what means was this singular 
character produced? The very question involves 
the answer—It was produced by the depression 
of the corner or angle of any cubical or triangular 
prism, such as the corner of a square stick, or 
angle of a three-cornered prismatic style. The 
instant this idea presented itself in reference to 
the moist state which the clay must have been in 
when these characters were impressed on its sur- 
face, the whole became clear, and the manner of 
production was as evident and distinct as if he 
saw the Babylonian brickmakers impress the 
arrow-head. It was while spending a delightful 
forenoon in the British Museum some nine years 
since, that this idea occurred to the author: and 
having thus hit upon so happy an idea of the 
