512 REMARKS ON THE ORIGIN 
modern capital alphabet, whose descent from this 
truly venerable character I trust I shall be able 
to prove in so clear a manner as to confer the 
highest degree of interest on the foregoing investi- 
gation, which in that view of the subject cannot 
otherwise than reflect back the deepest interest 
on the origin and nature of a character, which is 
not only the most ancient we are acquainted with, 
but also as being connected with the most remark- 
able eras in the history of mankind and the pro- 
egress of civilization. 
With respect to the preceding remarks, as to 
how it is possible the accidental indentation of 
the angle of a hard brick into the side of a soft 
one, might have given the first idea as to the 
employment of the remarkable character so pro- 
duced, to become the elementary or fundamental 
form whereby to originate so wonderful an alpha- 
bet, my ideas on this part of my subject, I must 
confess, admit of the charge of speculativeness, 
inasmuch as I have no other basis whereon to form 
my remarks than probability or conjecture. Ido 
not desire to build any theory on this part of the 
subject, the more so, as in all other respects I 
trust what I have brought forward, and have yet 
to advance, is based on such incontrovertible 
