44 M. Arago on tlie Egyptian Hieroglyphical Writings. 



this memorable Egyptian expedition, and also to the indefa- 

 tigable zeal of that illustrious scientific corps, whose labours, 

 frequently executed at the cannon's mouth, have added so much 

 glory to their country. In fact, so strongly were they impress- 

 ed with the importance of the inscription of Rosetta, that, lest 

 the precious treasure should be abandoned to the perils of a sea 

 voyage, they from the first, enthusiastically endeavoured, so to 

 speak, to reproduce it, now by simple drawings, now by cor- 

 rect impressions, by obtaining copperplate engravings, and finally 

 by moulds, in Paris-plaster and in sulphur. I must also add, 

 that antiquarians all over the world became first acquainted with 

 the pillar of Rosetta from the designs of the French savants. 



M. Silvestre de Lacy, one of the most illustrious members of 

 the Institute, was the first to appear, in the year 1802, in that 

 interesting field which this two-tongued inscription opened up 

 to the investigation of philologists. He confined his attention 

 solely to the Egyptian text in the popular character. In it he 

 discovered certain groupes which represented different proper 

 names, and also that they possessed a phonetic character. Thus 

 it was established, at least in one of the two inscriptions, that the 

 Egyptians employed the symbols of sounds, or true letters. 

 This important result was determined beyond contradiction, af- 

 ter the celebrated Swede, M. Akerblad, re-investigating the la- 

 bours of our countryman, had assigned, with a probability bor- 

 dering upon certainty, the individual phonetic value of several 

 of the characters employed in the transcription of the proper 

 names, which the Greek text had made known. 



Up to this period that side of the inscription which was purely 

 hieroglyphic, or supposed to be such, had remained untouched. 

 No one had ever dared to undertake to decipher it. 



It was here that we discover Dr Young declaring, at first, as 

 by a kind of inspiration, that, in the multitude of the symbols 

 which were sculptured upon the stone, and represented, whether 

 by entire animals, or by beings of fantastic shape, or by the in- 

 struments or the products of art, or by geometrical forms, those 

 of the symbols which were found in certain elliptical frames 

 corresponded to the proper names of the Greek inscription : he 

 specified particularly the name of Ptolemy, which was the only 

 one which remained uninjured in the hieroglyphical inscrip- 



