aiul decipherhig the Her adanetim Manuscripts, 231 



tlxiy; when Dr. Sickler su'jinlttecl to their inspection the process 

 of his method. 



At the fourth meeting of the Committee, Dr. Sickler produced 

 several pieces which he h?A detaclied from the roll, hut upon 

 which no characters were discoverable. A second and a third 

 machine were, in consequence of a suggestion of the Doctor, di- 

 rected to be prepared ; in order that he might employ himself 

 upon two or more rolls at the same time. 



The further result of Dr. Sickler's operations was submitted 

 to the Committee, at their fifth meeting, on the 18th of Julv, 

 when it appeared that of the first roll, the })ieces taken off, con- 

 tinued to afford no trace of characters, but a second roll, which 

 the Doctor had selected at the last meeting, appeared by hi«^ 

 memoir presented thereon, to be in a much better st^te of pre- 

 servation than the preceding, both with respect to its carboni- 

 zation and to the texture of the papyrus — the pieces detached 

 therefrom containing several Greek characters, and some entire 

 words easily made out; from which circumstance, and the ex- 

 treme fineness of the papyrus, as wel! as the perfection of the 

 written characters. Dr. Sickler expressed iiis opinion that h 

 further operation upon this roll might he productive of a more 

 satisfactory result. At this meeting the Committee, considering 

 the unfavourable colour and texture of the first roll, directed Dr. 

 Sickler to discontinue his operations thereon, and he proceeded 

 to select a third roll, which, in his opinion, from its extemal ap'- 

 pearance, most resembled that which had already exhibited writ- 

 ten characters. 



At their subsequent meetings, on the 21st and 2JthofJulv, 

 Dr. Sickler reported the progress of his labours; but the hopes 

 which had been entertained, of the further success of his operations 

 upon the second roll, having been disappointed, by the total absence 

 of characters on the pieces which had recently been detaclied, 

 together with the unfavourable appearance of the interior of thi-s 

 roll; as well as the injured state of the tliird roll which had been 

 placed in his hands : The Committee, considering the whole, in 

 connexion with the observations of Dr. Sickler in his several me- 

 moirs down to this time, did not feel themselves in possession of 

 sufficient evidence upon which to found a report of the success 

 of the method, within the stipulated period of one month after 

 the commencement of the Doctor's experiments. It was, there- 

 fore, with a view to a more satisfactory result, thought proper that 

 Dr. Sickler should continue his experiments upon the rolls then 

 in his possession, as well as upon others vvhicli the Committee, 

 or visiting members, should, from time to time, direct to be 

 placed in his hands for that purpose; and he accordingly pursued 

 iiis operations down to the 10th of October last j — the Com- 

 mittee 



