254 Bijjorl of iJie Commillee respecting the unroUing 



of tiie difficulties which have hitherto occurred in the system of 

 unrolling these manuscripts. 



2dly. The liquid, from the application of which the Committee 

 were induced to hope that the separation of the layers of the 

 papyrus would be considerably facilitated, does not, in the judge- 

 ment of the Committee, appear to possess any effective power 

 beyond that of acting as a glue for the lining of that part to be 

 detached : — And, 



3dly. That th.e mode of manipulation adopted by Dr. Sickler 

 is too violent an operation to produce entire consecutive columns, 

 or single layers, of the papyrus; and that his method of indiscri- 

 minately covering the surface of t!ie roll with the lining which, 

 being attached t(» the roll by the liquid preparation, brings oft" 

 with it, in the process of detaching, the part so lined, is verr 

 imperfect ; since, in raising the layers, it is scarcely possible to 

 observe by the eye, whether one or more layer is about to se- 

 parate from the mass ; a part of the operation which, at Naples, 

 is carried on with the greatest caution. 



Upon a minute inspection of a great mmiber of the pieces 

 taken ofl^ by Dr. Sickler, on some of which the characters arc 

 preserved, the Committee observe, th.it there is scarcely an in- 

 stance to be found where a single layer has been detached with 

 ;i regular surface throughout ; a circumstance which, in their 

 opinion, seems decisive of the inelficacy of Dr. Sickler's method. 

 Upon this point their judgement has been formed^ more especially 

 after an examination of the pieces dctaclied from tiie second roll, 

 of which Dr. Sickler j)ronounc8d an opinion, favourable as to its 

 state of preservation, before referred to, upon which the written 

 characters are very perfect ; but which pieces appear to be com- 

 posed of two or more layers adhering together. 



Of seven rolls which have been placed in tlie hands of Dr. 

 Sickler, in tiie progress of his experiments, and which have been 

 more or less opened, the Committee have to observe, that onlv 

 two have exhibited the smallest visible traces of letters on some 

 of the columns, the rest presenting a rough brown surface, with- 

 out characters ; froui which circumstance^ th:>. Committee are 

 not without their apprehensions that, either by excess of zeal or 

 want of caution. Dr. Sickler's mode of operation may, in some 

 instances, have produced a separation of the intermediate or 

 blank leaves wiiich compose the papyrus ; a point to which the 

 Committee were induced to direct their attention, after an ex- 

 planation of the preparation of the papyrus, with which they 

 were favoured Ijy Sir Charles Blagdon and Mr. Tavlor Coombe, 

 .and an inspection of specimens of the Egyptian and Sicilian 

 papyri, laid before them by the latter gentleman. 



Upon the whole, after a scrupulous examination of the result 



of 



