THOMAS] SIGNIFICATION OF THE CHARACTERS. 347 



The same order appears to be indicated in numerous places by the 

 symbols of the cardinal points inserted in the text, as they (suppos- 

 ing the conclusion as to their assignment in my "Notes on certain 

 Maya and Mexican manuscripts," accepted by Urs. Forstemann and 

 Schellhas, to be correct) follow one another in the proper order if 

 read towards the left, to wit, south, east, north, west. 



As the writing over each figure, consisting usually of four cum- 

 p(»und characters, appears to refer to that over which it is placed, it 

 follows that these character groups must be taken in the same order 

 as the pictures. The suggestions on this point are presented here 

 more as proper subjects of investigation by students of American 

 paleography than as fixed conclusions of the writer. If found to be 

 justified by the facts, they will furnish some additional aid in the 

 work of deciphering these manuscripts. 



SIGNIFICATION OF THE CHARACTERS. 



As Landa's alphabet has so far proved useless as an aid in deci- 

 phering these manuscripts, our only hojie of accomplishing this end 

 is by long and careful study of these records and laborious compar- 

 isons of characters and the relations in which they stand to one 

 another and to the figures. 



Some discoveries made while preparing this paper for the press, 

 which are mentioned further on, may possibly give us the key to the 

 method used by Landa in forming his alijhabet, and, if so, will i)rnb- 

 ably furnish some slight additional aid in our investigations. 



Tlie direction in which the writing is to be read having been ascer- 

 tained, our next step is to determine by comparison the probable sig- 

 nification of as many characters as possible before discussing the 

 question of phoneticism. The relation of the chai'acters to the pic- 

 torial representations forms our chief reliance in this branch of the 

 investigation. 



Asa commencement in tliis work and as a basis for further at- 

 tempts in the same direction, attention is now called to some char- 

 acters, other than the day and month symbols, whose signification 

 seems to be satisfactorily determined. As there is still some differ- 

 ence of opinion as to the assignment of the symbols of the cardinal 

 points they are also omitted from the list. M. L^on de Rosny has 

 given, as a supplement to his edition of the Cortesian Codex, a list 

 of characters with their supposed signification. It is not my inten- 

 tion to discuss here the merits of this vocabulary, although I shall 

 avail myself of so much found therein as appears to warrant ac- 

 ceptance. 



The question of phoneticism will not be considered in connection 

 with the list, as the subject will be briefly discussed at the close, the 

 only object in view in giving the list being to indicate the significa- 



