TiioMAs.i OKDER IN WHICH TBE CHARACTERS ARE TO BE READ. 137 



Dr. Brinton' suggested reading by columns, first down, then up, com- 

 mencing with tlie right-hand colunni. 



Rosny believes the characters should be read from left to right. 



Wilson believed the inscriptions were to be read in columns from top 

 to bottom, and the manuscripts from left to right. 



Mr. Holden appears to have arrived at the conclusion, by his method 

 of examination, that the inscriptions are to be read from left to right. 



It is probable that no conclusion on this point will be entirely satisfac- 

 tory until the characters are interpreted; still I think we can find means of 

 determining it with reasonable, if not absolute, certainty without waiting 

 for them to be deciphered. 



The large character at the upper left-hand corner of the Palenque 

 tablet we may safely assume is there used much in the same way as we 

 use capital letters, and hence that the inscription is to be read either in 

 columns, from the top downwards, or in lines, from left to right. 



But we find more direct evidence on the point in the Manuscript itself. 

 I have shown, as I think conclusively, that the day columns, at least, 

 are to be read from the top downwards. The natural inference, therefore, 

 would be that the other characters are to be read in the same way. But 

 there are good reasons for believing that, although the. usual method of 

 writing was in columns, horizontal lines were by no means uncommon. 

 Turning to Plate XIV (our Fig. 16) we find, in the middle and lower divis- 

 ions, a series of columns composed of the same characters, except the ones 

 at the top and at the bottom. Three of these columns may be represented 

 by letters, tlius: 



' Aucieut Pliouct. Aliibabet of Yiicatau, p. 6. 



