200 A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT TROANO. 



point. In .doing so we may profit by the facts learned in reference to the 

 Manuscript Troano on this subject, and tlie method of comparing characters 

 used by Professor Holden in his "Studies in Central American Picture 

 Writing." 1 



Referring to the Palenquean group as shown in Plate IX, we observe 

 that the first seven characters of the two columns immediately below the 

 large initial are united so that each forms one compound character. If read 

 in columns the natural inference from this would be that the remaining 

 characters of these two columns are to be read by twos, thus: A 10 and B 10 

 (Dr. Rau's scheme), then A 1 1 and B 11, next A 12 and B 12, and so on to 

 the bottom. If this supposition be correct, then it is more than likely that 

 the remaining columns on the side tablets are to be read in the same way, 

 a view favored by the fact that each one of these tablets contains six columns. 



I call attention now to characters D 13, C 14, and D 14, which are often 

 repeated in the inscription, varying only in the numerals — dots, or balls, and 

 lines placed at the top and left side. If we represent these characters by 

 letters thus: D 13 by a, C 14 by &, and D 14 by c, we have here this order 



61 c 



Referring now to E 5, F 5, and E 6, we find the same three charac- 



ters following each other in the same order, but placed thus: — — , and. 



what is significant, if we include the next, F 6, we have the right portion 

 of the first four (of the seven) double characters, but the order is reversed. 

 At F 1.5, E 16, and F 16 we again have our three characters a, b, c. In the 

 single column R we see a and h. At S 6 and T 6 we have the three, but 

 here h and c are united in one compound character. At S 12 and T 12 we 

 see a and 6; at U 3, V 3, and U 4; also at U 8, V 8, and U 9; also V 1 3, U 1 4, 

 and V 14; at W 1, X 1, and W 2, and at X 11, W 12, and X 12, we find the 

 same three characters following each other in the same order. We shall 

 hunt in vain for any such combination of these characters between the sec- 

 ond and third or fourth and fifth columns of either slab, nor can we find 

 the three following each other in any column or line except in the ffiur 

 double characters. 



' First Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology. 



