42 Some conjectures on the progress, fyc. [Jan. 



minate the fruits of their amended knowledge to other men. The 

 acceptation of Bunsen's chronology, gives countenance to this opinion, 

 and Layard's researches go to confirm it ; but in addition to these a 

 discovery still more curious and interesting as respects the immediate 

 subject of our enquiry, helps to combine the real history of these an- 

 cient races, viz. that the language of the cuneiform inscriptions is San- 

 skrit!* This is due to the decypherage of the Behistun and other 

 inscriptions, published by the Royal Asiatic Society in their Journal, 

 Vol. X. Parts I. to III. These inscriptions had long attracted the 

 attention of Major Rawlinson, C. B. (now Pol. Agent at Baghdad), 

 who some years ago, while employed at Candahar, did me the honour 

 to propose their publication in this Journal, which was then my pro- 

 perty. It is I think fortunate that the publication of these most 

 valuable and interesting relics should have been delayed until after 

 such authorities as Lassen, Westergaard, and Dittel had examined and 

 written on them, and an editor so capable as Mr. Norris of the Royal 

 Asiatic Society, was found to superintend the bringing of them out. 

 These three forms or dialectic differences, the Persian, Median, and 

 Babylonian, of the language represented in the cuneiform writing, and 

 by one of these, doubtless the inscriptions found by Mr. Layard will 

 long ago have been interpreted. That is to say, that on the site on 



* The able and enterprising copyist and translator of these inscriptions is a little 

 given to the mystery of learning in this matter : he terms the language of the 

 inscriptions " the language," without a name ; and this is the more to be regretted, 

 because to look upon it as something apart from Sanskrit, or any definite tongue, 

 though grammatically obeying the construction thereof, invites to the fatal facility of 

 arbitrary interpretation : for instance (Journal, X. Ill- p. 314 to 318), the window 

 inscription, repeated eighteen times, in the upper side of the windows of Darius' 

 palace at Persepolis is, titer four pages and a half of discussion rendered — " Erect- 

 ed by Ardasta, the architect for the palace (or in the palace) of King Darius." 

 Here is the inscription in Roman characters. 



Arda-stana a-thagaina Dar(a)zaon(h)ush naga hya vithiya karta. 



High-place un-covered (for) Darius king who (the) house wade. 



Major Rawlinson's reading which obtains a proper name (the apparent object) is 

 made by putting naga-hya as one word, and leaving the last half out of the transla- 

 tion altogether : at page 345, he tells us " thaga" with the prefixed particle a may 

 denote "building," athagaina being "a Mason," &c. &c. : this is an odd use to 

 press the Sanskrit and Greek privative particle into ! the words are ustashandm 

 dthagandm : this sort of criticism is unfortunate. — H. T. 



