179 



Berlin. The learned jesuit Fabrega, who is 

 often cited in the works of Mr. Zoega, and 

 whose manuscripts relating to the Azteck anti- 

 quities were communicated to me by the Cheva- 

 lier Borgia, nephew to the Cardinal of that name, 

 supposes, that the archives of Simancas in Spain 

 contain also some of these hieroglyphical paint- 

 ings, which Robertson has so aptly denominated 

 picture writings*. 



The collection preserved at the Escurial has 

 been examined by Mr. Waddilove, chaplain to 

 the English embassy at Madrid when Lord 

 Grantham was ambassador. It has the form of 

 a book in folio ; which may lead us to suspect, 

 that it is only a copy of a Mexican manuscript, 

 for the originals I have examined are all of the 

 size of volumes in quarto. The objects repre- 

 sented seem to prove, that the collection of the 

 Escurial, like those of Italy and Vienna, are 

 either astrological books, or real rituals, which 

 point out the religious ceremonies prescribed for 

 particular days of the month. At4lie bottoifi of 

 each page is an explanation in Spanish, which 

 has been added since the conquest. 



The collection of Bologna is deposited in the 

 library of the Institute of Sciences of that city. 

 We are unacquainted with its origin ; but we 

 read on the first page, that this painting, which 



* Robertson's History of America, 1802, vol. 3, p. 403. 

 N 2 



