150 



with the finger. The thirteenth page is very 

 remarkable. Divided by three horizontal lines, 

 it evidently indicates, that the Mexicans read 

 from right to left, and from the bottom to the 

 top, (SovaT%o(pv$ov. Though the number of the 

 pages is equal to the number of years contained 

 in a Mexican cycle, I have not been able to dis- 

 cern any thing relative to the return of the four 

 hieroglyphics, which distinguish the years, Al- 

 most on every leaf we see, independent of the 

 solstitial and equinoctial signs, rabbit, cane, flint, 

 and house, the asterisms of the Jaguar, Ocelotl ; 

 of the Ape OzomatU ; and of the Eagle with rich 

 feathers, CozcaquauhtlL These signs preside 

 over the days, and not over the year. On exa- 

 mining the series of pages from thirteen to thir- 

 teen, we see nothing periodical; and, what is 

 above all very striking, the dates, of which I 

 have reckoned 373 in the first twenty-two pages 

 of the manuscript, are arranged in such a man- 

 ner as to have no relation to the order in which 

 they follow each other in the Mexican calendar. 

 We find ome ehecatl (J, wind) immediately be- 

 fore matlactli calli (10, house), and ce miquiztli 

 ' (1, death's head) coupled with chicome miquiztli 

 (7, death's head), though the days governed by 

 these signs are very distant from each other. If 

 this manuscript treat of astrological matters, as 

 is very possible, we shall have reason to be asto- 

 nished, that whole pages, for instance the first 



