18 THEOPHILUS G. PINCBES, ESQ., LL.D., M.E.A.S., ON 



This I proceeded to do, and wrote rather more than half the 

 paper, i.e., almost the complete story of the Semitic version of the 

 Creation. Then I communicated with Professor Hull, our Secretary, 

 and he said it would be very acceptable to the Institute. Later 

 on circumstances occurred which caused an interruption of the 

 work, and afterwards it was decided that it was to be read to-day. 

 In the meanwhile another book, containing much new material, had 

 been announced, and I have been waiting for it. I had to go on with 

 my paper to prepare it for this evening, and I found that if I incor- 

 porated all I could from that book which was issued only a few days 

 ago, I could not finish my paper. That is the position in which I was 

 placed, and I therefore decided to finish my paper and to ask your 

 indulgence for its not containing an account of all those latest 

 discoveries of which our Secretary has spoken. Those will be 

 inserted in the paper in full, I hope, when it is finally printed in 

 the Journal of the Society"^ ; but I trust that you will nevertheless 

 find the paper in its present state sufficiently interesting. 



MANY years have passed since the late George Smith, who 

 first discovered the nature of the tablets referring to the 

 Creation, published, in his Chaldean Genesis, translations of 

 all the inscriptions of the series then known to him, and since 

 that time the study of these tablets has attracted the attention 

 of a large number of students, each of whom has added his quota 

 to the elucidation of the text. Among those who have worked 

 at it may be named the late Fox Talbot, Professors Sayce, 

 Oppert, Delitzscli, Hommel, Jensen, and many others, among 

 whom Professor Zimmern, though one of the last, is not the least, 

 his examination of the text in Gunkel's Sclwpfung und Chaos 

 having been well received, and attracted much attention. 



It is not the intention on the present occasion to traverse all 

 the ground covered by the scholars who have written on this 

 interesting subject, but simply to examine the legend, in its 

 present comparatively complete state, detailing its contents, 

 and stating the results of my own researches, combined with all 

 the essential elucidations of the text by those who have 

 preceded me in the work. Certain other documents bearing on 

 the subject, which have come down to us, will receive special 

 attention. 



* This promise has been duly fulfilled. 



