New-York tribune., 1873-05-16
NRHQ EROM ASSYRIA.i

1t seems strange to get telegraph from the
valley of the Tigris-from the near neighbor-
hood Of the place where Jonah rested beneath
his gourd-but such one came day or two
ago. 1t was from Mr.. Smith of the British
Museum, the decipherer of the Chaldean ac-
count of the Deluge which recently 90 glad
dened the orthodox and was dated from Mn
eyeh, He was sent thither at the expense OF
The London Telegraph, to continue the discOv-
cries, and perhaps renew the triumphs of Lay
ard. He announces the discovery of seventy
inscriptions containing the names of Assyrian
kings, known and unknown, and a tablet re-
cording in two languages q collection of
proverbs which are probably older than those
of Solomon. Mr.. Smith is one of the most
distinguished of the decipherers of the cunei-
form or arrow-shaped inscriptions, in which
the languages of Assyria, Babylonia, Media,
and Persia were recorded. His discoveries
will without doubt form valuable supplement
to those of Layard, RawlinsOn, Morier, Botta,
and Others, and will illumine periods of history
which have hitherto rested under an almost
impenetrable cloud.
For more than two centuries the arrow
shaped OF wedge-shaped inscriptions found
upon the monuments of PersepOlis and Pasar-
gada, upon the rock of Behistun and Mount
Elvend, upon various fragmentary and scathed
ruins throughout Mesopotamia and Persia, had
attracted the attention and stimulated the in
ouiry of travellers. AS early as 1918, Figueroa,
an ambassador of Philip III. of Spain, visited
Persepolis, and became convinced that its
inscriptions, instead of being as they were
then thought mere decorative fancies, were
the records of a forgotten language. Chardin,
who travelled through Persia half century
later, held the same theory. But the darkness
which rested upon these strange characters
was impenetrable. SO completely was con-
lecture bafled, apd 50 fruitlsss the most
patient and determined investigation where
there was absolutely no starting point,
no possible hint, graphic or phonetic,
to give a foothold to inquiry. that
numbers of good scholars gave up the
puzzle; attributed the inscriptions to one
ridiculous cause or another; to worms, to the
attrition Of sand, to fashions Of decoration,
and other absurdities. 1t was Karstens Niebuhr
who first pointed the way to the interpreta-
ton of this language, and Grotefend of Han
over, q name always to be held in honor by
Oriental scholars, who found out the way.
Niebuhr became convinced that tablet copied
from an altar piece at Susa, presenting three
lines of characters differing somewhat in
shape and arrangement, but apparently iden-
tical in their equivalents, really contained a
tri-lingual inscription, and this, in fact, turned
out to be correct The first line
was in the Persian, the next in
the Median or Medo-Scythic, and the last
in the ancient Assyrian character. This dis
covery was the key which unlocked the door
of the language. Hitherto all had been mere
darkness and confusion. But at last there was
ray of light, feeble indeed, but enough to
illumine the early steps IF investigation. Gro
tefend, the next and as the pioneer of actual
discovery the greatest OF all the students in
this direction, commenced his researches by a
series Of bold but as it turned out happy and
correct conjectures. He tried the Persepolitan
inscriptions by the tests of history. Ger
tain frequently recurring cOllocations of
characters he assumed to represent the' names
of the kings whose deeds were thus COM
memorated Who were the kings before the
Alexandran conquestf Cyrus, Cambyses,
Xerxes, Darius and 80 on. Assuming the
identity of these names with certain frequent
ly recurring inscriptions, he toiled upon his
problem till the light shono round him.
The names of old kings and old dynas-
les began to take Ineligible form and
shape amid the darkness which had shrouded
them for more than two thousand years. Tho
mystery was solved. 1t now remained for
scholars to follow up the clue which he had
given. The paper in which he announced his
great discovery was read before the Academy