The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-12-24

Graven upon the polished and level
upper surface, were three different in
scriptions, one of which was recognized
as Greek. A second was in hieroglyph-
les. and the third in sacAoriai writing
that is. the writing which the Egyp-
tIans used IN everyday matters, and
has sometimes been called the epistola-
tory, the hieroglyphic being the sacer-
dotal style of writing invariably used
for all matters of serious and solemn
Importance
Here was the first linking of a great
discovery-one passage in the ancient
Egyptian languages rendered in Ian
guage which WAS we'll understood
Much painstaking research ascertained
that the three inscriptions were thres
versions OF one and the same decree. in
honor of Ptolemy Epiphanes by the
priests Of Egypt, assembled in a synod
at Memphis, on account of his remission
of arrears of taxes and dues owed by
the priests.
This stone found ON the site Of al an
cient temple, dedicated to the twenty
sixth dynasty to the solar god Alum
had been there set up 1875 B. c.. and is
the only one Of many ordered to be
erected that has been found. The Ro-
setta Stone now stands in the centre of
the Egyptisn Gallery Of the British
Museum. in London, mounted on gran
ite and iron, with its face carefully pro-
tected by covering of plate glass.
The hieroglyphic portion is broken
away (most of it,, but enough of it re-
mains for the purpose Of the philolo-
gists, and little by little, it became ap-
parent that the small odd groups Of
birds and reptiles. fishes and human
figures, on the top of the stone. consti-
tuted a paraphrase of the Greek at the
bottom.
In 1922, Jean Francois Chsmpoil,ou,
a French philologist, published trans
lation Of the inscriptions on the Rosetta
Stone. An account, curious but too long
for particular notice here, of the man
ner in which Champoilion deciphered
the hieroglyphics. is appended TO Sir
Gardner Wilkinson's great work on the
Egyptians.
The great discovery was that there
are two classes of hieroglyphs-ideo-
graphs, which represent ideas, and pho
netics. which represent sounds. The
latter had been completely developed at
an early period. Hence, the written
and the spoken language Of Champoi-
lions ingenious discoveries. received
distrustfully by scholars when first
made public, have since been adopted
and extended-methodically by Lepsi-
us in 1927, and by the learned in gene
raj.
The best account Of the Rosetta Stone
with facsimile of the inscription
upon it. was published. in small vol
ume now excessively rare. of which
only few hundred copies were struck
off. by lithography, in 1885,
The PhilOmatheen society, in Phils-
delphia. had appointed three of its
members Charles r. Hale. 8. Hunting
ton Jones and Henry Morton) to trans
late the Rosetta inscription.
Mr.. (now professor) Henry Morton
described the stone. wrote its history,
and translated its hieroglyphics aud
gave their alphabet Mr.. Hale trans
lated the Greek and Demodic text. and
Mr.. Jones gave historical sketch Of
King Ptolsmy Epiphanes. In each in
stance. three different texts were given
in full and in fac -simile. This work.
one of the most learned of modern
tunes, was written and illustrated by
three young university students, the
Oldest not twenty -four years old.