New-York tribune., 1877-06-02
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH
THE A,IrPTCAN ORIENTAL SOCIETY.

THE AMEhJtAN OklENl AZ cVNibiA
sEMI-AyNUAL MaErISG-REcFNrY DISCOVERED
CYPRIOTE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES BURIAL
MONUMENTS OF TuE EGYrTIANS-DR. W. H.
WARD on THE mTrrrE INSCRIPTIONS.
lvpoN AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNSl
BosTOy June 1.-The American Oriental
Society held an interesting meeting on wednesday In
this city. There present considerable number OF
he sausxr Hebrew, Egyptian, and other scholars OF
the country although the Pathological Society mas
drawn Of many OF the yotares of the classical languages
Prot Salisbury OF NcwIaycn reelected President,
Prof Ezra Abbott OF Cambridge Recording Secretary,
Prof W. ID. whitney Of NewHaven Corresponding Sec
retary and Addison Van Name OF New-Haven Librarian
with the old Board, of Directors. The following new
members elected: President Warren ANA Pio Lat
OF Boston University, Profs McCurdy and Sloan OF
Princeton j. w White OF Harvard University, Charles c.
Ioung of Boston. and Mr. John Westfall OF Fan
River After ouoges had been offered by
Prof. whitney, Dr. Bufus Anderson. DIR. s. Wells
Williams, and others upon Dr. s. H. Calhoun, Dr. . b.
Treat Dr. Taylor Lewis, Prof Lassen. Prof Prockhaus'
Prof Haug and other deceased aud corresponding ne-
bes the first papers read were three sent by Prof Isaac
H. Hall Of Beirut. SYRIA Prof Hall is OF the best
nying Amoycan authorities on the Cyproie inscriptions
and his papers though not these inscriptions had
relation to other discoveries IN Cyprus. The first was
brief one on two lamps from Cyprus having inscribed
characters OF which he presented copies but did not ven
ture readings. second was three Greek in
scriptions from Cyprus of considerable lengh and the
third WAS OF visit by him TO the celebrated
Phenican and Greek biingual inscription ON wall III
Larnacu In Cyprus. IL has been somewhat deidced ny
scratches since first discovered by dc Vogue. but
Prof Hall was able TO suggest corrections in the
Pheniciau text Prof Han mentioned that several OF
Gen di Cesnoas Cyprioe inscriptions were retained in
England did reach this country with the rest OF
the first collection.
Dr. T. o. Paine Of Boston, who has been making a
faithful study OF the excellent Way collection OF Esy
tan antiquities offered long and interesting conriOu-
ton on tine mOrtuary monuments Of that collection,
especially the monuments Of the common people. For
their tomOs there provided small and cheap
earthenwarc monuments OF slender cOuica shape The
inscription around the head, and generally omts the
name which would increase the expense, and one com
mon formula stamped upon them will do for q great
many OF trade rank. These may not have cost
more than cent apiece. better variety with larger
inscription from the Book Of the Dead" declaring that
the deceased justified and enters into Osiris leaves
space also to be ncd up with tie name OF the deceased
They were probably kept hand ready to be delivered
at few minutes notice and in one case there was not
time fin in the name which was regarded as matter
OF little Importance compared with the formula OF
absorption in Osiris. With these. especially OF the
better sort. buried statuettes IN teiIac0'ta'
marble or oven granite, representing the deceased,
generally in mummy form, as having entered mo
OSIRIS These "Osrds" carried considerable inscrip-
tiOus and there In case as many as 10 inferred
with single body The bearded or beardess form OF the
was man or a woman The Can0pic jars were used to
hold the einbamed heart and other internal organs The
solid ones were not doccpuons by the makers but were
intended representations OF embdiminS Jars. Dr.
Paine ao described cuot rule found in the collection,
which corros ponds exactly with the wekuOwn rule IN
the Turin collection The speaker also discussed al con-
siderable length some points In Coptic grammar, su.-
gested by a now Coptc text just published by Brassch
Bcy. TIE manuscript consisted OF several leaves dseo'-
cred bv Rrugscl n the rubbish of an Egyptian convent,
ff..N rtfrf. rrt az
he bu u Of soiolnous Temple This varies consider
ably from ,ptuagut, and SHOWS ~ ats grammar some
special amy 10 ,le - ,'1 III d 1,i1 IN '1,o Gnrs
@ SvSi ,I " l:y. iIe rce IN fnc sory Of the honor
shown bv Pharaoh o. Joseph consists of Two Egyptian
words, at AND Tc aud means Pine Minister a"d royal
A paper by Dr. W. II. Ward described the Hiite in,
scupuou- found at HamIh aud elsewhere IN ~ ila ana
ratcly reproduced by Dr. Ward iu Use second satc-
mrutp OF the Palestine LSlloraIon SoeiG1y, ana & le
lieroeR phC char "Iacis some my J." mum i . wv, w
figured py him. Besides these there ar, nan a o"heh
Of which copies uupubls 4ed we're exhibited To the so
ciety Dr. Ward as0 exhibited two copies one IN pencil
1o ,sii f o. ,,,s,,. ip A.r,po The insc,ison is iu-
perfect ana wor and not likely 20 be Of much rvce IN
MS one t ibr.ez town ON Ine Iycaouisn pau north
cast of Tllsus A god OF a character Ike Bioclus Ia
represented large and smouthed side Gill; wan an
inscription in tne Humathtc characters tween MS 'ad
aud uphued hand. Worshpns hIm Is ling VITA
an Inscription behind his head, and another IN.
ecuptnn is by Itself 1bc inscriptions need
more careful copying before they can be used for d.
George suth al JcrOlus, tie ancient Cdrcheml'h or
Cueesium They yet in the hands OF scholars,
but George Smith Imagined hc had FOUND tAc cicW. ~ is
likely that characters were used ~ the lilics,
who inhabited This whole region at early time What
language they spoke All certain, although from
the names Of the hItitcs preserved ih tbc Isyuuan
monuments u j. probable tha tlel spoke non Shcuc
language. Indeed, u is not likely tnat MCIOEyphc
eyslen would he invented 10y people speaking "n IN
n,tng language. as such language does not nave
TXed enauseless root This increases the difficulty OF
dpciphcrmcnf, Il the language wOlud DC unknUWn
Au important but unfVpOrt&Die paper DN iItI JOhh
Avery the " Verbal Roots IA Sauskrlt was fcdu ny
Prof whitney. 10 contained tables OF the comparative
later sausent the varousy prolonged verbal Stems
The various methods OF modify the simple stems were
taken one whether by adding or yd on nasal,
or by Tedupicatiou and the conclusion was drawn hdt
the early NeOc Hanskr there Wds great freedom OF
varying the root in several different ways 10 lufm inc
present which freedom lost IN the 1tci Sdusait
Prof Whitney offered the last paper, on " ne origin
Of the TerminaOns of the Middle voice. Ihs plODlem
has been attacked 10y many scholars, Dut IIOl NbltHcy
Is inclined regard LsOluule from any data IN our
possession. The prevailing theory has been that m
Il of the singular active ternlnauOns nave become
maj aud tai IN the middle simply by an einphss on
purpose, making III thUA Ituc&lNc
But this does account Tor most Of the dual ana pufa
and s contrary TO the analogy Ol the origin of infections
later explanation tuat the middle was formed by
repeating tine personal termination and then contracting
it. But this requires very forced apphcauO oil phonetic
changes, and II comes 10 changing suCh IOl as
faGdrG-D0dra 20 HtQSi il passes cleolDlly Friedrich
Miller imagaes that the in nj is a present sign. and
the recXve; but tins Is mere imagination,
a. there particle OF evidence Tor H. Prof. whitney
concludes come TO 10 conclusion ON the sub
feet Tie society OuTned 10 meet III NeW-4Ofk IN Oc-
tOber.
THE REPUBLICAN APPEAL TO Trance.