The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-02-12
THE ROSETTA STONE.

Rosetta is town of Is, 00) inhabi-
tsnts, situated on the west bank of
the Rosetta branch of the Nile,
called in ancient geography "tbe
Bolbotine."
North ofthe town across the mouth
of the river ls q sand bar that very
frequently interferes with nsvigs-
ton.
BetWeen this sand-bar and the
town is an old fort, called by the
French st. Julien.
During the French occupation OF
Egypt, IN the year 1899, this fort was
building, and one of the French off,
Gers, named Bouohsrd, discovered in
the xcaVstions tablet of black bs-
salt, bearing certain inscriptions. 1t
is In a mutilated condition. Origin
ally it was three feet long, two ieet
five inches wide and about ten inches
thick. The stone. OF course, belonged
to the French and became the
property of the French Institute in
Egyp'. After the battle of Alex
andrla, in which the French under
General Menon, were disastrouslS
defeated. all the objects of scientific
interest collected by the institute
were. by the terms Of the cspitula ion,
surrendered to the British. A vast
number of special sculptures thus
became the priz- ot the conquerors,
and by the British Commander-in
Chief were put on board the captured
frigate Egyptien7le and sent to Eng
land. She arrived at Portsmouth in
February 1902, and the stone was at
once placed 10 the British Museum.
The stone has three distinctly separ.
sted inscriptions. The first and the
second are is the language OF
Egypt, the third is in the classic
Greek.
Toe fret inscription is in hierogly-
phlcs; h,erogly phic means picture
writing. The word is derived from
the Greek words ierOs, sacred, aud
gltpho, 10 carve; sacred carving; be
Cause thOee who gave tue name cup
posed that II was used exclusively by
the Eg ptian priests to conue Vi the
mysteries OF religion from the uniu-
tia ed vulgar herd.
The second inscription, which is
the same in words as the first, is in
characters called by the Greeks en-
chortat i. G. belonging to the country;
also called denote, / e.. used by the
common people.
The third iDscriE ton is a Greek
translation of the other two The
event recorded is the coronation of
Ptolemy Epiphsnes, which took
place in the month of March in the
city OF Memphis. 1876 years before
Christ, or about 2.078 years ago.
1t ls full of the most fulsome fat
terry, in truly oriental style, of Pto
lemy Epiphaues. which l shall not
weary you by repeating; but I will
quote only the last paragraph, that
you may get On ides OF the whole, as
follows:
1T has therefore pleased the
prize is OF AL the land to decree that
the statue Of King Ptolemy, ever liv-
ing, be erected In each temple and |
placed 10 the most conspicuous spot, |
which shall be called the statue OF |
Ptolemy, avenger Of Egypt; near the |
statute shall be placed the principal
god OF the temple, who will present
him with the arms of victory, and |
everything shall be disposed in the
manner most appropriate. That the
priests shall perform three times a
day religious service to thtsa statutes;
that they shall adorn them with |
sacred ornaments and that they shall |
have care to render them, in the |
great sollemnities, all the honors
which. according to usage, ought toll
be consecrated to King Ptolemy a
statue and a chapel, gilded. in the
most holy OF the temples: that this
chapel be placed in the sanctuary
with all the others; and that, in the
great solmnities wherever it is GUS
tomsry to bring out the chapels from
he sauctuaries, tn re shall be brought
1ut that of the god Epiphany, most
gracious; and. that this chapel may
be better distinguished from the
others, now, and in the lapse of time
hereafter. there shall be placed above
i the ten golden crowns of the King.
which shall bear on their anterior
An asp. in imitation of those crowns
1f apics form which are in the other
and, in the middle of these
CROWDS shall be placed the royal orna-
nent termed PSHENT, that one
which the King wore when be
entered Memphis. IN the temple, in
,rder to observe tha legal ceremonies
prescribed for the Grafton" etc.
a great deal more OF the same
tuff.
"And, in order that it may be
Known why, in Egypt, he ia glori6ed
md honored, as is just, the god Epi-
,hsny, most gracious sovereign, the
resent decree shall be engraved on q
tela of hard stone, in sac, ed charac-
srS Il. e., in hieroglyphics) in acrit-
ng Of the country Il. e., in the Euch-
rial or Demotic chsrscters), and in
ireek letters; and this stella 1. E. q
illar or column, shall be placed in
ach of the temples OF the first, sec {
nd and third class existing in all the I
ingdom. Il
This last sentence excites the hope '