186 Units

186. UNITS are denoted by short lines, like the Roman I. Mr. Akerblad first noticed the first three numerals in the last line of the sacred characters of Rosetta, where the Greek text is deficient, and the words " first and second" only remain; and this observation alone was sufficient to prove, that the hieroglyphical characters related to a real language, and were not simply ornamental decorations, as some persons have imagined.

187.. 196. The twisted line, distinguishing the ORDINAL NUMBERS, answers to the COMIC MAR; which is prefixed to the cardinals in the same sense ; in the enchorial text the corresponding character follows the number. The THREE points are more commonly employed, when they follow a word, to make it plural; but when they signify a numeral, they are generally placed immediately above some other character; and, in the enchorial inscription, this numeral is distinguished by making the lines oblique and joining them.

197. For the number TEN we have a Greek either square or rounded, not only in the inscription of Rosetta, but in many other places.

198. We find the number SEVENTEEN recurring twice as a date in the inscription of Rosetta ; the Greek text, in another part, alluding to the same pe riod, has 18; and the enchorial words are too in distinctly marked to allow us to judge of the iden tity or diversity of the two numbers; but the differ ence of a day is of no consequence, since the festi val of the " assumption of the kingdom" may easily have begun on the .17th of 6lechir, and have con

tinued to the next day, which is the date of the de cree.

199, 200. The enchorial character for

THIRTY, applied to years, seems to be the same as is else where used in the sense of the thirtieth day; but the numbers are almost always confused in the running hand, and exhibit several deviations from the regu lar system of the sacred characters; the number FORTY, for example, in the remarkable passage re to the 42 assessors of Osiris, seems to be de by a single line with a dash on it. 201.. 203. The curl, like the figure 9, meaning A HUNDRED, and the notched circle, supported by a crass, denoting A THOUSAND, occur in several in scriptions, so combined with units and tens, as to leave no doubt respecting the numbers that they re present. This is particularly evident from the con sideration of an inscription " believed to have been found at Karnak." (Descr. de tEgypte. Ant. III.

P1. 38. F. 26 .. 30.)