from Coptic writers of every thing refpecting Egypt, to add to La Croze's dictionary a great number of words, and to form the outline of a Thebaic dictionary of above 2000 articles. Notwithtanding all which, he frequently finds Egyptian words whofe fignification is determined by analogy with the Greek infeription as well as by conftruction, and which were not before in his collection. And yet the Rofetta infeription is but a few centuries anterior to the oldett pieces written in Coptic; for example, the verfion of the Palms,

A point occurs in the middle of words, which might be taken for an abbreviation, as in the names of Ofris, Phtha, prieft, &c. The Egyptian word for Phtha anfwers to two fvnoDymous denominations in the Greek infeription, HP450 and 92, contrary to Sacy's observation against the fyttem The letters which Sacy explained adopted by the learned, who confidered Ofiris occur in this infeription much and 9% as the fame deity. oftener than the name, which is always joined with is; which laf, indead

himfelf with comparing the vowels of the infeription with thofe of the Coptic alphabet, partly by the value of the Greek proper names, exprefled partly by the analogy of the Coptic words, which feem to be clearly the fame as the Egyptian words wherever thefe vowels are found. M. Zoega has exhaulted the fubject of Egyptian alphabetical writing a his work "De Origine et Ufu Obelifcorum." The Snuolixa a of Herodotus are the xxx rezumala of this infeription; but the hieratic writing mentioned by Clemens Alexandriums (Strom. V. 4) is that in which it is compofed, for it was that which was ufed by the hierogram mates or facred feribes. The epilo lary writing mentioned by him may have been a kind of running-hand, derived, with fome variation, from the hieratic, or the writing ufed in books. This is the progrefs of the art of writing among all nations. If we admit this explanation of the paflage in Clemens Alexandrinus, who, except Porphyry, is the only author who fpeaks of a triple form of writing among the Egyptians, thefe authors are easily reconcileable with Herodotus and Dio dorus, who admit but two forts of writing, the hieroglyphic, and the vulgar or alphabetic. This latter Clemens calls hicratic, because it ferved the purpoles of the facred feribes; and the running-hand derived from it he calls epiftolographic writing; fuch, perhaps, as we find on the bandages of mummies and the rolls of papyrus, and evidently a degradation of the writing of our infcription, where M. Akerblad difcovers many fimilar letters; and if he has not found a complete word, it is for want of examining the fubject, which will be fet in a clearer light by De Non's fpecimens of this papyrus, which, it is not to be doubted, Millin will fhortly make public.

To conclude: a more perfect acquaintance with the Egyptian infeription will help to fill up the mutilated parts of the Greek, fuch as the date, 1. 46, and the concluding line, which, by the Egyptian, feems to have runδεύτε, α ως και τρίτων πόρων εν οις ίδρυσε ή η είναι του Θεου βασιλιώς αιωνόβιου, though the capitals would make it rather too long. The fente is, that "this ftone was to be placed in each of the temples, of the firft, fecond, and third order, in which the king's itatue was placed." This refloration, as to the

order of the temples, agrees with the hieroglyphical part above, where, at the end of the laft line, are three hieroglyphic figures lying horizontally, and over them marks 1. 11. III. from right to left.

In a fhort reply annexed to this publication, Sacy, though perfectly fatisfied with the arrangement of the Coptic account of the priests and religious minifiers, demurs to the cbfervations on the name of Alexander, and tiill contends for capitals at the beginning of proper names, and objects to the figures to which the value of vowels is afligned, the confonants being of more confequence. We admit this as a fair Sacy, that his correfpondent Akerblad and candid confeflion on the part of has more fully illuftrated the infeription.

We received at the fame time "a new interpretation of the Phenician Infcription at Oxford," in Latin, by M. Akerblad. In illafrating the Phoe nician infeription found by him at Athens, and inferted laft wear in the

Tranfactions of the Royal Society of Gottingen, he read over hafiily what had been written on the fubject of the Phoenician letters; but fince, having an opportunity of examining the Phonician coins of the king of Sweden, lithed by Bartlemy, Swinton, Bayer, and monuments in that language puband others, he applied himflf to the Phoenician infeription among those and commented on by Bartley in the brought from Cyprus by Bp. Pococke, Memoirs of the Academy of Belles Lettres, vol. XXX. attacked firs by Swinton in the Philofophical Traniactions, vol. LIV. p. 411, whole Lacn tradation is adopted in the "Matu ora Oxonientia," whence the nonument itfelf is here copied on a fmaller texte.

Bartlemy's tranflation is to this effecì:

"I fleep, Abdaffar, fon of Abdilidim. fon of Chad, of Tabeth After having pait quietly my life, I reft in the tomb for a feries of ages. Mathrach, my wife, daughter of Tham . . . . . ton of Abdielec, erected this *.

Swinton's to the following:

"The marble of Abdafar, fon, of Abdfefam, fon of Hhur. The tomo

* In a letter to the Marquis ( viert, Paris, 1766, he thus alters his tranflatio: "Abdaffar, fon of Abifflem, ton f Char (or Hhour).

(or in the tomb) for the feries of Aftarte, daughter of Tham, fou of 453. melic, erected this.".

ftone of Lemebi, who lived 20 years of
an age of pain. Go down to the eter-
nal prifon of the grave, thofe who died
at Amathuns. This monument is the
building of the houfe (or family) of
Tain, fou of Abdielec."
Akerblad's
's as follows:

"I Abedafar, fon of Abedfufam, fon of Char, this monument to her who, in my life-time, departed from my tranquil bed into an eternal one, have placed to my wife Aftarte, daughter of Taam, fon of Abedmilec."

They all three tranflate it into Hebrew, being written in that dialect, or in one very near to it as are all the rest of Bp. Pococke's Cyprian infcriptions, as all the genuine Phoenician inferiptions are to conceived, and as Bochart conjectured that the antient language of Phoenicia was the fame as the Hebrew. This infeription is nietrical, and to be referred to the times preceding the taking of Cyprus by the firt of the Lagidæ, above 300 years before Chrift; or as the language refembled the oldest Hebrew-perhaps 100 years before Ptolemy, the fon of Lagus.

Mr. URBAN,

D. H.

Near Bradford, York-
fhire, Dec. 23.

I HAVE lately been reading your

volumes for the.. year 1801, and among the variety of entertainment, I found my attention was particularly attracted to what your correfpondents, a Southern Faunifi, Fidalis; and a Confiant Reader, advanced concerning Bees; for in their communications I found myself particularly interetted, being as great an admirer as any of them of thofe wonderful and useful infects. I have kept them for a number of years, and I may fay, I have been an experimentalist"in the treatment of them. I have tried the common way; I have tried collateral hoxes, and likewife the method recommended by the New BeeMafier, with flat top and tliders, and have found all these methods infufficient to protect them from their numerous enemies; the moth, the flug, the moufe, the tom-tit, and depredators of their own fpecies; but I have pleafure in faying, I have difcovered a method of keeping them, that is effectual to preferve them from all thefe enemies, and likewife increase the produce of honey and wax, when the feafons are favourable; and do not you think, Mr. Urban, fuch a com

munication deferving a premium from fome of the Societies for encouraging nfeful difcoveries? If any of them, Sir, will grant me one, I will receive it with gratitude and felf-complacency; be this as it will, I hope you will allow me to make your useful Mifcellany the vehicle of communicating my method to your valuable correfpondents aforefaid, and the publick at large. Do not think that my method is either difficult or expenfive; it is fimple and ealy, and therefore the more valuable. I make ufe of what the country-people here call an imp, or lift, (that is, a few wreaths of firaw), fuch as is ufually put under a full hive to enlarge it, and with which, I fuppofe, every beekeeper is acquainted-Upon this, I fix, by means of pegs, a circular board of feafoned wood, having previoufly made an opening near the edge, directly over the entrance of the imp, of 2 or 3 inches in lngth, and in breadth. When it is thus prepared, I place the hive with the bees in, upon it, and carefully flop up the upper entrance, learing them an egrefs and ingrefs only through the opening of the board, and the mouth of the imp; by which means my bees live foug as it were in an upper flory, fecure from their enemies,

for by thus treating them the hive is

easily removed without hurting the bees, and the moth-worm, which is ufually bred under the edges at bottom, may be deftroyed, and the moufe and the flug cannot afcend to annoy them, and thould the walp, or other bees, in autumn attempt to rob them, as the bees hang in a clutter about the opening in the board, they would pay dear for their intrufion; befides, as the honey is lodged as it were in an inner room, they are not fo easily attracted by the faiell of it, yet my bees thus treated never fuffer from these enemies: as for the tom-tit, I never obferved that it preyed upon any but dead bees, that are brought out of the hive. Another advantage of this mode of treatment is, early and numerous fwarms. During the laft fummer, which has been very unfavourable indeed to bees, all my ftocks have fent forth 2 or 3 fwarms each; while three of my neighbours, who are all the perfons, befides myfelf, that keep bees in this village, can only boal of one fwarm amought them: but, you'll fay, how is the quantity of honey and wax in creafed? To this I anfwer; in winte

not abfolutely perpendicular to the mantle-tree, but from an obtufe angle with it, being in general confiderably broader as they rife from the plane of the mantle-tree, than at their exterior furface, or fummit. The letters there-

feription ittelf, than they appear to be in the fac-fimile; and, in particular, the foot of the character in difpute, though not longer; nor more curved

your plate, almoft touches the adjoining figure of three. There is therefore no room to make it into a V; nor is there the leaft appearance, that any thing has been effaced, either here or above the letters in this part.

they confume lefs of their fore; and in fummer, when a hive is full of bees, I put a larger imp, prepared in the fame manner, of 10 or 12 inches deep under it, that it appears as a double hive; and out of this in- Auguft I have taken feveral quarts of pure honey (fore are nearer to each other in the inhave never found them to breed in it), while the upper part was equally ftored, as if no fueh addition had been made; nor have I ever found this additional room has hindered them.from fwarm-than as it is accurately reprefented in ing, for, as the breeding of young is carried on folely in the upper ftory, when they have queens, &c. ready, they will fwarm notwithsanding this abundance of room. Such is my mode of treatment of this ufeful infect, and fuch are the advantages of it. Should any of your correfpondents, adopt it, I fhould be glad to be informed of the refult by means of your useful Milcellany. I would have fent your as drawing of my plan, but I am no limner, nor have I any body near me that can fupply this deficienty, but I hope the defcription I have given will be eafily underfood. Should this communication be kindly received, perhaps at fome future period you may hear again from PHILOMELISSUS.

NE word more, with your teave,

ONE

The

on the Helidon mantle; as a correfpondent, LXXH, 1016, has again adverted to it. The first of the three figures is by no means "an afcertained figure." In fact, this character, marking the century, is the only part of the infeription worth contefting. upper part of the moft antient fives that I have feen (perhaps not earlier than the beginning of the fifteenth century) was a firaight line, without any head or curve, as at prefent, to the right hand. The character in difpute has no refemblance to the five, either in its original or prefent fhape. An ingenious friend conjectured from the fac-fimile, that this controverted, cha-racter was part of a V, and that the other half (to the right hand) and a finall C, originally above it, to denote five hundred, might have been effaced. In confequence of this farmife, I vified the mantle again, once or more; and muft now note a circumstance, which the fac-fanile, copied from the furface of the inferiptinti, could not exhibit. The lines or bodi of the letters are

There are three O's in the infcription, That in DO is not ftrictly the black letter, or angular ; the other two are of that form; but one of them lands upright, the other is laid on its tide. The difputed character is not entirely the fame in form with the i in DO, but it is much more like it than either the O's, or the two figures of three, are to each other; and, on the whole, I think, whoever attentively views this famous infcription, whatever he may wish to make of the difputed letter, he will not be able to fatisfy himself, that it is, or ever was, any thing but an i, or one; but if he will infift, that it is fomething elfe, it is far more like a two, as Profeffor Ward would have it, than a five. R. CHURTON.

ANTIQUARIUS," p. 1108, re

fers to my communication, vol. LX. p. 1196, on the death of the late Rev. Win. Dade, and atks a quellion, which I am not well able to anfier; but which I conceive every fubfcriber to the intented Hifiory of Holderness has a right to put to his executor. The plates were engraved and printed; and thefe alone, but especially if added to the final portion of the history then through the press, would be, in my opinion, worth to the fubfcribers not only the guinea paid, but a fecoad froin each of thein. Any hope o£, a completion of the work, I fear, muft be very difiant. Report in the Seigniory fays, that the MS is, at this time, lodged under the case of the gentleman who had the goodness to comarumicate the greatest number of plates, and of materials for the work.

N. B.

Mr.

Therinometer

within at 8 A.M.

Mean of Thermometer within.

Thermometer without at 8 A.M.