TALBOT8351

D^r Hincks

Millburn March 4 – 62

D^r Sir

I agree with you in all your values of except dha which I have not found. I have not seen used as kat except when it signifies a hand. for nul I have never seen.

The polyphone values are among the Chief difficulties of the language and I am persuaded they must have occasionally Caused embarrassment to the Assyrians themselves. Probably the bulk of the population was uneducated, and unable to read and write: but those persons who could read a little only, must have been sadly puzzled by the polyphones and the other peculiarities of this language.

I am not surprised that modern literati are reluctant to admit the fact of their existence, so opposed to all the former facts of philology. I do not think you will be able to make a convert of Oppert in the matter of and רכד, but I shall be very glad to see your promised refutation of him when you publish it. I may be wrong as to Rawlinson and, domus aquæ, but I certainly thought he had somewhere published an opinion that was analogous to Neptune, or even to Noah, and the domus aquæ was a tradition of Noah’s ark.

I remain D^r Sir Yours very truly
H. F. Talbot