Southwick, near Oundle,
Jan. 30th, 1852.
SIR,--Your excellent little work, "Current Notes," is worthy of all
praise and support; as affording to the Numismatist, the Paleologist,
and the Archeologist, &c. the means not only of giving a written account
of their various studies, but also of exhibiting facsimiles of the
objects of their research. At the same time that I thank you for the
insertion of my last (p. 3, Jan. 1852), allow me to present you with one
of, I think, much greater interest to the Chronologist and Historian,
taken from "Gesenii Monumenta Phoenicia, Pars 3, Tab. 11, fig. XL. bis,"
[Illustration]
The letters at the top of the signet are _Ch sr b l_; and the reading
is, "_The great king_." At the bottom of the signet they are,
_A ch m n_; and the reading is, "_Achemen_," and with the Greek
termination _Achæmenes_. On the right side they are _a n b_, Hebrew
[Hebrew letters: Aleph, nun, and Bet], taken as numerical characters,
_i.e._ 1000, 700, 2; making the date 1702. On the left, the figure like
the Greek [Greek: ou], is the sign of Taurus, to denote the month when
the sun entered into Taurus. The _dove and leaf_ seem to refer to "_the
dove and olive leaf_," Gen. viii. 11.
Let me now refer your readers to Drummond's Origines, v. 1, p. 310:
"The Greeks fancied Achæmenes to have been the name of the progenitor of
Cyrus; but _Achæmenes_ is nothing else than a corruption of one of those
pompous and impious titles, which were assumed by the kings of Iran, and
of which the inscriptions explained by M. de Sacy afford many examples.
_Achæmenes_, as I have shown elsewhere, signifies _Rex coeli_ in ancient
Persian."
So much for _guess-work_, which cannot be too much reprobated. I do not
pretend to any skill in chronology, but the calculation appears to be so
simple, that I will attempt it, taking the dates of our authorized
version of the Bible.
Deluge 2349 A.C.
Signet engraved 1702 _from_ the Deluge
Or 647 A.C.
Cyrus begins to reign 537 A.C.
Therefore, from the beginning of the reign of Achæmenes to the same of
Cyrus is 110 years.
From this remarkable signet we obtain the historical truth, that
Achæmenes began his reign in the month Taurus, 1702, after THE _Deluge_.
I have found the Deluge taken as an epoch in various Cuneiform and
Egyptian, &c. documents, that have not been explained to the public.
Yours truly,
T. R. BROWN.
_T. R. B.'s translation received, but must stand over for the present._
ROBERT HOBLYN, _quere_ RICHARD?
No. 59, Grey Street, Newcastle, Tyne,
January 28th, 1852.
SIR,--In your "Current Notes" for this month (p. 7), a correspondent, A.
K., enquires about "Robert Hoblyn" and his Works. Presuming he has made
a mistake in the name, and that he means "Richard" instead of "Robert,"
I send herewith a list of some of "Richard's" Works,
I remain, yours,
Mr. Willis. THOMAS GRAY.
Richard D. Hoblyn, A.M., Oxon, author of "Medical Terms," "Scientific
Terms," "Manuals of Natural Philosophy of Chemistry, and of the Steam
Engine," "First Books in Science," &c. &c.