beyond the possibility of doubt; first, from their astronomical observations; and, secondly, from their chronology. For, although events might have been described by emblems, dates never could have been so handed down: and the exact coincidence of the Chaldean dates with those of the Hebrews, and Hindus, proves that all are true, or all false. But to contend that they were without letters, because, had they been in possession of them, they would not have descended to symbols, is as absurd as unfounded." The whole earth was of one language and of one speech *" for nearly 1800 years; during which period no mode could have been adopted so facile and comprehensive, for the purpose of recording events, communicating sentiments, and carrying on trade, or barter, as that of letters. But from the moment that diverse languages were ordained, and men became divided into nations, " every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations +," then did letters become useless for the purpose of communication out of their respective families. Symbols were therefore resorted to; which appear to have been of two descriptions, hieroglyphics and lines. The former were adopted by the descendants of Ham, and the latter by those of Japheth. At least we know that those nations, which were formed by the former, adopted hieroglyphics, and that lines were carried into China, where they are still in use. They consisted of eight figures, each composed of three lines, partly entire and partly broken; in all producing eight different combinations, which multiplied by itself produces sixty-four different figures, which by being differently disposed, express, in a rude manner, the nature and property of every being, their motion, their rest, their respective opposition, &c. The Chinese affirm that these symbols were invented by Fo-hi, the first of men, the son of heaven. The I-king, the first canonical book of the first order, is written therein*: and, as the Chinese admit that it was not until the time of Confucius, that this book was fully deciphered, and as they record that a prince who lived 1800 years after Fo-hi, by the changes which he made in these lines, gave an account of the reciprocal transmutations of the eight original figures, we may suppose, that the prince who reigned 1800 years after Fo-hi, was the person who first ruled in China; that being the year in which Yu, the first emperor of China, commenced his reign: this was very shortly after the general * Some authors suppose the revelations of Enoch to have been recorded in these lines. ་ confusion of tongues at Babel. It is true, European missionaries following their own calculations, place the reign of this prince a thousand and fiftysix years later; reckoning from the birth of Noah, which they consider the reign of Fo-hi; they thereby ascribe the changes, which the first emperor Yu made in the lines, to Chew, the tyrant of the second dynasty. But aware that such a discovery militated against the character of that prince, they qualify the assertion by ascribing them to an emperor named Ven-vang, and his son Chew-kong, who lived at the same period. But neither Ven-vang, nor this son, ever became emperors. The former was only a tributary prince; although the repeated cruelties and oppressions of the emperor Chew provoking a general revolt among his subjects, they entreated Vu-vang the son of Ven-vang, to put himself at the head of the army; by which means the tyrant was dethroned, and Vu succeeded to the imperial throne. But as a circumstance so material as the first effort towards the extension of the eight figures, by the different changes and transmutations is not mentioned in the life of Ven-vang, who lived during the time of the second imperial house, and as Confucius, who is certainly the best. Chinese authority extant, admits "that although he could relate as mere lessons of morality the events of the first and second imperial houses, yet for want of evidence he could give no certain account of them ;" and as the events of the third dynasty are rendered very doubtful, from the circumstance of the historic books having been all destroyed by the order of the second emperor of the fourth dynasty, about 240 years before the Christian era, it becomes a fair inference, that the prince, who began his reign 1800 years after the commencement of the Chou of Fo-hi, or creation of Adam, was that descendant from Noah, who was chosen as chief of those persons who migrated from Babylonia to China. And it is observable, that the Japanese, by the use of symbols, continue to carry on, not only correspondence, but trade, with provinces, the inhabitants of which, were they to meet, would not be able to converse, from a total ignorance of the language of each other. vincing proof, that a knowledge of letters does not necessarily militate against the use of symbols. The dispersion from Babylon was the only period of time, when they could have been introduced with advantage. An unlettered mariner, shipwrecked on a desert coast, would have no other mode of recording his misfortune, than by pourtraying, on the rock, the figure of a ship in distress, bulged and split. The action would arise from a natural impulse, and the memento be understood by every nation that might after arrive. Whereas, had this mariner been better educated, and written the history of his misfortunes in characters unknown to the next persons who arrived on the coast, probably those written characters had been the origin of divers absurd conjectures. Had the mariner been an Hindu, they had inferred (not being able to read the account) that the coast had formerly been inhabited by Indians; since Malabar or Gentoo characters had been traced on the rocks. Whereas an hieroglyphic denoted, to every nation, that a brother sailor had perished from shipwreck. The inhabitants of Chaldea, at the awful moment when they were visited by the anger of the Almighty, were as the shipwrecked mariner. They were in their own land, but as strangers to each other. And it was the natural impulse of each nation to leave in hieroglyphics a memento of the past. But it does not follow therefrom that they rejected letters. Hieroglyphics were intended as a memento to the end of time, a record that should be understood by every nation of the world. Whilst written characters, only understood by their own nation, were confined for a time, to the recording of events in their several |