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THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF THE PAPYRI AND ITS RELATION TO HISTORIC RESEARCH.

BY W. MARSHAM ADAMS.

THE Concurrence of no less than seven Powers in the proposal which I had the honour of submitting through Lord Cromer to the Egyptian Government, for undertaking the registration and cataloguing of the Hieroglyphic and Hieratic Papyri scattered through the Public Collections of foreign countries, and the support given to the proposal by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, raise the project from a mere design to that of a practical undertaking, and lay the foundation of what certainly promises to be one of the most singular productions that the literary world has ever witnessed. It is therefore with much pleasure that I avail myself of your valuable Review to bring to the notice of Orientalists some particulars of the scheme which, through the powerful support of Lord Cromer and M. De Morgan, I have been so fortunate as to set on foot, and more particularly of the enlargement of Historic Research which it has in view.

Some forty or fifty years ago a knowledge of hieroglyphic was scarcely to be obtained except at great expense and no inconsiderable labour. Champollion indeed had thrown open the long-closed tomb of hieroglyphic literature; but the controversial dust which on every hand arose in clouds well-nigh choked the student who would advance into its depths. Indeed, so difficult was it to find out what to study, and on what authority to rely, that a man almost required to be an accomplished Egyptologist before he could commence the study of Egyptology. That condition of things, however, has long past away. The labours of Brugsch and Maspero and Renouf, with other authorities of scarcely less eminence, have given a clearness and accuracy to the whole field of Egyptology; while the translations and transliterations by such writers as Dr. Budge have rendered to the beginner the invaluable service of easily acquiring a familiarity with the hieroglyphic text. Nor are the opportunities for the acquisition of the language wanting as of old. At home as well as abroad facilities for that purpose are beginning to offer themselves. Oxford has secured in her Professor of Assyriology a brilliant representative also of Egyptian lore; while London, thanks to the generosity of a lady, can boast of an acknowledged Professorship of hieroglyphics. In a word, a generation of students is growing up, sparse it may be, but gradually I believe increasing in numbers, who will be enabled in early life to read these ancient documents with comparative ease; and thus to throw literally incalculable light upon all the social and political phenomena of the earliest, the most influential, and the most enduring civilization on record.

It will scarcely therefore be denied that the time has fully arrived when the public at large should enjoy some means of ascertaining what the

nature of these venerable documents may be, and where they may be consulted; but this is unfortunately far from being an easy matter. From the days when Belzoni, like another Hercules, went down into the tomb to bring back its buried treasure, a tornado of distinguished travellers and eminent explorers has passed over Egypt, sweeping with it whole clouds of papyri, and scattering them in every direction like the rain of cinders from Krakatoa, over the museums and collections of the North. From one end of Europe to the other, in Naples and in Stockholm, in London and in Vienna, at the Louvre and at the Vatican, and wherever fate may have directed them, these messengers from a long-buried past are buried again in a profound and almost forgotten silence. Each in his narrow cell, apparently for ever laid, the papyri in the European collections are wrapped for the most part in a slumber as profound and almost as secret as they enjoyed before-time in their original sepulchres. Local catalogues indeed, some of them containing much valuable information, are to be found in certain great libraries, such as M. Devéria's elaborate catalogue of the Egyptian documents at the Louvre, or that by M. Marucchi of the papyri at the Vatican. But this is unluckily not always the case, nor is there anything to indicate what institution is possessed of such documents, so that the quest after any particular papyrus resembles nothing so much as searching for the certificate of a marriage of which one does not know at what date, or in what country the ceremony was performed. Such a state of affairs was evidently to be deplored, not only by every Egyptologist, but by every lover of history.; for it is impossible that the development of later communities, whether in the East or West, can be properly traced until the constitution of the earlier and more central civilization be correctly under stood. And the formation of a general catalogue of the Hieroglyphic and Hieratic Papyri scattered throughout the Public Collections of Europe— for the Demotic and Greek would for various reasons be more conveniently deferred, and private Collections must for the present at least be regarded as inaccessible-seemed to me a work imperatively demanded, if progress were to be made in this deeply interesting field of research.

But how to achieve this formidable task? For a private individual to attempt such an undertaking were clearly hopeless; while even an ordinary Government might encounter serious difficulty in obtaining the necessary particulars from the curators of independent countries. One country, and one alone, seemed to me to be pointed out by circumstances as the natural executor of the undertaking, viz., the country to which the papyri originally belonged. If the Egyptian Government were to address the various Powers requesting them to cbtain from the curators of the museums belonging to their respective countries lists of the papyri in their possession, with such particulars as might be required, they would probably-and the event has proved the supposition correct-receive in the majority of cases a courteous and favourable response. A natural channel also for approaching the Khedive's Government was to be found in our representative, Lord Cromer; but even in this initial stage the international character of the undertaking began to assert itself, for it seemed essential to obtain the support of the distinguished French representative of archæology in Egypt,

M. De Morgan, director of the Egyptian museum at Boulaq, upon whom in great measure the burden of execution would presumably fall.

Accordingly, since the matter was one wherein it was open for anyone to move interested in the development of human society, I took the opportunity when visiting Egypt about two years ago, after informally consulting certain distinguished scholars, of explaining my views to Lord Cromer, and laying before him the details, a knowledge of which appeared to me to be necessary for the purpose-viz., the number or press-mark of each papyrus in its local catalogue, the name of the monarch to whose reign the papyrus is attributed, the character of the text whether hieroglyphic or hieratic, the place where the document was discovered and the name of the discoverer. Where also the nature of the contents was already known to the curator or , easily ascertainable by him from documents in his own possession and without reference to any external authority, I proposed that it should be classified by a single word, either as "Religious," "Historical," or "Miscel laneous," the Scientific and Moral Papyri being classified with the Religious, from which there is often no little difficulty in distinguishing them. And to these details were subsequently added the dimensions and state of preservation of the papyrus.

In drawing up this list two considerations had great weight with me. In the first place the production of the papyri ranges over such an immense period of time that the primary element of importance relative to any papyrus is the epoch to which it is attributed. And while, therefore, it is essential that the International Register should follow the order of the papyri in the Local Lists, the International Catalogue would be of little value, unless the papyri were arranged, not in local, but historical order. On the other hand, it is of the greatest importance that no particulars should be requested except such as in the majority of cases would be ascertainable by the curators without the necessity of translating the text; since, if the examination of the MSS. by experts in hieroglyphic were involved, the time required for the catalogue would be practicably without limit, Nor was this the only, or indeed the chief, reason why I was anxious to omit any such attempt as is made in some cases at a précis or detailed account of the contents of the documents; for the result. would appear calculated rather to injure than advance the object in view, by substituting a superficial for an accurate knowledge. Even to a scholar the temptation to rely for his statements upon so convenient an authority, instead of making a journey, it may be, half across Europe to consult the original MS., would be almost excusable, whereas little experience in research is needed to show how large a portion of error in history is due to the acceptance of convenient substitutes for original documents. At the same time, it cannot be denied that an analysis of the principal papyri, more particularly of such as relate to matters of history, might, if performed with judgment, supply a valuable work of reference. But its execution seems more fitted for the individual Governments to which the papyri belong, who would appoint their own experts to analyze them at their leisure.

Upon receipt of my communication Lord Cromer promised me that he would take an early opportunity of consulting M. De Morgan, who hap

pened to be away at the time. And shortly after my return to England I received a letter from his lordship stating that, having received the cordial support of M. De Morgan, he had laid my proposal before Boutros Pasha, the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs; and that His Excellency had sent out a circular to the representatives of His Highness' Government, a copy of which he courteously forwarded to me, instructing them to request the Powers to obtain for them the necessary particulars. In addition to the catalogue of the papyri, His Excellency requested that materials should be obtained for a supplementary catalogue of the Egyptian curiosities and relics. of antiquity contained in the various museums; a proposition which, if illustration were afforded by the various Governments, would alone give rise to a series of volumes of remarkable interest, only second in importance to the catalogue of the papyri. Nor can I here refrain from pointing out that such relics possess a power of appealing to the public eye which is altogether wanting in the writings, so that collectively they would furnish a lesson of the most striking character as to the nature and extent of that primæval civilization. And if a stranger may be permitted the suggestion, I cannot conceive a nobler or more appropriate crown for the great work achieved in this field by France, than for her to find a place in the Exhibition with which she proposes to celebrate the completion of the century for an international collection of the memorials of reawakened Egypt which she has done so much to disentomb.

But though the undertaking was thus set on foot, the chief difficulty of execution still remained to be solved. For it is clear that a task involving the transposition and rearrangement of so immense a number of entries, each comprising so many details, could never be successfully carried out unless every step from start to finish were definitely arranged before its execution were taken in hand. And inasmuch as it was at my motion in the first instance that the Government of His Highness had assumed the task, I drew up a plan whereby every step, both of registration and classification, with regard to any papyrus in the catalogue whatever, should be directly and permanently traceable; and submitted it to Lord Cromer, who, after several months of consideration, informed me that it had been approved by M. De Morgan.

Although a few of the Powers have not yet replied, the general response to Boutros Pasha's appeal has been very encouraging; and M. De Morgan, who has shown the greatest interest in the matter, must, I think, be not a little gratified by the result. Our own Government, it is pleasant to know, was the earliest in the field, the authorities of the British Museum having given immediate assurance of their cordial co-operation, and having since forwarded several lists of papyri. Nor have the other Powers been remiss, but have manifested every desire to be of assistance. Germany has promised compliance and applied for supplementary instruction. AustriaHungary has promised to send lists of the papyri, etc., in the Imperial and Royal House. Denmark has sent a list of the papyri in the Museum at Copenhagen, with an account by Professor Valdemar Schmidt. The United States have sent word that the Smithsonian Institute has promised to occupy itself with the construction of a catalogue. Holland announces

that it refers for the moment to the catalogue and works published by the Museum of Leyden. Portugal states that it has made researches but without result. Sweden and Norway have sent a catalogue of the papyri in the private collection of M. Lieblein.

Upon hearing from Lord Cromer to this effect, it appeared to me that the time had arrived when the Egyptian Government might commence to digest the mass of material thus acquired, and that they might tabulate the necessary particulars first for registration, and secondly for historical classification. Taking, however, into consideration the complexity and extent of the task, it appeared to me highly desirable that a specimen or miniature catalogue containing the particulars of say 300 papyri in all, belonging to different countries, should be constructed before entering upon the general field. And I ventured therefore to propose that a certain number, say fifty papyri, should be selected from each list supplied by the above-mentioned countries; and that such papyri should be registered and catalogued in historical order upon the lines laid down by myself and approved by M. De Morgan. By this means it seems to me that we shall test in a very simple manner the practicability and sufficiency of the proposed Catalogue, and shall obtain a model which will serve to prevent much confusion and defect when dealing with the whole body of papyri at large.

To this suggestion Lord Cromer replied that while personally approving the proposed step, the matter is so large and important that he would be much strengthened in recommending it if I could gain for it the favourable opinion of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. And I wrote therefore to the two Vice-Chancellors begging them to bring the matter to the notice of the Universities, and to solicit their opinion upon the point. In reply the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford informs me that he has brought the matter before the Hebdomadal Council, and that they recommend the course which I have suggested; while the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge tells me that he has referred the matter to the Library Syndicate, and that they have passed a Resolution in its support. I have written therefore in this sense to Lord Cromer; and have further ventured to suggest, in the event of the proposal being carried out, that, taking into consideration the wide importance attaching to the documents and the number of States which have already evinced their interest in the work, copies of the Specimen Catalogue when complete should be submitted to the principal Universities, whether at home or abroad, for their judgment and approval.

It is difficult to estimate the influence which the opening up of these records may exert upon our conceptions with regard to the development of antique society; and there seems little exaggeration in the expression used by his Excellency, that the catalogue when completed will be a genuine contribution to science. As might be expected, the topics discussed-for a large number of papyri have already been examined-range over a very wide field, including not merely the doctrines of ancient religion, but history, philosophy, the practice of medicine, with which that of magic is curiously mixed up, and other miscellaneous matters, from which we obtain many valuable sidelights on the customs of antiquity. Thus M. Maspero. has been enabled to picture for us the whole course of a strike of stone

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