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Manchester \ Dear Sir , ' November 5 9 \ 7 & 4 . I have the pleasure of transmitting your diploma as an honorary member of the Literary and Philosophical Society , which I have hitherto been prevented from sending , by a variety of circumstances . Allow me , at the
same time , to thank you for the satisfaction your Essay on Alphabetic Writing afforded me . Had I been favoured with a sight of it before I had occasion to treat on the subject in my Course of Lectures , I should certainly have taken the liberty to avail
myself of your observations , and not only spared myself the study of some days , but , likewise , the exposure of some nonsense . In treating on a subject so involved in obscurity , it is not to be wondered that I found much difficulty in saying any thing satisfactory ; however ,
by the assistance of a number of authorities , I proceeded tolerably well through the known gradations of Hieroglyphic and Syllabic Writing . And though the origin of the
characters of the alphabet do not seem illustrated by any historical relation that can in the least degree be depended on , yet , like most young adventurers , with more rashness than judgment , 1 ventured to hazard a conjecture ,
rather than utterly relinquish the inquiry . As ( I remarked ) it appeared probable that the alphabet of every language is derived from one source , I supposed it possible that the idea of substituting a character which has no similitude to the thing it is to assist in representing to the mind , might possibly take place from one of those
fortuitous circumstances that oftentimes occur , and instantaneously present the accomplishment of what may in vain have exercised the most laborious study and investigation . It is needless to suggest to you that the
perfecting , and even the inventing-, of many of the most important things in science and the arts , have been owing to accidental and unlooked-for incidents which ingenious and intelligent people have availed themselves of , so us to determine to important disco-
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veries and improvements * May vve not , therefore * be authorised in conjecturing , that the figures from whence the characters of the alphabet have originated , might have been suggested from the awkward attempts towards
drawing hieroglyphic characters made by some person who either had not sufficient ingenuity , or wished to spare himself the trouble of forming the necessary design ? You will readily conceive the inference I made . — When once a figure that did not
convey the least relative appearance to the thing it was meant to represent , or assist in representing , was , nevertheless , sufficient to give an idea of resemblance to the mind , the first difficulty would be surmounted , and the imperfect and laborious system of
hieroglyphic writing would be superseded as a more perfect and simple one was formed , and which we see accomplished in the most important discovery of representing sounds and speech by the combination of alphabetic characters .
The small number of letters employed in early times ( Cadmus having only introduced 16 letters , and the Etruscan alphabet , at a still earlier period , being said to consist of no more than 14 letters ) is a
circumstance that luckily favours my hypothesis ; and to this may be added , that hieroglyphic characters were employed at the time , and even long after the use of alphabetic ones . The latter , if of human invention , in-u-st have
been effected by very slow degrees , and it would , therefore , be necessary to supply their early deficiency with picturesque representations , which we may imagine might have some similitude to the hieroglyphic puzzle-papers that are put into the hands of children .
I fear from the length of this Letter that you will be induced to think ' me a hunter of hypotheses and fond of argument , to both which charges I must plead not guilty in general . I will ,
however , put an end to this page , with subscribing myself , with the truest esteem ana respect , Dear Sir , Your most obedient Servant , GEO . BEW . The Rev . Mr . Wahefield .
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216 Letter from the late Mr . Bew to Mr . fVakefield ;
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advocated in " Conjectural Observations on Alphabetical Writing / ' 1772 . J . T . RUTT .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1822, page 216, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2511/page/24/
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