Excerpt from The Edinburgh Review, or Critical Journal, Vol. 178: For July, 1893 October, 1893

Some of these writers were much more careful than others; Some sketched the symbols with the fewest strokes allow able others give the fullest forms, and repeat them exactly each time. Some ruled lines, others did not take that trouble. Some added additional symbols, to secure the right reading of the word; others dispensed with such extra labour. It follows that the reading of some of the letters is easier and more certain than that Of others.

Those who are familiar with such texts know that they can only safely be transcribed from the original, and that great care and long practice are required to give accurate results. Such care and practice have been found to charac terise the work Of those who have made the transcripts at Berlin and in London, and there is but one Opinion of the faithful manner in which the work has been done. The method adopted by Dr. Winckler, of publishing the tran script by facsimile, is preferable to the British Museum method of using printed type but the addition of excellent photographs of the tablets, in the volume published at home, gives additional value to the work, and far exceeds anything done in that direction at Berlin, for although such tablets cannot be read from photographs, they are useful in other respects to the student. Some of the earlier transcripts made at Boulak by Dr. Sayce - who, not recognising the archaic character of the script, began by attributing the collection to the time Of Nebuchadnezzar, a thousand years too late - have proved to be very faulty, and the translations which resulted have consequently been swept away. There are still great differences of Opinion as to the rendering Of the more difficult passages; but as to the date and general contents there is now complete accord among all those who have a right to Speak on the subject. The translations published differ greatly in merit. Some of Dr. Bezold's abstracts (for he has not attempted complete renderings of those in London) have been called in question already but as regards the royal letters he appears to have been Often very successful; and he was the first to indicate the true topography of the Hittite attack On Damascus.

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