Letter 3655

[fol. 184] Berlin. Sept. 7th. 1729 N.S. Sir not knowing how to direct to the Secretary of the Royal Society, I take the liberty to address myself to you, humbly desiring the favour of an answer. Mr la Croze, who resides here, being a man of some reputation for letters, and remarkably skill’d in the Alphabets both antient and modern of the generally unknown Oriental tongues, & shew’d him about four years ago the transactions wherein there was a copy given of the two lines out of eights of an inscription to be seen on a rock in New England said to have been transmitted to the Royal Society by Dr Cotton Mather, upon the view of it, he told me, he apprehended it to consist of Japonick letters, not of the tongue commonly spoken in Japan, but of that peculiar to the learned there, but that the copy was extreamly vitious, most of the letters being very imperfectly made, besides that the two lines were copies out in length, as we read, whereas that language is to be read downwards. at his instances I communicated to Dr Jurin then the Royal Society’s secretary Mr La Croze’s opinion and desire of a more correct and perfect copy of the whole inscription, Dr Jurin was so kind, as to send word, he had laid my letter before the society, which had commanded him to write to Dr Mather, and obtain of him, to send such a copy as was ask’d for, and that he hop’d e’re long to be able to send it hither, as t’is now above three years, since we had this answer, Mr la Croze has often ask’d me, when we might hope to recieve this copy, and now persuades me to make known his desire a second time. I beg, you’d have the goodness to forgive a stranger, who presumes so much upon yr known humanity as to give you this trouble, and to doe me the honour of believing, that I am with the most profound respect Sir yr most humble and most obedient servant Jn villa my directions are A monsr Villa ministre Anglois du St Evangile a Berlin [fol. 185] I understand to send a letter to the Hobbisian Professor of Mathematics & Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge in New England about this matter.