Lacock Abbey
24 Dec/56
Dr Sir
I am particularly obliged to you for copies of your papers on the Personal pronouns, and on the annals of Sargon and Sennacherib, neither of which I had previously seen. I was not aware that you had prepared for the trustees of the British Museum a translation of Bellino’s Cylinder – But Mr Vaux informed me one day, that you had prepared a translation of the annals of Ashurakhbul, or of some considerable part of them – I said to him, that I could not ask to look at your MS. without your express sanction and permission, to which he replied "Of course not", and thus, as you were in Ireland, the MS. remained unseen by me. But as nothing can exceed the kindness and courtesy of Mr Vaux, I feel sure that if it depended on him to order the publication of your most valuable labours now in MS. in the hands of the Trustees, he would not hesitate to do so immediately, or to take any other step calculated to place your rights of priority in a just light. They are incontestable – The delivery of your MS to a public body like the trustees of the B Musm was a publication. I am extremely glad to learn from you that there is a general agreement between your version and mine as to the meaning of Bellino & the "Annals" (you do not say whether you translated Esarhaddon likewise) and it appears to me that it may be possible to turn this circumstance to a very useful account, and thus to educe good out of evil, which is always a great satisfaction – The object at present clearly is to carry a conviction of the truth of these discoveries to the minds of the numerous candid and enlightened scholars of this country who are at present hesitating whether to admit them or not (many conceiving that something has been ascertained with certainty but that no reliance can be placed on the translation of while texts) –
Now, nothing is so convincing an argument to the minds of most people as the agreement between two independent translators. If therefore you think fit to memorialize the Trustees to print your translations I am sure I should be most happy to second it by pointing out the great advantage which must accrue to science from the publication of independent translations, to say nothing of the justice of the thing which must be evident. You might easily add in notes, those improvements which your increased knowledge at the present day enables you to effect in your translation. As I know several of the Trustees personally I should have great pleasure in aiding your requests I thank you for pointing out the probable meaning of Jumbi "waggons"
In p. 17 of your pamphlet you have clearly anticipated my remarks on the identity of Sirki and Kerkesiah – If my work is continued, I will point out this in No 2 – In the meanwhile I look upon it as a most satisfactory agreement, with respect to a fundamental point of the geography – I see also that you have identified the city of Khazazi, which had escaped me.
I remain Dr Sir Your very Truly
H. F. Talbot
Revd Dr Hincks