Elizabeth Town Gazette

Newburyport, May 4.
THE "WRITING ROCK."

Perhaps few of our readers are acquainted with the fact, that, in Taunton River. between the towns of Dighton and Berkley, there is a large rock, on which is cut some curious characters, but by whom, in what language, or what age, are questions, the solution of which has heretofore baffled the skill of the learned, both in Europe and America.

The writer of this article recollects about the year 1791 or 2 of seeing two copies of the writing on the Rock, taken by two gentlemen of Dighton, one by Dr. H. Baylies, the other by Mr. William Goodwin. Copies of the Doctor's transcript were sent to several of the Universities in this country, and a copy of Mr. Goodwin's was sent by the Rev. John Smith, the minister of Dighton to the University of Edinburgh; but it is not known that, at that period, any satisfactory result was returned as to the origin or meaning of these hieroglyphics. We are led to these observations at this time by observing the following paragraph in the last New-Bedford Mercury :-

"We are requested to mention that the Rev. Timothy Alden, President of Alleghany College, has lately received information from a gentleman in France, that the Hieroglyphics on Dighton Rock have been decyphered ; and that it appears they were inscribed by an Asiatic in the year of the world 7902. We are promised a further account of them."_ N. Bedford Mercury.

We hope the editor of the Mercury will not fail to give all the information on the subject he may obtain; in the mean time, we will in our next give the account of the writing Rock which has been published by Mr. Kendal, an English traveller who passed through New-England some twelve or fourteen years ago, and who visited the rock himself.