Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 33 its edge is an Ogham inscription, f which has been given as Safaqqud Maqiqici, or possibly, Maqirici, Dr. Ferguson states that the Ogham inscriptions of South Britain are nearly always accompanied by a corresponding one in the Roman <:haracter. But this does not seem to be the case on the Fardle Stone, if the Oghams have been read correctly, the inscriptions appearing to be independent of each other, and commemorating three different persons, Sagramnus, and Fanonus, the son of Virinus (Fanon the son of Rian) in the Roman lettering, and Safaqquc, the son of Qici, or Cuic. The Fardle Stone and a stone at Tavistock are the only ones that have been found in Devon with an Ogham inscription, but they prove that the symbol of the ancient Irish language was in the far-away days not unknown in this part of our island. t The characters of the Ogham alphabet, or symbols of the Erse, or ancient Irish language, are simply notches and short lines cut on or across an upright line, the latter being generally in the angle of the stone on which the inscription is graven, and the lettei-s so formed are read upwau'ds. If we imagine ourselves to be looking at a stone on which the alphabet is cut, we shall find it to be as follows. The angle of the stone ^hall form the fleasg^ or upright line, and we must commence at the bottom. One notch - - - - a Two notches - - - o Three „ - - - - u Four „ - - - - e 'ive „ - - - 1 One line across the upright line - - - - m Two lines „ - -, g Three „ „ - - ng Four „ »i " - st Five „ „ - - r One line on the right of the upright line - - h Two lines - - d Three „ . . t Four „ „ - - k Five „ „ - - q One line on the left of the upright line „ - - b Two lines - - 1 Three „ „ - - f Four „ „ - - s Five „ „ - - n Prior to 1873 the sign for the letter B was not known, but in that year this was discovered, a stone now at Tavistock affording the requisite information. Dr. Ferguson of Dublin having taken a cast of this stone was able to decipher it on his return home, and the sign for B was ascertained without any doubt, as the stone bore the same inscription in the Roman character as it did in the Ogham. It will be noticed that no letter is represented by more than five lines ; this has been considered as suggestive of these signs having had their origin from such as could be readily made by the fingers. D
