diff --git a/libguile/ChangeLog b/libguile/ChangeLog
index 8f90ef731..c682a447c 100644
--- a/libguile/ChangeLog
+++ b/libguile/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,20 @@
+2000-04-12  Dirk Herrmann  <D.Herrmann@tu-bs.de>
+
+	* gc.c (scm_gc_sweep):  Simplify the computation of freed memory
+	size for msymbols.
+
+	* symbols.h (SCM_SLOTS, SCM_SYMBOL_FUNC, SCM_SYMBOL_PROPS,
+	SCM_SYMBOL_HASH):  The msymbol slots are now a field of scm_bits_t
+	values.
+
+	* symbols.h (SCM_SET_SYMBOL_FUNC, SCM_SET_SYMBOL_PROPS):  New
+	macros.
+
+	symbols.c (scm_intern_obarray_soft, msymbolize, scm_symbol_fset_x,
+	scm_symbol_pset_x):  Use them.
+
+	* symbols.c (scm_symbol_hash):  Unpack to access SCM raw data. 
+
 2000-04-12  Dirk Herrmann  <D.Herrmann@tu-bs.de>
 
 	* ports.c (scm_port_print):  The port data is read as raw data.
@@ -16,7 +33,7 @@
 
 	* objects.h (SCM_SET_ENTITY_PROCEDURE):  New macro.
 
-	* objects.c (scm_set_object_procedure_x):  Use it.
+	objects.c (scm_set_object_procedure_x):  Use it.
 
 	* struct.c (scm_struct_init):  Unused variable 'data' removed.
 
@@ -31,7 +48,7 @@
 
 	* struct.h (SCM_SET_STRUCT_LAYOUT):  New macro.
 
-	* struct.c (scm_make_vtable_vtable):  Use it.
+	struct.c (scm_make_vtable_vtable):  Use it.
 
 2000-04-11  Dirk Herrmann  <D.Herrmann@tu-bs.de>
 
diff --git a/libguile/gc.c b/libguile/gc.c
index 4b8239996..9ff841aab 100644
--- a/libguile/gc.c
+++ b/libguile/gc.c
@@ -1747,9 +1747,8 @@ scm_gc_sweep ()
 	    case scm_tc7_msymbol:
 	      if (SCM_GC8MARKP (scmptr))
 		goto c8mrkcontinue;
-	      m += (  SCM_LENGTH (scmptr)
-		    + 1
-		    + sizeof (SCM) * ((SCM *)SCM_CHARS (scmptr) - SCM_SLOTS(scmptr)));
+	      m += (SCM_LENGTH (scmptr) + 1
+		    + (SCM_CHARS (scmptr) - (char *) SCM_SLOTS (scmptr)));
 	      scm_must_free ((char *)SCM_SLOTS (scmptr));
 	      break;
 	    case scm_tc7_contin:
diff --git a/libguile/symbols.c b/libguile/symbols.c
index e6afce65c..e02a8f567 100644
--- a/libguile/symbols.c
+++ b/libguile/symbols.c
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ scm_intern_obarray_soft (const char *name,scm_sizet len,SCM obarray,int softness
 
   SCM_SETLENGTH (lsym, (long) len, scm_tc7_msymbol);
   SCM_SYMBOL_HASH (lsym) = scm_hash;
-  SCM_SYMBOL_PROPS (lsym) = SCM_EOL;
+  SCM_SET_SYMBOL_PROPS (lsym, SCM_EOL);
   if (SCM_FALSEP (obarray))
     {
       SCM answer;
@@ -704,7 +704,7 @@ msymbolize (SCM s)
   SCM_SETLENGTH (s, SCM_LENGTH (s), scm_tc7_msymbol);
   SCM_SETCDR (string, SCM_EOL);
   SCM_SETCAR (string, SCM_EOL);
-  SCM_SYMBOL_PROPS (s) = SCM_EOL;
+  SCM_SET_SYMBOL_PROPS (s, SCM_EOL);
   /* If it's a tc7_ssymbol, it comes from scm_symhash */
   SCM_SYMBOL_HASH (s) = scm_strhash (SCM_UCHARS (s),
 				     (scm_sizet) SCM_LENGTH (s),
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_symbol_fset_x, "symbol-fset!", 2, 0, 0,
   if (SCM_TYP7(s) == scm_tc7_ssymbol)
     msymbolize (s);
   SCM_ALLOW_INTS;
-  SCM_SYMBOL_FUNC (s) = val;
+  SCM_SET_SYMBOL_FUNC (s, val);
   return SCM_UNSPECIFIED;
 }
 #undef FUNC_NAME
@@ -767,7 +767,7 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_symbol_pset_x, "symbol-pset!", 2, 0, 0,
   SCM_DEFER_INTS;
   if (SCM_TYP7(s) == scm_tc7_ssymbol)
     msymbolize (s);
-  SCM_SYMBOL_PROPS (s) = val;
+  SCM_SET_SYMBOL_PROPS (s, val);
   SCM_ALLOW_INTS;
   return SCM_UNSPECIFIED;
 }
@@ -783,7 +783,7 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_symbol_hash, "symbol-hash", 1, 0, 0,
   SCM_VALIDATE_SYMBOL (1,s);
   if (SCM_TYP7(s) == scm_tc7_ssymbol)
     msymbolize (s);
-  return SCM_MAKINUM ((unsigned long)s ^ SCM_SYMBOL_HASH (s));
+  return SCM_MAKINUM (SCM_UNPACK (s) ^ SCM_SYMBOL_HASH (s));
 }
 #undef FUNC_NAME
 
diff --git a/libguile/symbols.h b/libguile/symbols.h
index a5af63c6d..aab8b90f3 100644
--- a/libguile/symbols.h
+++ b/libguile/symbols.h
@@ -87,11 +87,13 @@ extern int scm_symhash_dim;
 #define SCM_UCHARS(x)		((unsigned char *) (SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x)))
 #define SCM_SETCHARS(x, v)	(SCM_SET_CELL_WORD_1 ((x), (scm_bits_t) (v)))
 
-#define SCM_SYMBOL_SLOTS	4
-#define SCM_SLOTS(x)		((SCM *) (* ((SCM *) SCM_CHARS (x) - 1)))
-#define SCM_SYMBOL_FUNC(X)	(SCM_SLOTS (X)[0])
-#define SCM_SYMBOL_PROPS(X)	(SCM_SLOTS (X)[1])
-#define SCM_SYMBOL_HASH(X)	(*(unsigned long*) (&SCM_SLOTS (X)[2]))
+#define SCM_SYMBOL_SLOTS	    4
+#define SCM_SLOTS(x)		    ((scm_bits_t *) (* ((scm_bits_t *) SCM_CHARS (x) - 1)))
+#define SCM_SYMBOL_FUNC(X)	    (SCM_PACK (SCM_SLOTS (X) [0]))
+#define SCM_SET_SYMBOL_FUNC(X, v)   (SCM_SLOTS (X) [0] = SCM_UNPACK (v))
+#define SCM_SYMBOL_PROPS(X)	    (SCM_PACK (SCM_SLOTS (X) [1]))
+#define SCM_SET_SYMBOL_PROPS(X, v)  (SCM_SLOTS (X) [1] = SCM_UNPACK (v))
+#define SCM_SYMBOL_HASH(X)	    (SCM_SLOTS (X) [2])
 
 #define SCM_ROSTRINGP(x) (SCM_NIMP(x) && ((SCM_TYP7S(x)==scm_tc7_string) \
 			  || (SCM_TYP7S(x) == scm_tc7_ssymbol)))