TY=thousands 4 while the tens and units have separate figures. Now to apply this to our inscriptions from Mathura, Manikyâla and Kâbul. The Mathura dates give sider as equivalent to the Arian letter 100, then the first character × may be and xy. Let us con h for hat = sat= = ༢ 4 and the date would be 4 hundreds plus 31 in the first case or 431, and 401 in the or second case, by adopting Thomas's for 30- which I doubt. The figure 4 is represented indifferently by ch, or by chh - as -X. In the Manikyâla inscription the date is 9 which might be read as "hundreds 4, plus 4, or 404. It is no matter which way the date is read-as by reading from the left it would be 4 plus 4 hundreds. The Wardak date 3 3 would be hundreds 3 plus 3 = 303 which if of the Seleucidan era would be 9 B.C. The day of the month, however, seems to include the same cipher 7. If this is the same character my new reading falls to the ground at once→→ but it is possible to read = vrihiya 4. 7 The whole subject is full of difficulty. In the Mathura dates it would be better perhaps to take the sloping character which agrees with the Kâbul and Manikyâla forms as the index for hundreds, but then the date would be in hundreds. One thing is certain in the Western Cave inscriptions, the units and tens are represented by independent cyphers the hundreds and thousands by the unit cyphers with indices. Now as the Kâbul and Mathura inscriptions are of about the same period, we ought to expect to find the same system of notation employed in them. I have a suspicion that the two Mathura dates of and are the same, the two middle characters of the first being new exponents must be an unit as it is used to number the day of the month. It is the figure 1 of the Satrap inscriptions of the Western Caves. If we might read as 4 h a 1, that is 4 hat aka anka 1, = 4 hundreds + units 1 = 401 anka being taken for unit. The figure 7 is represented by in the Cave inscriptions. Thomas's for 30 is a mistake, which he has adopted from Stevenson. His for 30 may be correct--and if so, the Mathura date according to my reading will be 4 h 314 hat (or hundreds) +31 431 which deducted from 477 or 457 will give B.C. 46 or 26-for Huvishka and I would read ✯ as 400 + 1 = 401 which would give 76 or 56 B. C. for Vasu (—). Now the Kanwa Prince Vasu Deva reigned from 66 to 57 B. C. This date would therefore suit him exactly. xx = h 4 + 4 = 404 of Manikyala (Kanishka), and Kohwát. The Chinese and the Ceylonese place kamishka 400 years after Buddha. The Wardak date of 733 h 3 + 3 = 303 must be of the Seleucidan era = 9 B. C. for Huvishka the date of Kanishka being as above 404-457 53 B. C. According to the Raja Taringini the three brothers reigned 60 years." Dr. Hall writes from London, Oct. 10th. 'Benfey has written a Sanskrit grammar for Englishmen. It has been translated into English; and Müller is seeing the translation through the press. The fourth part of Muir's Sanskrit Texts is well advanced. The 4th vol. of Müller's Rig Veda and commentary will be out in a few days." We are glad to announce that our learned coadjutor has been appointed Professor of Hindustani and Indian Jurisprudence in King's College. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL, FOR JULY 1862. The monthly general meeting of the Asiatic Society of Bengal was held on the 2nd instant. Colonel R. Strachey, Vice-President, in the Chair. The proceedings of the last meeting were read and confirmed. From Mr. E. B. Harris, impressions of an inscription on the back of an image of Buddha found in Sultangunge, near Monghyr. The inscription contains the Buddhist creed so common on such images. 2. From Major J. C. Haughton, a hollow wooden shield from Port Blair, used by the natives as a tom-tom. 3. From Archdeacon Pratt, a copy of his papers from the Philosophical transactions on Mountain and other Local Attraction in India. Read letters From H. Bell, Esq., intimating his desire to withdraw from the Society. From the Under-Secretary, Government of Bengal, forwarding an extract of the annual general report of the Rajshahi Division giving some account of a Cyclone which visited the western part of the district in March last. From the Under-Secretary, Government of India in the Home Department, containing the following extract from the proceedings of the Government of India in the Financial Department, with reference to the Society's solicitation for a reconsideration of the decision of the late Hon'ble Court on Mr. Blyth's application for a pension. "It appears from the papers on the case that Mr. Blyth's application was considered inadmissible by the late Hon'ble Court of Directors, on the ground that the grant of pensions from the public revenues is strictly limited to those who are in the direct service of Government.' This principle still holds good, and His Excellency the GovernorGeneral in Council does not think that Mr. Blyth's application for a pension can be supported on the ground now advanced by the Asiatic Society. As a special case, however, it appears to His Excellency in Council to have claims to consideration. It is the case, His Excellency remarks, of a man of science, who has devoted himself for a very small salary to duties in connexion with the Asiatic Society, a body aided by and closely identified with the Government of India from which the public have derived great advantage. "Mr. Blyth may truly be said to have been, in a great measure, the creator of the Natural History Museum, which has hitherto supplied the place of a Public Museum in the metropolis of India and which will probably, soon be made over to Government, as part of a National Museum. This collection is open to the public free of charge, and many thousands have derived benefit and instruction from it. "In addition to the direct educational benefits of the Museum, the character and standing of the Asiatic Society undoubtedly exercise a most beneficial indirect effect in maintaining a high standard of Science and Literature among a numerous body of the Civil and Military Officers in the service of Government, and in one important department, that of Zoology and Natural History, Mr. Blyth's labours have done much to maintain and to extend that character. "His Excellency in Council considers, therefore, that if, under such circumstances, Mr. Blyth should after twenty years' service, be compelled to retire from ill-health, brought on very much by his exertions in pursuit of science, it would not be creditable to the Government that he should be allowed to leave without any retiring pension, and His Excellency in Council is of opinion that if the rule which limits pensions to those who are in the direct service of Government can be relaxed, the application on behalf of Mr. Blyth ought to be favorably entertained." The Chairman moved that the thanks of the Society be conveyed to His Excellency in Council for the liberal concessions made in favour of Mr. Blyth. Carried unanimously. The nomination of the Hon'ble W. Grey to be a member of the Council, vice the Right Hon'ble S. Laing, was confirmed. The Council reported that they had appointed Colonel R. Strachey, a Vice-President, and Mr. J. G. Medlicott, a member of their body, in the place of Mr. Oldham who has left India. With reference to the announcement made at the last meeting, the Secretary to the Government of India, Dated, Asiatic Society's Rooms, Calcutta, June 18th, 1862. SIR, I am desired by the Council of the Asiatic Society to reply to your letter No. 2564, dated the 22nd May, informing the Society that His Excellency the Governor-General in Council is now prepared to consider the offer made by the Society in 1858, relative to the foundation of a public Museum in Calcutta, to which the Society's collections might, under certain conditions, be transferred. 2. The Council cordially thanks His Excellency in Council for the liberal proposals that he has made to the Society, and for the strong additional proof that he has now given of the interest the Government of India takes in the advancement of science by offering to establish a Museum in this city to be maintained by the State. 3. But the Council regrets that it is unable to give an immediate reply to the offers thus made. The resolution of the Society which authorized the Council to enter into communication with the Government on this subject was passed in May, 1857, and the whole matter has now been in abeyance for several years. The Council therefore feels that no real decision can be communicated to the Government until the entire subject has again been fully brought before the members of the Society, and re-considered according to the regular forms of procedure. At the same time the Council, being generally disposed to concur in the propriety of carrying out in their main features, the proposals made in 1858, believes that it will be useful and will tend to an early decision of the questions involved in your letter, if it states the impressions of its own body on these questions |