1892.] Address. 63 



It would, however, have been beyond the means of the Society to 

 cany out the work on so elaborate a scale ; and when this fact was re- 

 presented to the Government of Bengal, and subsequently to the Govern- 

 ment of India, these two Governments, by a joint arrangement, very 

 readily and liberally agreed to render the necessary assistance for the 

 editing and publication of the MS. The Society will be glad to learn 

 that the Government of Bengal has relieved Dr. Hoernle of his other 

 duties during the whole time necessary for the completion of the work, 

 while the Government of India has undertaken to defray the consi- 

 derable expenses connected with the publication, including photographic 

 facsimiles of every page of the MS. For these services to scholarship, 

 the cordial thanks of the Society and of all interested in the progress 

 of Oriental research are due to the Governments concerned. 



[Since the foregoing was sent to Press, Dr. Hoernle informs me that 

 he has received a further communication on the subject of the date of 

 the MS. from Professor Biihler, who now intimates that he is inclined 

 to assign to the MS. an even higher antiquity than that already assigned 

 to it, possibly by 50 or 100 years. Indeed, Dr. Hoernle himself has 

 independently come to the conclusion, since writing his paper of Novem- 

 ber 1891, that no part of the MS. can probably be dated later than the 

 first half of the 5th century. Dr. Biihler, I may add, in a second paper 

 published in the Vienna Oriental Journal, recommends Dr. Hoernle's 

 " able and elaborate argumentation " to all Indian epigraphists for most 

 careful study, and describes it as " by far the most important contri- 

 bution to Indian epigraphy which has appeared of late."] 



I may begin my remarks under this head with the following extract 



. . from the Preface to an elaborate report on the 



Numismatics. <• -»t • ,. • ••--■.* 



progress ot Numismatics m India from 1886 to 



1891, which was presented by Mr. Vincent Smith to the recent Congress 

 of Orientalists. This preface is republished in the Academy of Octo- 

 ber 31st, 1891. After giving a very interesting description of the 

 eleven classes into which he divides Indian coins, with an account of the 

 chief discoveries under each, in which he quotes largely from the Pro- 

 ceedings of this Society, Mr. Smith proceeds : — 



" I shall conclude by calling special attention to the disinterested 

 labours of Dr. Hoernle, much of whose valuable time is taken up by the 

 examination of the thousands of coins which are poured in upon him 

 from all quarters. In his address for L889, the President of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal records the fact that during the previous year Dr. 

 Hoernle had examined and reported upon more than 4,000 coins, of 

 which vast number 2,460 were noted in the Proceedings. In 1887 the 

 same indefatigable worker examined more than 3,200 coins." 



