548 TJie Rev. Mr. Lei^s Tra?islaiion of a Ctific Inscription. 



is capable of another interpretation. Renaudot tells us, pp. 102, 103, " An- 

 ciennes Relationes des Indes et de la Chine," that the Arab merchants were 

 about this time in great insecurity rn this island in consequence of a barbarous 

 custom which prevailed among the Indians, whereby both their lives and 

 property were often sacrificed, and that the king made a regulation prohi- 

 biting its recurrence in future. If then the passage relates to this circum- 

 stance, perhaps the true reading will be ja-^j ^^j ^-^T- "A security of (or from) 



debt and deceit : " and to shew perhaps that this was brought about by the 

 endeavours of this good man just twenty years before his death. For this 

 interpretation the inscription on the smaller paper seems to make, as we have 

 either a^ or a : evidently concluding the last word. The other, or larger 

 copy, is however on the other side, the last word being there Mj', another 



form only of the word J^J£^, but which can be made by no means to corres- 



pond with ja.^, which seems to be the reading of the smaller copy. Tlie first 



of these words moreover, iYi the smaller copy, is apparently jU. which, at 

 first, may have been ^U a place of security, which would suit the passage 

 rather better than ^^J in whichsoever of the significations proposed the 

 following words are to be taken. Still the word ^J is not objectionable, as 



we find the Temple at Mecca occasionally called ^-^Sl e:-~J'> and the pro- 

 vince in which it is situated ^^^^^1 Al\, which word may have been taken and 

 applied as an epithet to any similar religious building or station. 



I am sorry that I have not been able to command more leisure than I 

 have for the consideration of this inscription, and hoping that the time I 

 have taken has not been productive of any material inconvenience, 



I remain &c., 



(Signed) SAMUEL LEE. 



To Mr. W. HUTTMANN. 



