156 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [May, 1914. 



however, and even probable, that the statement refers merely 

 to the stoppage of the mint for all coins. 



During Momin Khan's occupation of Ahmadabad, 1756- 

 1757 a.d., 1170-1171 a.h., Major Watson records, "The copper 

 vessels of such of the townspeople as had fled were now 

 melted and coined into money and given to the soldiery." 

 Nothing is said about silver coinage, but it is d priori unlikely 

 that the mint should be opened for coinage of copper only. 

 And in fact Dr. Taylor has in his cabinet (see appendix Xos. 5 

 and 6) two coins of this period, i.e. 1170 and 1171 a.h. 



To confirm the statement that copper was coined about 

 the time of Momin Khan's occupation, I have in my cabinet 

 (v. app. 2a) an Ahmadabad paisa of ' Alaragfr II dated either 

 2, 3 or 4 a.r. The right-hand extremity of the " Julus" year 

 is not on the coin, and on consideration of the evidence I feel 

 inclined to put the figure at 3 or 4. It occupies an earlier 

 place in the list of the appendix than I now consider it should 

 hold, because it was my first impression that the accession of 

 1 Alamglr would involve fresh coinage both of silver and copper 

 and there was a temptation to believe that the copper coin was 

 of the same date as the earliest silver coin of ' Alamglr. 



A third and most interesting remark made by Major 

 Watson is as follows : " On receiving the government of the city 

 (from Momin Khan) the Maratha general ordered new coin 

 bearing the mark of an elephant goad to be struck in the 

 Abmedabad mint," This was the second occupation of 

 Ahmadabad in 1171 a.h. by the Marathas and the first coin 

 (app. No. 7) known to be issued after' 1171 a.h. bears the 

 ankush or elephant goad, just as Major Watson states. But 

 this is not the first time the ankush appears on an Ahmadabad 

 coin. The rupees issued during the first Maratha occupation 

 also bear the ankush, and the quotation from Watson contains 

 a want of correspondence of dates easily accounted for, when 

 we remember that Major Watson is the earliest English 

 authority for the fact of the two occupations of Ahmadabad 

 by the Marathas. By previous historians the Marathas were 

 considered to have occupied the city continuously after its 

 first surrender to them until the time when the British Govern- 

 ment took it over. Probably the Momin Khan who recaptured 

 the city in a.h. 1169 was erroneously identified with the earlier 

 Momin Khan, Governor of Ahmadabad, who died circ. a.h. 

 1156. 



The Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. IV, Ahmadabad, supplies cer- 

 tain information of value for our purpose. We hear (page 72) 

 that " in 1817 on taking over charge from the Gaekwar autho- 

 rities of the city of Ahmedabad, Mr. Dunlop found the mint 

 closed and the supply of circulating medium so low as seriously 

 to impede traffic. He soon administered relief by issuing a 

 large quantity of new sicca rupees." 



