60 Dr. Hoernle — Remarks on Birch Barh MS. [April, 



^r^^ 's^^ mtT ^vi-^ rr^ f%?T^: i 



T^^w^ ^^n ^T^ ¥^^ ^^ ^jvm — II s fN^^T^r^; ii ^ » » 



" This may be thus translated : 



* 1, Thy intelligence is spoiled, Whatever undertaking 



thou thinkest of, that will be fruitless. 



' 2, From diseases thou shalt quickly be delivered ; and happiness 

 thou shalt obtain ; and a result thou shalt enjoy, neither very great nor 

 very small. 



* 3, Fearful ia sure to be the exertion with those, with whom thou 

 hast a quarrel ; fruitless is sure to be the business of which thou askest 

 the causes.* 



" The whole consists of similar proverbial sayings divided in sets. 

 Thus besides the above three Mpa(a, there are three mdlij five bahula, 

 three kuta, four hhadrdf six Mkti, six du7iduhhi, three vrisTia, three 

 preshyd, three vifi, three karnna, three sajd^ three kdna, three chunchum., 

 three panji ov pdnjif etc What these terms may mean I do not know. 



" The system of enumeration, however, is curious and noteworthy. 

 The three sdpata are indicated by varying the relative position of three 

 numbers : 443, 434, 344. Similarly the six sakti are enumerated by the 

 variations of 341 = first, 134 = second, 413 = third, 314 = fourth, 143 = 

 fifth, 431 = sixth. 



" I may here note that the numbers are indicated, through all the 

 three portions of the MS., not by means of numeral figures, but numeral 

 letters. Nor is the modern decimal system of notation used, but the 

 older one which indicated the tens, hundreds, etc. by separate signs ; 

 thas 16 is expressed by the symbols for 10 and 6, 25 by those for 20 and 

 5, etc. 



" Regarding the third portion of the MS., I can say, for the present 

 but little. It is written in a third variety of the alphabet. It appears 

 to contain charms or prayers, and to be of small interest. But I have 

 not yet been able to examine it more closely. A specimen of it is given 

 in the lower portion of the plate which accompanies the account in the 

 November Proceedings. That specimen reads thus : 



line 1, ^'^^ - ^^^ " ^% -m\^^ ''^r[^ -^\'^ '^\fK^ ^'4^^' 



^^ii) * 



line 2, ^ - ^fr^F'^n qf^i^^r^ ^% t^"t W^-i:% f^f^ ^^t (read 



* The clots signify illegible oksharas. 



