1887.] F. S. Growae—Ekotibhdva. 219 



sides. Many of these punches are of a distinctly Buddhist character, 

 e. g., the bodhi tree within a railing. Other punches represent a pea- 

 cock above a chaity, an elephant, bull, deer, dog, frog, three human figures 

 placed in a row, wheels or suns of various forms, etc. etc. Generally these 

 coins consist of more or less pure silver. They are numerously found 

 all over Iudia. A large hoard of such coins, containing 1191 pieces, was 

 found in January 1885, in the Chaibassa District of Bengal (see Pro- 

 ceedings, As. Soc. Beng., for November 1885, p. 126). 



The coins in the present collection appear to be, nearly all, of 

 either pure or nearly pure silver. Most of them, about 200, are square 

 or oblong ; some 75 are nearly circular, the others are of no definite shape. 

 Most of them are in very good condition, but 113 are more or less spoilt 

 by abrasion or corrosion. 



• 



The Philological Secretary read the following letter from Mr. 

 F. S. Grrowse, with regard to the discussion on the word Ekotibhdva 

 which took place at the last meeting of the Society : 



" I have not seen the ' Academy,' and therefore I cannot say how 

 much of my letter Professor Max Miiller has published. 



" Had I anticipated that any part of it would have the honour of 

 appearing in print I should have been more careful to emphasize the 

 deference I really entertain for Dr. Mitra's extensive learning, before 

 proceeding to dissent from the view of so eminent a scholar even on 

 such a minor matter as the derivation of a single word. I did not 

 think it necessary to cumber a short private note with the elaborate 

 formalities of conventional compliment. 



" I presume that my letter was not published in its entirety, other- 

 wise it would have been clear to any reader that the gist of it was the 

 suggestion that classical Sanskrit formations are more influenced by 

 Prakrit rules than orthodox grammarians have ever yet acknowledged. 

 Thus I was by no means guilty of omitting the important word 

 ' Prakrit ' ; upon the presumed omission of which Dr. Mitra has com- 

 mented at considerable length. 



" One example that I quoted was the Sanskrit vija, * seed.' This 

 is ordinarily derived from the root jan with the prefix vi. I prefer to 

 see in it a contraction — on Prakrit rule — of the word virya, ' virility.' 



" Similarly, pace Dr. Mitra, I believe that the rules of modern 

 Italian orthography throw much light on the colloquial pronunciation of 

 ancient Latin, and help to solve many of the difficulties and prosodiacal 

 anomalies of Plautine scansion. 



"The assertion that ' under no circumstances can the rule appealed 

 to produce ekoti, but only ekauti,' is — I am sure — one that Dr. Mitra 



