1834.] pillar at Allahabad. 113 



In the inscription atMahabalipuram*, As. Res. volume v. p. 75 to 80, 

 a very few letters correspond with those in No. 2. Captain Wilford, 

 p. 135, says he was shewn a Sanscrit book containing many ancient 

 alphabets, qr. at Benares ? 



Captain Colin McKenzie states that there are unknown inscriptions 

 on the pagoda at Perweettun, page 314, volume iii. Page 167, et seq. 

 contain two translations, by Dr. Wilkins, of inscriptions from the Vind- 

 hya Mountains, but no specimens. Page 383 of ditto, is an inscription in 

 the Malaga language engraven upon a silver plate, which was found in a 

 cave near Islamabad by John Shore, Esq. (now Lord Teignmouth) but 

 no specimen appears, which is to be regretted. 



Volume iii. page 39. contains a specimen and translation, by Sir 

 William Jones, of a Sanscrit inscription from the Carnatic, not much 

 like No. 2. 



Mr. Colebrooke says at page 401, that Mr. Wilkins ascertained the 

 date and scope of a Sanscrit inscription at Cintra in Portugal : see page 

 422, also, where the Canara language is stated to be mixed with Sans- 

 crit in an inscription found in the Upper-Carnatic, some of the stanzas 

 being supposed to be Pracrit ; also that the junction of the three lan- 

 guages, Telinga, Mahratta and Canara, takes place some where about 

 Beder. It is strange that a few of the natives here should say that 

 No. 1, is Mahratta, and some that it must be Carnatic writing. 



Page 224. "The ancient Canara has gone so much into disuse, that 

 it was with difficulty I could get people to read it. An Alphabet will 

 be yet communicated, as several books and ancient inscriptions are 

 written in this character." Page 398 et seq. 



The No. for August, 1833, of the As. Soc. Journal, shews in pages 387 

 et seq., several characters of the Kah Gyur similar to No. 2 ; see also vol. 

 i. Journal Asiatic Society, page 276, where some Tibetan characters as- 

 similate with it. 



I have thus endeavoured to afford as much information as was in my 

 power on the subject of the Allahabad pillar and inscription, and wish 

 it could have been more satisfactory or ample ; but I trust my endeavours 

 will be considered in a favourable light, should the opinions I have 

 expressed differ from those of others who must be so much better 

 acquainted with the subject than I am. 



A specimen of the stone accompanies. 



* See note by Capt. Troyer : the Mahabalipur inscription is in the same cha- 

 racter nearly as No. 2, and was of great use in deciphering it. — Ed. 



