116 Note on Inscription No. \ of the Allahabad Column. [March, 



joined letters r and y; as, 5 dra and upya, and the vazur or sub- 

 joined w or v, as ^ efo or do. 



Other similarities might be pointed out, but these are the most strik- 

 ing : the mode of expressing the long a also at that period, by a short 

 dash at the top of the letter, may explain the omission of this character 

 in the Tibetan alphabet. Captain Troyer notices the omission of many 

 letters* (gh,jh,$c.,) which are equally wanting in the Tibetan alphabet. 

 However, the identity here noticed does not necessarily detract from the 

 antiquity of the inscription, or prevent its applying to the earlier 

 Chadragupta ; since the same character was probably in use for many 

 centuries. When or where it gave place to the more modern Nagari 

 would be a curious and interesting subject of investigation. 



However ancient the inscription No. 2 may be, it is very certain that 

 the character No. 1 boasts a still higher antiquity. This may I think 

 be proved — first, by the position it occupies on the Allahabad column, as 

 well as on that of Delhi, called Feroz's lath : in both it is the principal, 

 and as it were the original inscription, the others being subsequently ad- 

 ded, perhaps on some occasions of triumph or visit to the spot. Secondly, 

 the simplicity of this character and the limited number of radicals, denote 

 its priority to the more complicated and refined system afterwards 

 adopted ; while thirdly, the very great rarity of its occurrence on ancient 

 monuments, and the perfect ignorance which prevails regarding its origin 

 in the earliest Persian historians, who mention the lath of Feroz 

 Shah, confirm its belonging to an epoch beyond the reach of native 

 research. The only other inscriptions identical in character which have 

 been met with in India, are I believe that of the lath of Bhim Sen in 

 Sarunf, and that of the Khandgiri rocks in Orissa, of which a facsimile 

 is given by Mr. Stirling in the Researches, vol. xv. page 314. The 

 Ellora and other cave inscriptions appear to be considerably modified 

 from it, and in fact more to resemble No. 2 of the Allahabad column ; 

 and the latter inscription has so many points of resemblance, that it 

 may be fairly traced to a derivation from the former. 



It is not yet ascertained, whether the language this character, No. 1, 

 expresses is Sanscrit. The rare occurrence of double letters, the omission 

 of the initial Sri; the want of any symbol with a subjoined y to correspond 

 with m, the inflexion of the possessive case which occurs so repeatedly, 

 and is so distinct, in the Sanscrit text No. 2 ; are arguments against the 

 supposition : but the similarity of the character and of the vowel marks 

 are as much in its favor. 



* See page 118. 



+ Has any copy of this inscription been published ? Mr. Stirling mentions it, but 

 I do not find it in the Researches. 



