1834.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 363 



A paper was read, drawn up by Munshi Mohun Lal, who accompanied 

 Dr. Gerard, explaining the circumstances of the discovery of this image, 

 from which the following is an extract. 



" South of the town of Kabul, two miles distant, a range of rugged and barren 

 mountains commands the ruins of the ancient city, which shews nothing curious 

 but a heap of dust mingled with stones and bricks. In the rainy season the poor- 

 er class of people rove about and search the place day and night, and their labours 

 are rewarded by finding small silver and gold leaves bearing the figure of the 

 sun and moon upon them ; sometimes they possess themselves of cows and deers 

 made of stone or copper of a very small size but beautiful form. While we re- 

 mained at Kabul we employed our time in digging the antiquities and the graves 

 of the old inhabitants of that country, which are said to be both Bactrians and 

 Buddhist, but unfortunately none of the mausoleums favored us with any coin or 

 writing by which we could prove the descent of the buried. However some of 

 them contained earthen lamps full of small pieces of bones and also rotten pearls, 

 which confirm the dead to have been idolators. The Hindoos both of the present 

 and former days who believe in the multiplicity of Gods, maintain a peculiar 

 custom of filling the mouth of their deceased with pearls and also with coins. All 

 these monuments flourish at the skirt of the same hill which views the ruins of 

 the ancient city. 



On the 7th of November, 1833, we hurried down to the above place, and hired 

 nine men to dig the earth till the day closed, but our labours were fruitless ; from 

 the 8th to the 19th of the same month, we continued our operations, and during 

 which space the diggers were checked by a close work of lime structure. We told 

 them to break through it, and after digging seven paces further, they opened in a 

 large and beautiful roofed square ; it must have remained long in such a state of 

 preservation that one might suppose that it was freshly plastered with lime. The 

 cell was handsomely gilt and coloured by lapislazuli, which is found in consider- 

 ably quantities in the mines of Badakhshan, 12 days' journey from Kabul : such 

 was the situation of the place where we found the stone image lying on the 

 ground." 



The figure represents Buddha in the usual sitting posture of tranquil repose 

 clothed to the neck in a thin flowing drapery ; flames of sacred fire appear on his 

 shoulders, and a circular glory surrounds the whole, serving as a field for the 

 sculpture, for it is an alto relievo : upon the glory are carved two angels bearing 

 chattas, and on each side a small group representing some acts of Buddha's life : 

 in one he seems to be distributing charity, in the other he is receiving the hom- 

 age of his worshippers. 



We shall take an early opportunity of inserting a sketch of this sculpture, 

 which is highly important from its apparent connection with the history of the 

 Afghan topes. 



A letter from Lieut. E. C. Archbold, Bengal Light Cavalry, dated Bom- 

 bay, 5th July, 183t, announced that he had forwarded to the Secretary, as 

 a present to the Society, an Egyptian mummy. 



The mummy was obtained with some difficulty from the tombs of the kings at 

 Gourvah. The native crew on board the ship which brought Lieut. A. from Mocha, 

 having objected to receive the Mummy with his baggage, he had been under the 

 necessity of requesting one of the officers of the Sloop of War Coote to bring it 



