1834.] the Coins and Relics of the Mdnikydla Tope. 437 



Keramat Ali, have brought to light, before the antiquaries of Europe, 

 and then to await their decision on the facts : it being my own duty to 

 act as a faithful witness before this superior tribunal, nothing exaggerat- 

 ing, and nothing extenuating, in the delineation of figures and inscrip- 

 tions, such as they appear in the originals now in my possession. 



The subject which I propose to elucidate on the present occasion is, 

 that of the coins connected with the tope of Mdnikydla ; as they natu- 

 rally stand forward most prominent in offering materials for fixing the 

 date of the building. 



We learn from the " etat des travaux," that forty-four copper medals 

 were found buried along with the principal cylinder, and several others 

 in different parts of the masonry, besides the gold and silver coins en- 

 closed in the cylinders themselves. On attempting a classification as 

 far as their mutilated condition would allow, these were all (with the 

 exception of two) found to be referrible to the five species depicted at 

 the foot of plate xxii. : being in the following proportion : 



Of figure 31, (shewn hereafter to belong to the Kanerkos groupe), — large,. . 20 



Of the same type, but smaller, (fig. 9, pi. xxv.) 17 



Of the elephant type, (fig. 28, pi. xxii.) 15 



Of the figure sitting with one foot up, (fig. 29, of do.) 12 



Of the figure sitting cross-legged, (fig. 32, of do.) 4 



Of the bull and raja, or Kadphises coin, (fig. 4, of pi. xxvi.) 2 



with ten others which were too much defaced to admit of classification. 



Although among these coins very few have legible inscriptions, 

 the collections of Dr. Gerard and of Sayed Kera'mat Ali, in con- 

 junction with the specimens depicted by Mr. Masson, have furnished 

 materials for decyphering them, in considerable abundance ; indeed, 

 of the several groups specified above, I have before me upwards of 

 three hundred coins, of which thirty-two exhibit more or less of the 

 bull and raja inscription : twenty that of the elephant coin : as many 

 more that of the Kanerkos legend ; and half a dozen that of the seated 

 figures. 



But, before entering upon the description of these coins, of which it 

 must be remarked that we do not know the date d priori, although from 

 their possessing Greek inscriptions, we necessarily refer them to an age 

 not very distant from the Bactrian dynasty, it will be more satisfactory 

 to bestow a little further attention upon the silver coins found in the first 

 gold box (see page 317,) which I have already stated generally to be- 

 long to the known dynasty of the Sassanidee, without however ventur- 

 ing to contract their date within narrower limits than the duration of that 

 monarchy, namely, from the third to the seventh century of the Chris- 

 tian era. 



