1834.] in the Characters of the Allahabad Column. 483 



character No. 1, and, moreover, a Dehgop, or hemispherical Bauddha 

 mausoleum and temple, in the same region. 



The first of the Laths is the well known one near Bakra, in sight 

 of the high road to Hajipur, and this is surmounted by a lion. The 

 second is at Radiah, near Arahraj-Maha Deva, district of Majhouah, 

 and zemindary of Bettiah, and it has no lion. 



The third is the Mathiah one, between the town of Bettiah and the 

 Gandac, eight or ten miles (perhaps more) west, and a little north, of 

 Bettiah town. It has a lion. I find that my copy of the Mathiah 

 inscription is gone home ; you shall have a new one made, if you need 

 it. And I have ordered drawings and inscriptions to be taken from 

 the other two pillars. 



I have likewise directed a drawing to he made of the Kesriah mound, 

 which is undoubtedly a Bauddha Dehgop or Chaitya, and such also is 

 the Manikayula tope. There are scores of them in this valley. 



II. — Note on the Mathiah Ldth Inscription. By Jas. Pkinsep, Sec. %c. 



Since writing the above, Mr. Hodgson has favoured me with a 

 native drawing of the column near Bettiah, which is engraved as figure 

 2 of Plate XXVII. ; and a copy of the inscription it bears is given at 

 length in Plate XXIX. The accuracy of the copy from the MS. has 

 been verified by careful examination, but the native engraver, to save 

 space, has unfortunately carried on the whole text continuously, so that 

 it does not shew the commencement of each line according to the 

 original. This defect I have endeavoured to remedy by placing small 

 figures to mark the beginning of the lines, as it was hardly worth while 

 to re-engrave the whole plate. 



The character of this inscription was at once of course recognized to 

 be the same as that of the Allahabad column and Feroz's Lath. The 

 initial word of each paragraph was also soon perceived to agree with 

 the specimen given at the foot of Plate V. of the present volume — the 

 identity continuing even further than the five letters there marked, 

 and extending, in all the numerous cases where the form occurs, to the 

 following fifteen letters — 



■?5±-tJ, dX^J"£L-6-HC- 



The trifling variations which may be perceived in one or two of the 

 readings of this sentence, which may be supposed to be some formula 

 of invocation, are evidently attributable to errors of transcription. 

 Upon carefully comparing the Bettiah inscription with those of 

 2 q 2 



