156 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Fbb„ 



Museum. 



Mr. Dyas Sombre presented to the Society, through Dr. Burlini, the 

 sword of her late Highness Begum Sombre, which she had worn from the 

 year 1778 to the day of her death, and which was always kept by her bed- 

 side. 



A collection of models of the human hand and foot in plaister of Paris, 

 was presented on the part of Mr. C. W. Smith. 



Dr. Wise, Principal of Hughli College, intimated that he was desi- 

 rous of forming a museum in connection with the Hughli College, and 

 would be happy to receive any duplicates which the Society might be 

 able to spare. 



The following memorandum and proposition were submitted by Cap- 

 tain Cunningham : — 



"Having been engaged during the past month in arranging the coins in the 

 Cabinet of the Asiatic Society, I beg to submit to the Members of the Society 

 the following observations upon their collection. 



1. The collection of coins belonging to the Asiatic Society is so exceedingly 

 meagre in every series of coins that would be of use to the historian and to the 

 antiquary, and, at the same time, the individual specimens are so very poor in 

 point of preservation, that the whole number of coins, which have been many 

 years in collection, is scarcely deserving of the name of a Cabinet. To prove 

 the meagreness of the collection, I need but to subjoin a list of the coins now 

 in the Cabinet of the Society, in which the only really valuable specimen i& a 

 gold coin of Mahendra Gupta. 



List of the Coins in the Society's Cabinet, with their value. 



Co.'s Rs. 



I Gold coin of Mahendra Gupta, 30 



52 Dekkany gold hoons ; some small, others minutely small, 60 



7 Modern gold coins, chiefly Nipalese 25 



42 Indo-Scythic coins, including some rudely executed base gold 



coins, 50 



26 Grecian, Arsakian and Sassanidan, 50 



30 Miisalman and Nipalese silver coins, 30- 



227 Musalman pice, all exceedingly common, except a Mahmud, .. 11 

 281 Dekkany pice — mostly modern and wanting inscriptions — nearly 



worthless, ► 5 



115 small silver coins — punch marks and Varaha series, all bad, .... 25 



156 Chinese and Japanese, 5 



25 Continental silver coins, 35 



221 Roman coins, 120 



446 



2. It is a fact, which must be known to most of the Members, that the Socie- 

 ty's collection has not been incrased during the last two or even three years by 

 the addition of a single coin ; or, in other words, that since private individuals 

 have commenced the collection of coins, there have been few, if any, pre- 

 sented to the Society's Museum: most persons finding more pleasure in 

 obliging a friend, by presenting to him any coins that they may pick up, than 

 in displaying their public zeal by making a donation of them to the Society. I 

 therefore beg to propose, — 



As the Society's Cabinet has not been increased during the last three years 

 hy the donation of a single coin, and, as from the number of private individuals 

 now collecting coins, there is but little likelihood of any donations being made 

 for the future, — 



That the Society do either increase their collection of coins by purchasing 

 such as may offer from time to time, in order that their Cabinet, at present 

 nearly valueless, may be useful to the Antiquary in the elucidation of doubtful 

 points in history, — 



