302 Specimens of Ceylon Coins. [Apri l, 



possibly betoken a temporary cbange in the national religion. The 

 legend beneath I immediately recognized as identical with the flourish 

 on figure 12, turning the latter sideways to read it. What it may be, 

 is a more difficult question. The first letter bears a striking analogy 

 to the vowel e of the Southern alphabets — but if so, by what alphabet 

 is the remainder to be interpreted ? for it may be equivocally read betya, 

 benya, chetya, and perhaps Chanda or Nanda. The last alone is the 

 name of a great conqueror in the Cholian and other Southern annals, 

 but it would be wrong to build upon so vague an assumption. It is, 

 at any rate, probable that the bull device is a subsequent introduction, 

 because we find it continued into the Hala Canara coins below. 



Fig. 15, of the Society's cabinet, a thick well preserved coin, has 

 a device one step less recognizable as a human figure on the obverse, 

 but the bull very neatly executed on the reverse, and in front of him 

 the Nagari letters ^\ vi, as if of Vira bdhu, 1398 ? 



Figs. 20, 21. In these the upright figure has quite disappeared, or 

 is dwindled to a mere sceptre : leaving space around for the insertion 

 of a legend in the old Canarese character, of which an alphabet was 

 given in my last number. It is, unluckily, not complete, but the Ca- 

 nara letters . . da cha.. . ray a are very distinct. 



But before touching such modern specimens, I should perhaps 

 have noticed a few other genuine old coins ; some, as fig. 1 6, having 

 a bull and two fish ; othex-s, as fig. 24, having a singha and four dots. 

 They were all dug up at Montollee with the rest. 



These symbolical coins without names agree in every respect with 

 the numerous class of Buddhist coins found in India, and fellows to 

 them may be pointed out among the Amar&vati coins, as figs. 17, 19, 

 of the bull kind, the reverse plain or uncertain ; one much resem- 

 bling a ship ; and fig. 25, a prettily executed brass coin of a horse. 



One fragment, fig. 18, of the sitting bull, from Montollee, has the 

 letters ^ft^l . . cff^f in the Nagari character on the reverse. 



The two very small coins, 22, 23, retain some of the Ceylon sym- 

 bols — the anchor-shaped weapon (of Hanuman ?) in particular; but 

 to show how cautious we must be in receiving as equally old, all the 

 coins found buried together in the same locality, I have given as the 

 finale to this plate, one of the Montollee specimens, fig. 26, which, 

 however mystified by the ignorance of the die- engraver, I cannot 

 interpret otherwise than as an old Dutch paisa, stamped on both sides 

 \ St. or one-eighth of a stiver ! A Seringapatam paisa with xx. cash 

 (written invertedly, hsacxx.) has often puzzled amateur collectors in 

 the same manner. 



