644 New varieties of the [Oct. 



The inscription in an ancient character upon the column at Allahabad 

 interpreted by Capt. Troter and Dr. Mill in the 3rd vol. Jour. As. 

 Soc. had made us acquainted with the four first of the family* ; namely, 

 1, Gupta, a Raja of the solar race: 2, Ghatot Kacha, his son : 3, 

 Chandra-gupta, his son : 4, Samudra-gupta, the fourth in descent : 

 — and there the Allahabad record broke off with an intimation that a 

 son was expected. 



The Bhitari lath brought to notice by Messrs. Tregear and Cun- 

 ningham, fills up the line of succession for three generations further 

 (see Plate XXX. of the present No.). We may so far anticipate the 

 translation of this highly important record promised to us by Dr. Mill, 

 for the illustration of our subject, as to state that the infant of Sa- 

 mudra was named Chandra-gupta II. His son was, 6, Kumara- 

 gupta ; after whom followed, 7, Skanda-gupta — and there again this 

 new authority breaks off. 



Now to all of these (excepting perhaps the first) we can at present 

 assign their respective coins from undoubted and numerous specimens, 

 and the succession of the devices on the obverse and reverse will be 

 seen to follow just that modification from the original Mithraic model of 

 the Ardokro coin, as would be expected when the source was nearly for- 

 gotten, and Hindu ideas became predominant. Moreover, we can, from 

 our coins, add the name of Mahendra-gupta, and perhaps of Assa- 

 gupta to the list, and there is presumptive evidence of a second 

 Samudra as of a second Chandra. Altogether we may reckon upon 

 nine or ten generations, which at an average of eighteen years will fill 

 a space in Indian history of nearly two centuries, of which no writ- 

 ten account can be met with ; unless the passage in the Vishnu Purdnaf, 

 that the Guptas, a Sudra family, reigned over a part of Magadha, at 

 the time of its compilation, be regarded as alluding to our dynasty. 

 The sites whence their coins have been most frequently obtained, 

 certainly agree with this description ; but the date assigned to the 

 Purdna must in this case be carried back a few centuries, and by 

 the Mlechhas of the Indus must be understood the Indo- Scythians 

 rather than the Musalmans. But I had intended to confine myself 

 to an enumeration of the new coins, and to postpone speculation until 

 we are thoroughly acquainted with them. To proceed therefore : 



Fig. 11. One of two gold coins of Capt. Cunningham's cabinet 

 (the first procured at Benares, the second in Calcutta, now with Dr. 

 Swiney). It is a duplicate of my own (from Lieut. Conolly) with the 

 unintelligible legend, engraved as fig. 23 of Plate XXXIX. It was 



* See Vol. 3, page 344. 



t See Wilson's analysis of the Vishnu Purdna, Jour. As. Soc. I. 440. 



