1840.] from Bactrian and Indo-Bcythian coins. 761 



Sassanians, and we have had no reasons to assign to the Kaner- 

 kis a later period. If they be referred to a later date^ they must 

 be ^^ the Little Yuetchis,,^^ who founded a new empire in Gan- 

 dhara in the fifth century^ but such a great interval between 

 Kadphises and the Kanerkis would hardly be admitted. 



Other monuments seem to belong to ^' the Little Yuetchis,^^ 

 on an examination of which we cannot however enter. The 

 history^ like that of the Sassanians in Cabul, of the white Huns 

 in India, mentioned by Cosmos, and lastly of the Murundas, of 

 whom Indian inscriptions from the Sassanian time bear witness, 

 would require new preparations far beyond the scope of this 

 essay. 



Here we shall therefore add only this, that Fahian being in 

 the year 400 in these countries, mentions the power of the 

 Yuetchis as having passed away (S. Foe. K. p. 766.) 



If we be not mistaken, the inquiry leads without compulsion 

 to the probable result, that between the empire of Azes and the 

 renewed power of the Scythians under the king of the Yuetchis, 

 an interval took place in the dominion of the countries on the 

 Indus. This has been already previously* deemed to be a 

 corroboration of the Indian account, according to which the 

 epoch of Vikramaditya, which commences with the year 56 b. c. 

 was founded on the occasion of a victory over the Saces gained 

 by this king. In this case Indian tradition, which may certain- 

 ly adduce in its favour the use still existing, and to be traced 

 to a very early period, of counting from that epoch, would be in 

 perfect correspondence with what has been the result of our 

 inquiry into the Scythian history. Vikramaditya reigning in 

 Ujjajini, and therefore a direct neighbour of the Scythian empire, 

 which under Azes extended to the boundaries of Malwa, would, 

 on this supposition, have repelled the successors of Azes to the 

 Indus. After Vikramaditya we hear nothing of the empire in 

 Ujjajini, and this silence finds its explanation in the growing 

 power, soon after the commencement of our era, of the 

 Yuetchis, whose kingdom Ptolemy described as still extending 



• As. T. VI. p. 63. 



