

106 Note on Kandahar Gems. [No. 98. 



extension of his rule, or of his religion, or of both? The inculcation of 

 the Boodhist creed expressed by the Moodra, and the allusion to the 

 extension of that creed throughout created nature, would hold good, 

 as bearing out this hypothesis, which seems for a conjectural expla- 

 nation, as to a certain degree, of sufficient plausibility to bespeak 

 attention. In the result of all the above tedious, and troublesome re- 

 search, I would not venture to offer, as to this new field for investigation, 

 more than a suggestion, as to possible meaning, It is my earnest hope, 

 that criticism may be thus encouraged, correction of error induced, and 

 true conclusion elicited. 



The inquiry into the meaning of the symbols on gems found in Afghan- 

 istan, and the adjacent countries, shall be continued with all diligence. 



The Jotee,* to whom I have so often alluded, has undertaken to give me 

 references from Jain books of authority on all symbolic types, which he 

 may be enabled to give an interpretation of. I have by me a collection of 

 gems, the property of Major Pottinger, on the examination of which the 

 Jotee proposes to enter at once. Mr. Conolly has supplied me with a second 

 series of relics from the neighbourhood chiefly of Jullalabad, which although 

 not so interesting as those now submitted, will nevertheless add, I trust, 

 something to our stock of information. I must again earnestly beg for 

 impressions at any rate of all gems — particularly of those bearing inscrip- 

 tions — from the readers of the Journal beyond the Indus, and from those 

 of their friends, who being possessed of such relics would be kind 

 enough to allow them to be made use of. Gems from Nadali (Boonaka) 

 would be of great value. 



The character numbered 2 of the lithographs I have not, after the 

 signal failure in giving a Pehlevi version of the other, ventured to give a 

 rendering of. It continues under examination, with, I fear, small hope 

 that it will be decyphered. The wax on which the impression is taken 

 is so bad, that this alone has made the 'tracing of the letters difficult. 

 They are from No. 6, the monitory female figure, with a child. The exe- 

 cution of the figure I have already observed on ; the characters are cleverly 

 done, and assimilate to those of No. 10. 



On the remaining Nos. I have no observation to offer in emendation of 

 Lieut. Conolly's, to whose zeal and intelligence the Society is once more 

 deeply indebted. It will be observed thsbijive of the impressions he notes 

 in his letter do not appear in the lithographs. One or two appear never 

 to have reached their destination, and the others I did not receive when 

 taking charge of the papers of the Society. I hope however to receive 

 them on some future occasion. |Tl 



* I would gladly have given the name of this very intelligent and obliging person, had I been en- 

 abled; but it is with the Jain priests a practice never to tell their name. Many of the Hindoo 

 religious have a somewhat similar scruple, but not to this extent. On requesting the Jotee to allow 

 me to mention his name in the Journal, he was silent, and would not speak for several minutes 

 He afterwards told me that no Jain should ever utter his own name, or speak of his own actions. 



