460 Lassen on the History traced [No. 101. 



coins has been hitherto discovered, and I shall pass to the infer- 

 ences, which may be drawn from the facts adduced. 



First. — The Kanerki dynasty have probably survived all the 

 others of foreign origin, the Sassanides excepted, as the coins of 

 the Kanerkis gradually slide into Indian types, which those of 

 the others do not do. 



Secondly. — The use of the native writing did not cease with 

 the downfall of the Kadphises-dynasty, for it still exists upon 

 the topes, which entomb coins of the Sassanides as well as of 

 the Kadphises and Kanerkis, and the coins of the Sassanides are 

 besides of a more recent form, than that used on the coins 

 of Agathokles. The Pehlvi character under the Sassanides, the 

 Cabulian character on the topes, and a form of Devanagari, 

 much approaching to the modern one, existed therefore together. 

 Thirdly. — The types of the Kanerki-coins in the last period 

 exhibit such a great decay of the art of die-cutting, such a total 

 oblivion of all traditional remembrances of Greek art, that we 

 must on this account too conclude this dynasty to be the last 

 before the Sassanides. The Sassanides moreover had a different 

 religion. But we will not dilate too much on these inferences ; 

 for as we do not know when the Sassanides settled themselves 

 in Western India, we cannot dispute that the Kanerkis may 

 have held out for a long time in the time of the Sassanides. 

 Nor is it allowed from the extinction of the native characters 

 upon the coins of the Kanerkis and from its existence upon 

 those of Kadaphes and Yndopherres to infer, that the Kanerkis 

 universally and simultaneously supplanted the Kadphises; for 

 the very existence of the coins upon the topes in which Kaner- 

 ki-coins were already enclosed, proves that the writing, as being 

 on the coins, was still in use when Kanerki-coins were already 

 struck; it proves, that there were other reasons for not adopting 

 that writing upon the coins, than the abrogation of the charac- 

 ters of the legends ; or, in other words, the coins do not prove 

 that the Kadphises did not reign at the same time with the first 

 Kanerkis. But it will be more advisable to look, if possible, 

 for some other, and better defined leading points, before at- 

 tempting to set ourselves right in this field of speculation, con- 

 fused as it is by the entanglement of dynasties. 



