1888.] Bates Medal-ruling Machine. 655 



The last figure in the plate (from General Ventura's store) is a 

 duplicate of the Azes coin published as fig. 22 of PI. XXIII. vol. IV. 

 (1835). Between the two one important fact is established, namely 

 that at this period of the Azes dynasty the use of the Greek was entirely 

 lost, while the native character was written with greater correctness in 

 the same or rather the inverse ratio. The Greek legend is a mere jumble 

 of letters, but the Bactrian reads continuously 



TA9 TH^an *Vr7 Thau *?^\yj 



Maharajasa mahatasa dhamikasa rdjatirajasa Ay as a. 



* Of the great king, the mighty, the just, the king of kings, Azes.' 



The figure of Abundance with her cornucopia has a compound symbol 

 on the left which might be read Sri, her Indian name; and on the 

 right the two letters £ 3 kha and dha, used numerically ? 



The perfect Greek medals of Bactria proper, however beautiful as 

 works of art, ought not to turn away our attention from these corrupted 

 and ' barbarous' specimens which mark the decadence of Greek dominion 

 and Greek skill. These are the most precious to the student of Indian 

 history : — through their native legend he may yet hope to throw light 

 on the obscure age of Vikramaditta, — and the Scythian successors of 

 the Greeks on the north of India. Hitherto these classes of rude 

 coins, though very numerous, have been much disregarded, and on that 

 account I now invite attention to them, and promise to return to the task 

 myself when I have fresh materials collected and arranged ; my text 

 being ' those coins on which the native and Greek legends differ, or 

 record different names.' 



P. S. My readers will perceive that two coins in the foregoing 

 plates are engraved with a ruling machine, and will judge therefrom 

 that my long cherished expectation of having such an instrument from 

 England has at length been realized. 



Such is indeed the case — the medal ruler promised by Bate and 

 Co. to be even superior to their own is come after two years' delay:— 

 but instead of being their patent instrument, warranted to correct aH 

 distortion in the engraving of the object ruled, it is precisely the origi- 

 nal defective instrument which has long been discarded as unfit for use. 



It is hardly possible to believe that a respectable optician so nigh in 

 his profession as Mr. Bate would wish to impose on the credulity of 

 an Indian customer, albeit we ' Nabobs' are frequently looked upon as 

 fair game for inferior articles and extravagant charges* : — yet there 



* Of this I have myself had several examples. Some Wollaston's Baro- 

 metric Thermometers were sent out by a first-rate house to a Civilian, war- 

 4 n 



