1038 Specimens of Biiddhist Inscriptions [Dec, 



which, in the opinion of the writer, tend to elucidate their origin, and to 

 establish an ancient connection between them and other races. 



4. Whether the language is originally monosyllabic or polysyllabic. 

 If the former, have any polysyllabic words crept in, and from what source ? 



5. Does the language possess a variety of tones ? How many and what 

 are they ? 



6. Is the pronunciation of the language uniform throughout the dis- 

 trict in which it is spoken ? Are the sounds of particular letters varied, in 

 certain positions, for the sake of euphony ? 



7. Is it a written language? If so, whence does it derive its alphabet? 

 Is its alphabet well adapted to express the sounds of the language, or 

 otherwise ? 



8. How many vowel sounds does it contain? How many consonants ? 



9. What languages does it resemble in grammatical construction ? Do 

 the nouns undergo any change of form on account of case, gender, or nunu 

 ber ? If not, how are these accidents expressed ? 



10. Are the verbs inflected to express the various moods and tenses? 

 Or are these determined by the use of prepositive or postpositive particles ? 



11. Are adjectives varied to agree with their nouns ? Have they any 

 degrees of comparison ? What is the method of forming the numerals 

 above ten ? Are there any generic particles affixed to the numerals ? 



12. Has the language an article ? 



13. Are there different forms for the personal pronouns, designating the 

 superiority or inferiority of the speaker or hearer ? 



14. In what order are the different parts of speech arranged in a sen- 

 tence ? Does the possessive case precede or follow the word by which it is 

 governed? Is the objective governed by prepositions, or postpositions ? 

 Does the verb precede or follow the objective which it governs ? Do ad- 

 verbs, conjunctions, auxiliaries, and other particles precede or follow the 

 verbs which they modify ? 



IV. — Specimens of Buddhist Inscriptions, with symbols, from the west of 

 India. By Colonel W. H. Sykes, Hon. Mem., As. Soc. fyc. 



The admirable and efficient use you have made in your able journal 

 of the ancient inscriptions and ancient coins found in various parts of 

 India, induced me to apply to withdraw all my copies of inscriptions 

 met with in Western India from the hands of the Royal Asiatic Society 

 with a view to offer them to you to make such use of as you might think 

 proper. My application to the Royal Asiatic Society was met with 

 an assurance that the inscriptions, which had been transmitted to the 

 literary society of Bombay very many years ago, and which were sub- 

 sequently sent by this society to the R. A. S., were to be published 

 immediately ; this assurance precluded further interference on my 



