1848.] Inscriptions found in Province Wellesley. 63 



I have been left almost entirely to rely on my personal research and 

 that of persons trained by me for the purpose, when endeavouring dur- 

 ing the past twelve or fourteen years to penetrate through the darkness 

 which shut out from common view the archaiology of the countries 

 around me. 



I had some difficulty in reaching Tokoon, although mounted on my 

 elephant, owing to several almost impassable jheels or payas, as they are 

 here termed. My people had built a small hut of jungle wood and 

 palm leaves, and after assuring myself of the value of the inscriptions, 

 men were set to clear away the jungle and to dig up the ground to 

 some distance around the rock. But I was disappointed in my expec- 

 tation of finding ruins and other marks of temples and an ancient popu- 

 lation. 



The inscriptions were copied by me with the utmost care, the task 

 having occupied the greatest portion of the mornings and evenings of 

 three days. 



I did not attempt to make a facsimile, as I had no proper materials, 

 and had not succeeded with Capt. Kittoe's plan. But I can safely 

 say that the approach to a facsimile is perhaps as near as it would be 

 possible to make it. The letters are very, indeed unusually, large and 

 thick, for ancient inscriptions, but this peculiarity rendered the task, 

 comparatively easy. Finely powdered and very dry chalk was cast 

 loosely over the inscription until all the letters were filled. The chalk 

 was then brushed off the surface of the stone with a bunch of feathers, 

 and thus the lines of words became clear and legible. 



The length of the largest inscription is that of the paper on which 

 it has been copied, and as now forwarded (about ten feet). 



That the style of letter is of Indian origin seems to me quite obvi- 

 ous, but it contrasts a good deal with the inscription B. (fig. — .) Our 

 Brahman and Buddhist Priests here are so stupid that I have not been 

 able to derive any assistance from them, and although I can trace some 

 of the letters, I think, to inscriptions published in the Journal of the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal, I have not ventured to attempt the decypher- 

 ing of them. 



(B.) I discovered this inscription while engaged in excavating 

 some old ruins on a sandy side in the northern district of this 

 Province. It has been engraved on a sort of slate and seems to form 



