68 Note on the Inscriptions from Singapur, fyc. [July, 



was thus rendered remarkably distinct by the powerful contrast of colour. 

 By this means and by studying the characters in different lights, I have 

 succeeded in decyphering so much of three of the fragments as is de- 

 picted in plate III. 



It will be seen from the plate that though many of the characters 

 resemble the square Pali in form, and hence misled Prinsep to conclude 

 that the inscription was in the Pali language, yet others, and these 

 amongst the most distinct, bear no resemblance whatever to that type. 

 We may safely infer therefore that the language is not Pali ; an infer- 

 ence in which I am borne out by Mr. Ratna Paula, whose knowledge 

 of that language renders his opinion conclusive. As the character 

 could not be identified with that of any of the published Singalese 

 inscriptions, I was induced to compare it with the alphabets of the 

 Archipelago, and I find it to be identical with the Kawi or ancient 

 sacred and classical language of the Javanese, specimens of which 

 may be found in Welhehn von Humboldt Ueber die Kawi Sprache, 

 vol. 2, and in Sir S. Raffles' s History of Java. We have also in our 

 museum a very fine inscription in that character, which has been taken 

 by many for a peculiar form of Sanskrita. With the alphabet of 

 this language, as gathered from similar inscriptions, I can identify all, 

 or nearly all, of the characters ; but of course no clue to the purport 

 of the inscription can be obtained without some knowledge of the 

 language itself. 



Fig. 1, seems to have been from the upper part of the inscription, 

 and is entirely omitted in Prinsep' s lithograph as effaced. Figs. 2 and 

 3 I cannot identify with any portion of Prinsep' s plate, much on the 

 right hand side of which seems to have been so distinct, that I make no 

 doubt had that portion been available, we might have easily transcribed 

 continuous sentences. 



The much larger fragment forwarded by Col. Butterworth, still 

 remains to be decyphered ; but I confess I feel little inclination for that 

 barren labour until there appear some probability of the language being 

 translated. Meanwhile we may conjecture with probability that the 

 inscription is a record of some Javanese triumph at a period anterior 

 to the conversion of the Malays to Muhammadanism, and the following 

 notice of this monument in a work entitled "The Malayan Penin- 

 sula," by Capt. Begbie, Madras Artillery, may assist us in approximat- 

 ing its era : 



