5G6 Ancient Indian Numerals. [No. 7. 



ous conjectures on the subject.* As far as the limited data permit of 

 my forming a judgment, I am inclined to assign to the several 

 decimals the following order of priority : 



1st. The crab-like symbol, the old Pali ?T placed horizontally, No. 

 6 of Prinsep's list, is now clearly proved by the Nasik inscriptions 

 to stand for ten. This was somewhat unexpected, as we already 

 were in possession of a clearly defined cipher for that amount, 

 furnished by the Guzrat copper-plates — which it will be remembered 

 takes the form of a double 2" or ^", with the mark of a^ above 

 the compound and the sign of the ^IT prolonged forwards from the 

 foot of the upper 3". Besides this, Major Cunningham identifies a 

 third variety of the figure in the letters ft of the Chandra Gupta 

 inscription at Sanchi,f but even these do not exhaust our list of tens, 

 as we have further varieties in the unfrequently employed fV 

 of the Nasik records,! ana from the same source we obtain a repre- 

 sentative of ten which may possibly prove to constitute the letters 

 T3", though the incomplete outline of its base, as copied in Lt 

 Brett's facsimiles, does not fully agree witli the usual formation of 

 that semivowel. 



Dr. Stevenson, pursuing the Bactrian comparison, would liken 

 this figure to a ill j, but apart from the gentle violence of having 

 to turn the top curve the wrong way, which is needful to complete 

 the likeness, the very marked final up-stroke of the original inscrip- 

 tion (V. line 5) is altogether superfluous to the due expression of 

 the Bactrian letter. 



2nd. The Greek 6 the Indian "ST is also determined for us by the 

 Nasik monuments — wherein the figure stands proclaimed as the 

 equivalent of twenty. These inscriptions further supply us with a 

 new and independent sign for the same number, in a "^ of their 

 own alphabetical system. 



* The details of this I leave for future illustration, it may be sufficient to say 

 here that the subject has been taken into consideration in connection with the 

 present position of the enquiry. 



t J. A. S. B. VI. PL XXV. ; Bhilsa Topes, PL XXI. 



% Inscription V. line 2, Inscription VI. line 5, twice over. On the last occasion 

 its use is peculiar, as, the 1000 instead of being defined as in line 4, by one symbol 

 representing that amount, is expressed by ten hundreds. 



