1867.] 



The Initial Coinage of Bengal. 



35 



certifies, in turn succeeded to royal honours in the old capital of 

 Bengal. 



Having completed this simple outline of the historical data, I now 



proceed to describe the coins in their due order ; first on the list in 



priority of time is a piece which I can only doubtfully assign to 



Bengal, and whose individual appropriation, moreover, must remain 



to a certain extent inconclusive. The coin itself will be seen to bear 



the hereditary name of the first Moslem Conqueror of India, Mahmud 



of Ghazni, and the oft-revived title of the founder of the dynasty, 



Nas/'r-ud-dhi Subuktagin, a conjunction of royal designation already 



seen to have been applied to a succession of Pathan princes, whose 



intitulation followed antecedent conventionalisms. 



Ndsir-ud-din. Mahmud Shtih. 



No. 1. 



Silver. Size, viii. Weight, 1G3.1 grs. Unique, British Museum. 



Onv. Hev. 



^.Ml U ULLJ| 



Margin, illegible. 





The incidental details of the legends restrict the assignment of this 

 piece to one of two individuals, the eldest or the youngest son of 

 Altamsh, the latter of whom was authoritatively designated by the 

 like name and title on the decease of his brother, in 626 ah.* The 



Tabakat Nasiri, p. 181 ; S&^t^J \jcy 



♦,1-LJU* 



^s*° j*#q j~«* Jjj fcjJUj p. 201, 



