186 Journal of the F.M.S. Museums. [VoL. IX, 
Abdul Hamid formerly Malay Assistant, F.M.S. Museums, 
which is no longer acceptable in entirety. 
Recently I forwarded photographs of all the faces to Heer 
J. P. Moquette of Batavia (the well-known authority on 
Malay tombstones and coins) who wrote regarding them :—‘“‘ I 
send a transcript of the Arabic-Malay inscription but I regret 
that I have been unable to decipher the whole. My version, 
therefore, is not decisive, for so far as regards the words 
underlined and the words omitted I have no opinion at all. 
‘It is impossible, to me, to read ‘ Makhtar Ramali ibni 
Marfu Talani’ as given by Mr. Winstedt. 
‘Both Arabic-Malay inscriptions are the same, only 
the words are not always on the same lines. My transcrip- 
tion follows the east face (pl. XIV). On the other (pl. XV) 
there is .,le 5 for eps} and l& for slLé. On pl. XIV after 
Mansur is a word ,.a~© not found on pl. XV, and incom- 
prehensible to me. 
‘* Reading is difficult through lack of diacritical marks 
which, too, are misplaced when present: and as for the 
names mere guess work. 
“For the second name I have written Majnun but one 
may read ~yss-e, Mahbub, also; and possibly many other 
names unknown to me. Makhtar is impossible. 
“Of all the words of my transcription not tates 
I am sure: of some of the characters I have no opin 
** The other micah abe I do not understand: he detints 
ing is old Javanese.’ 
[More recently an Arab pundit of Singapore to whom the 
photographs and Mr. Moquette’s transliteration were submit- 
ted through Dr. Winstedt reads bog ‘ai “ place’’ in line 2, 
accepts w’lkhairi in line 3 and wllahu. Amin/ Amin in line 
10; and reads the name as Shaikh Ahmad Mahbub Tebrai 
( ob) bin Bondi ( sy ) Biazar (jhly) and ax in 
line 9 as nasarah “ may God aid him.’’] 
i ey) wey aul ee 
Bismi’ lahvr-Rahmani’r-Rahimi 
daly Led] jlo lar 
I 
2 
7 lg: 8 fossa. deni aman oe, 
3 
3 
WL Bhairi sone Shaibh Ahmad Majnun 
! This is the general opinion : but big idle in the Javanese scripts have 
_ never been able to decipher it.—C. B. K 
