214 COINS FROM MALACCA. 



mon on old Portuguese coins. The last three letters XPI, if 

 taken as Latin characters, would be difficult of interpretation. 

 Taken as Greek they would stand for Christ, although they are 

 then more usually written in the form of a monogram ^k For 



this interpretation I am indebted to Mr. Robert Sewell, M. R. 

 A. S„ who in January last passed through Singapore and kindly 

 examined the coin. 



The inscription on the reverse is more difficult to read, the 

 last few letters especially being much worn on all five coins. 

 The letters seem to be SMPRDEPV SORDIEM. The first 

 four characters I take for an abbreviation for ' semper .' The 

 next seven letters may stand for ' Depulsor,' the letter ' 1 ' being 

 omitted or being covered by part of the device, viz. the pro- 

 jecting axis of the globe. The word < Depulsor ' occurs in a 

 few Latin inscriptions, as an epithet of Jupiter, the averter of 

 evil. The last four or five letters are very indistinct. 'Diem ' 

 would hardly give any sense, and I am inclined to think that 

 the inscription should read something like ' temper Depul- 

 sor Deus'. 



The other variety (see figs. 2 and 2a) of which there 

 is only one specimen, is of an unusual shape, the diameter of 

 the obverse being 37 mm., but that of the reverse 35 mm. only, 

 giving to the coin the shape of a truncated cone, and this ap- 

 pearance is heightened by the sharp edges of the coin. Its 

 thickness is 6 '5 mm. and its weight 45 grammes. The coin fur- 

 ther differs from the first variety by the shape of the cross, 

 the outlines of its arms being not parallel to each other, but 

 converging towards the centre, and by the sphere on the reverse 

 being somewhat smaller. The inscription, however, is the same 

 on the two varieties. 



Very similar t<t these is a much smaller coin (see figs. 3, 3a, 

 4 and 4a), also of tin, 24 mm. in diameter, 1-5 mm. in thickness 

 and 4*1 grammes in weight. It again shows the usual devices 

 of the cross and the sphere. The reverse bears no inscription, 

 whilst the obverse has the words NOSTRAE SPES VN1CA, 

 resembling thus the above described large coins by another, 

 almost incredible, mistake. The word 'crux' is omitted, but 

 may be understood from the figure of the cross in the middle 

 of the inscription. There were three specimens of this coin. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



