1869.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, 203 



the present day. Several beads and tubes, bored through and evident- 

 ly portions of necklaces were also found. These are of the colour and 

 description of agate and have circles in white round, with a zigzag 

 pattern in white in the centre." 



A conversation ensued in which the President and several Members 

 joined. The clay vessels which Capt. Oole had kindly forwarded to the 

 Society, unfortunately arrived greatly broken. 



II. — Notes on a Copper-plate Inscription in the possession of certain 

 Kols at Nagpur, by Babu Rakhal Das Haldar, Special Commis- 

 sioner, Chotd Nagpur. 



I forward a fac-siraile of a copper-plate inscription, insignificant in 

 itself, but of some consequence from the fact that certain Kols of 

 Chota Nagpur converted to Christianity are carrying it about as the 

 original patta granted by the Acaharaja of Chota Nagpur surrendering 

 half of the country to the Kols. 



The agitation recently set on foot by a number of converted Man- 

 das and Oiaons anent their rights as peasant proprietors, has become 

 a matter of some notoriety. Reduced to a state of serfdom for some 

 centuries past by the Hindu landlords, these people have, since their 

 conversion to Christianity, begun to realize their own position ; and 

 with remarkable zeal and unanimity of purpose, have consistently 

 endeavoured to better their condition, and have even induced the 

 Government to pass an act which promises to secure them their 

 just rights. It has, however, been known to the local authorities 

 that the zeal of these Kols frequently outran their discretion and 

 knowledge ; and the object of my sending the fac-simile to the Society 

 is to present a case in point. I trust that the matter may obtain 

 publicity by means of the Society's " Proceedings." It is exceedingly 

 probable that by exhibiting the original inscription, the ' agitators' 

 have induced many a poor and ignorant Kol to part with his hard- 

 earned money in support of their common cause. 



The inscription is in Sanskrit, in Oriya character. It is a 

 grant of a village by one Raja Jayanta Sinha and his wife 

 Ratna Kumari to a Brahman by name Kasinatha Madher. The 

 date is 1861, Samvat, Asharh, Sunday, when an eclipse seems 

 to have happened. From the Chakra Santak, or representation of 



