46 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Feb. 



borrowed also : that, in fact, both adopted the indigenous character 

 which was found already existing in that portion of India in which 

 they settled. 



This inference was further strengthened by the fact that both these 

 alphabets, at the earliest date to which we can ascribe their use with 

 any certainty, were not wholly fitted to express all the sounds of the 

 Aryan language which they embodied, and that, in fact, at later dates, 

 we find both characters modified into a more convenient form. Mr. 

 Bayley meant to allude especially to the use of reduplicate and 

 compound letters, which are sparingly and awkwardly combined in the 

 earlier inscriptions, while in later inscriptions (and this is peculiarly the 

 case with the Bactro-Pali) new compounds, nay, it may be said, 

 almost wholly new symbols are gradually introduced. Although 

 therefore the Society had not Mr. Thomas's evidence before it, it 

 seemed at least probable that he was correct, to the extent of assuming 

 that there is no evidence that the Aryan race ever invented an alpha- 

 bet ; but that on the other hand it is certain that they borrowed the 

 alphabets of other nations on more than one occasion, and there is strong 

 presumption that their Indian branch borrowed the Lath character. 



But from whom did they borrow it ? It was very unfortunate that 

 there was not any portion of Mr. Thomas's case before the Society 

 on this point, nor did the Society know upon what proofs he bases his 

 presumption that the " Lath Alphabet was of Dra vidian origin." 



On the other hand, the Society are obliged to Baboo Rajendra for 

 the, no doubt, very strong grounds which he had stated for believing 

 that the Dravidian races had no alphabet ; nor could Mr. Bayley, so 

 far as his experience went, find any evidence in contradiction of it. 

 Bemains presumably belonging to pre- Aryan races were occasionally 

 discovered, but so far as Mr. Bayley was aware, no sort of inscription 

 existed among these. Again, in Southern India, Mr. Walter Elliot 

 reported that, at a comparatively late date, one branch of the Dravidian 

 race maintained itself in independence, and possessed a considerable 

 share of importance, power and wealth. Coins even were attributed to 

 this tribe, but apparently nothing written or inscribed had survived 

 them. Nor, so far as Mr. Bayley was aware, did any purely indigenous 

 Dravidian literature exist ; any thing at least of a nature inconsistent 

 with the idea of its being handed down by oral tradition. 





