150 Pooccedings of the Asiatic Society. [Aug. 



extremely slight), and it is odd that none could tell me what they were. 

 On second thoughts, you must have many, and it is not worth while 

 sending. The first which I made in May, 1862, contained perhaps 

 200 or more, and I fear the balance have been melted up at Benares. 



" I have deferred my paper on mason marks until I should hear from 

 other parts of India. I cannot, however, trace any, and their use, 

 whatever it was, appears to have been confined to Magadha and 

 thereabouts, and not to have lasted for many centuries. Babu Rajen- 

 dralala Mitra has made out many for me from Bakarya Kund, and these 

 are all of the Gupta period. Hence the date assigned in our paper is 

 much thereby confirmed, as most of the stones so inscribed, appear to 

 have been never moved since first laid, the inscriptions having become 

 legible by the foundations of massive structures having become 

 bare. I should like a statement of Mr. Peppe's, in a letter of his to 

 Mr. Grote, to be corrected. It occurs on page 82 of the Proceedings) 

 where I am made to say, that the temple of Kooch is Buddhist and 

 Mr. Peppe described the temple to me. I suggested that it might 

 possibly have been erected at the same time as that of Boodh Gya, 

 the date of which in my " Notes" I hold yet to be an open question. 

 I never saw the temple at Kooch, nor was I aware it had an arched 

 chamber in it. 



****** 



" I should like much to ascertain what is the opinion of archaeologists 

 as to the bacchanalian figures alluded to and figured in our paper. They 

 have no affinity to your museum " Silenus" — and they are not at all 

 Indian. The head dresses are most quaint." 



The following two letters from Mr. Peppe, about the Boodh Gaya 

 temple, were read, and the photographs referred to, exhibited. 



Gya, 27th July, 1865. 



" I have just returned from Boodh Gya and proceed to give you the 

 result of my examination of the arches. As far as I am able to give 

 an opinion, the internal arches i. e. the roof of the lower chamber, 

 and the three arches in the middle chamber, are as old as the building 

 itself, the larger arches in the porch, and those giving cover to the 

 staircases, I believe were subsequently built, at all events I saw sufficient 

 proof to convince me that the main building was built and plastered, 

 before the porch, as I found in several places that that portion of the 



