IN CHATT18GHER. 507 



dits of Calcutta, but it fortunately happened tliat the establishment of the 

 late Col. Mackenzie possessed an individual, Sri Verma Siiri, a Jain of great 

 respectability and learning, who had been long engaged in deciphering 

 the inscriptions of the Dekhin, and to whom the character of the Raju 

 plates was familiar and he accordingly prepared a transcript of the plates and 

 a copy in Devanagari. There is every reason to believe in the genuineness 

 of his version: he was examined at the time in various ways both by Cap- 

 tain Price and myself and underwent the scrutiny without any embarrass- 

 ment or hesitation; the plates and copies were then taken from him and 

 nothing more was said upon the subject for a period of more than two 

 months, during which he was busily occupied in the analysis of a number 

 of Jaina works preparatory to his retirement from active duty ; after that 

 interval he was called upon without previous notice or preparation to read 

 his copy of the original, whilst his reading was checked by careful refer- 

 ence to the Devanagari transcript. As he accomplished this task with 

 perfect readiness, and without the slightest deviation from the Devanagari 

 version, little doubt could be entertained of his being really acquainted 

 with the character: in fact the character, however uncommon the appearance 

 which it assumes, is an obvious modification of the Devanagari, as will 

 be seen by reference to the accompanying comparative alphabet. The prin- 

 cipal difference, and that which most disguises them is in the heads of the 

 letters. Instead of a plain horizontal line as in Devanagari, each charac- 

 ter is surmounted by a kind of box or hollow square, the same with the 

 figure of the inherent short vowel, which like the matra of the Devanagari 

 letters it. seems intended to represent ; this peculiarity being recognized and 

 a square instead of a rounded form' being assumed by the whole of the 

 characters, the inscription may be decyphered without any very great 

 difficulty. According to Sri Ve'rma's information this character is not in 

 common use in any part of India but is confined to inscriptions: the fac 

 simile of the plates with the Devanagari transcript, and the comparative 

 alphabet will render these it is hoped decypherable generally in future. 



• M m ra 2 



