xxii. Appendix : — Proceedings of 



B. 



To the Secretary, Ceylon Branch, Royal Asiatic Society, Colombo. 



Sir, — I venture to beg the acceptance, by the Society, of a second 

 copy of a joint communication which the Royal Asiatic Society has done 

 me the honour to insert in its Journal for the present season, because a 

 copy of " Prinsep's Modifications of the Sanscrit Alphabet" is inserted 

 In it to facilitate comparison. 



I also beg the acceptance by the Society of two additional copies of 

 that alphabet. 



With my best wishes for the prosperity of the Branch in Ceylon, 



I have &c, 



S. J. Chapman. 

 Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, London, 18th Feb., 1852. 



London : — Athenceum Club, 20th Feb., 1852. 



Sir, — May I also take the liberty of begging your kind assistance in 

 the following points :— 



First, — Sir Woodbine Parish has in his possession an onyx engraved 

 nearly as follows : — 



fig. 1 



which, according to Prinsep, means 



The r o 



The first character is supposed to be a Monograph, in which p are 

 supposed to be Sri. The character comes nearest to Sri of the Third 

 and Fourth Centuries.* 



The other letters form Thero, " the highest of the high priests among 

 Budhists." But although the substitute for Sri is placed before titles 

 amongst other Budhists, and even before Dharma, as Sri Dharma, Pro- 

 fessor Wilson is not willing to take this my interpretation " Sri Thero." 

 I therefore shall be much obliged to you, if you can obtain any informa- 

 tion on the subject. The Singhalese kings made use of Monographs on 

 their coins ; the priests were allowed to have seals, and according to. the 

 Bible the names of the Ten Tribes were engraved on an onyx. I am 



* In orig : du. Printer. 



