jan. — mar. 1858.] Numismatic Gleanings. 243 



less numerously and exhibit the same general character. It is diffi- 

 cult to say what the central figure on the reverse is meant to signi- 

 fy. Wilson figures a specimen of this series from the Mackenzie 

 collection with the same reverse, but an elephant on the obverse, 

 which thus serves as link between figs. 76 and 77 — 66 — and 48, 

 50, 52. The weights of these are— fig. 76 grains 64-9— and fig. 

 77 grains 86 5, but small quarter pieces also occur varying from 

 grains 10 to 25. » 



Fig. 78, is composed of a sort of inferior white metal with a bull 

 on the obverse and the reverse plain, weighing grains 30' 75. It 

 was found near Palaveram with several others of similar descrip- 

 tion, some having the bull obverse, others a horse, all of which 

 came into the possession of Lieut. Col. F. Clerk, late of the 3rd 

 or P. L. I. Regt. from whom the specimen here figured was receiv- 

 ed. Prinsep describes a similar kind of money among the relics of 

 Behat, the composition of which he calls white bronze, and the ge- 

 neral aspect and execution of which bear a strofig analogy to this 

 and the succeeding figures.* 



Figs. 79 to 89, belong to a remarkable series of very thin and 

 frequently much broken copper coins found along the sea-shore, 

 after the sand has been disturbed by storms or high winds, to the 

 south of Madras, in company with Roman, Byzantine and a few * 

 Chinese coins. The figures are often struck with considerable 

 elegance, the obverse being always a bull sometimes with a short 

 legend and various reverses, as a chakram or wheel in figs. 79, 82, 

 and 83 ; a ship with two masts like the modern d'honi save that it * 

 is steered by paddles from the stern, in fig. 81, 88 ; a tree in 80 ; 

 a bow, in 84 ; a crab in 85 ; a fish in 87. The reverses of 86 and 

 89 have not been recognized. J The leaden coin fig. 74 has been 

 introduced from its resemblance to figs. 81 and 88. It was found 

 near Allamparva between Sadras and Cuddalore. 



There can be little difficulty in attributing this series to the 

 aboriginal people of Dravida-desam, the Curumbars and their 



* J. A. S. B. Vol. III. p. 229, PL xvm. figs. 11, 12. 

 t We have a leaden coin from Dipaldinni of the Sinha series with a similar 

 reverse and four undulatory lines for the water symbol. 



