1835.] Biographical sketch of Col. Macke7izie. 363 



tory and origin of nations, of institutions, and of the arts 

 and sciences. In India the pursuit has been so success- 

 ful that it could scarcely be omitted in J ava. 



Inscriptions. — Setting modern inscriptions out of the 

 question, about twenty inscriptions or sassanams in an- 

 cient characters have been discovered in Java only, one 

 of which had been noticed, and that slightly, by Euro- 

 pean authors (the Batu Talis).'* Fac-similes have been 

 taken of them, and copies are intended to be communi- 

 cated to the Society at Calcutta, and to any others de- 

 sirous of the communication. Three different characters 

 are used in them, all yet undeciphered. One alone in 

 the Deva-nagari character was found on the visit to 

 Urambana. 



Ancient Coins. — A small collection has been made, a 

 few are Chinese and Japanese, most of them of a kind 

 hitherto unnoticed by any European collector, perforat-- 

 ed in the centre by a square opening, and bearing a 

 variety of figures resembling those of the voyangs, or 

 Javanese plays. None of these coins are to be found 

 even in the collection of the Batavian Society ; they are 

 usually dug up with other vestiges of antiquities near 

 places that have been destroyed by volcanic eruptions^ 

 \% is singular, that a few coins of the same Chinese kind 

 were found some years ago in a distant part of the My- 

 sore country; and one also among the ancient coins re- 

 cently discovered at Mahabalipuram near Madras, a, 

 circumstance that points at early commercial communi- 

 cation between the oriental islands and continents with 

 India. 



Ancient Sculptures and Images are frequently met in 

 Java, some indicating the existence of Hindu mythology 

 at a certain period ; most of them relate to the Budd'hist 

 and Jaina doctrines ; some few specimens of the small 

 copper images dug up were obtained, and drawings have 



* Thunberg's Voyages, 



