124 An Essay on Early Eclat ions [No. 37, 



ciphering unknown Hindu inscriptions: most of them bear a re- 

 lation to tl\o square Pali ; but, in various particulars, they accord 

 with known Hindu characters. The mode of supplying the let- 

 ter, r. when not followed by a vowel sound, corresponds with the 

 # o ^ Deva-nagari ;* and there are other similari- 



ties to that alphabet. In the numerals a 

 Tamil vowel is introduced for (4) and another, a little varied, for 

 # p (5). The Dasa Nama* is not only Sanscrit 



in its meaning often names; but, as a dic- 

 tionary, follows the plan of the Amrita Cosha, a Sanscrit diction- 

 ary of synonymes, in the same way as that plan is followed in the 

 Tamil Niyandu. " In Bali, the Kawi is still the language of re- 

 ligion* and law : in Java it is only that of 

 poetry, and fable." In Bali, there arc still 

 Bramana* that is Brahmans. A fac simile 

 of an ancient inscription in Deva-nagari was 

 found at Brambanam, which corresponds with the kind of old cha- 

 racter, recently deciphered in Bengal, of the latest, or least diffi- 

 cult, class : the corresponding modern letters are given by Mr. 

 Wilkins, and read thus : 



Cahumata puram chacara tasya avsavvi d'hana. 



This seems to be Sanscrit. I take it to mean ' the mother town 

 Calm, and headman, of his necessity, the gift.' 



The account given by Baffles of the literature of Java, of all 

 other sources of comparison, gives the fullest analogies. Titles 

 of Hindu popular works are preserved, while the contents arc ab- 

 stracted ; and, in being abridged, are greatly modified, or altered. 

 The scenes of poems strictly Hindu arc laid either in Java or the 



* P 373 neighbouring islands. The Kanda* seems 



to be the Scanda or Kanda puranam ; and, 

 with some of its fabulous contents probably borrowed thence, has 

 other things confusedly mingled which relate to the Ramayana y 



and MahaV liar at a. The JViwaha* (or mar- 



* P 383 



riage) a poem of three hundred and fifty -five 

 stanzas, also has things borrowed from the MakaV liar ata. The 



* P 387 Rama-Kaivi* the largest poem possessed by 



the Javans is simply their version of the Ra- 



