212 



Discovery of Roman Coins 



[No. 30. 



and come nearest to what the French called the Neocomicn beds the word 

 is derived from Neoeoniiensis — Neufchatel — because they are principally 

 developed there." 



u They are the lowest beds of the green sand, and I believe we have not 

 their exact equivalents in England. They abound in beautiful and pecu- 

 liar ammonites and a great variety of those fossils which we used to call 

 hamites but which have various other denominations such ptycoceras, 

 ancyloceras, &c. <S:c. not intelligible to you without specimens : the 

 French have published beautiful but rather imaginative drawings of these 

 fossils, some of which our specimens will I believe correct. Professor Forbes 

 has nearly completed his list of these fossils : naming and describing them 

 and the President is anxious to have them published as soon as possible. 

 Another circumstance has given our collections an interest : that is, the 

 great abundance of volutes (of which there are nearly 10 species) and the 

 presence of the eypr-cea, ceriihium and one or two other shells (which 

 have hitherto been thought almost peculiar to the tertiary beds) in forma- 

 tions of such great age. This circumstance affects several geological 

 theories of importance. There was one very valuable specimen in your 

 Verdachellum set. It was the bones of an ojihiura or starfish which 

 Professor Forbes says is the best preserved specimen he ever saw from 

 the cretaceous beds." 



Discovery of Roman Coins in the Coimbatore District. — In 

 the month of May 1842 -after a heavy fall of rain, an earthern pot was 

 discovered in a piece of waste land belonging to the village of Vella- 

 loor about 4 miles to the east of the town of Coimbatore, which on exami- 

 nation was found to be filled, with silver coins. When brought to the Col- 

 lector they were found to be Roman Denarii, 522 in number, chiefly of 

 reigns of Augustus and Tiberius, with a few of Caligula and Claudius. The 

 earthern vessel in which they had lain was like the common terra cotta 

 lota of the present time. It was broken to pieces in the scramble of the 

 finders to possess themselves of its contents. Vellaloor is not known to 

 be remarkable as a place of importance either in ancient or modern 

 times. 



Only eleven different types were found to occur in the large number of 

 coins above mentioned. 



1. Obv. Head of Augustus 134 examples. 



CAES. AYGVSTVS. DIVI. F. PATER. PATRIAE. 



Rev. The Pontifical instruments and two bucklers between the stand- 

 ing figures of Caius and Lucius. 



