[1844. Occurrence of Graphite in Tinnavelly Travancore. 215 



IMP. TRAIANO. AVG. GER. DAC. P. M. TR. P. 

 Rev. A soldier with a spear over his shoulder marching to the right, 

 COS. V. P. P. S. P. Q. R. OPTIMO. PRINC. . 



A solidus of Zeno was found in company with three or four of the 

 pagodas called Animitti from their bearing the impression of an ele- 

 phant and with several silver coins of the type figured by Prinsep as 

 No. 9 of his Ceylon Series* at the foot of an insulated hill in theTiruman- 

 galum Talook of the province of Madura in May 1839. The Animitti 

 were struck by the Princes of the Shera Dynasty. The type of the Roman 

 coin, which has been pierced to be worn as an ornament, bears the armed 

 bust of the Emperor, with 



DN. ZENO. PERP. AVG. and the type of victory holding a long cross 

 VICTORIA. AVGGG. 6. In the exergue CONOB.f 



Still more recently in June 1840 a hoard of Roman aurei was discovered 

 at the Village of Darphal about 15 miles from Sholapoor. They were 

 contained in a small earthen lota and only eighteen were secured, chiefly 

 of the reign of Severus, but a few also of Antoninus, Commodus, Lucius 

 Verus, and Geta. Drawings of a few have been seen and some of these 

 prove to be rare types, such as Severus, 



ADVENTVI. AVG. FELICISSIMO. AkermanDesc.Cat. No. 3 vol.1, p.341 

 FELICITAS SAECVLI do. do. do. No. 36 343 



FORTVNiE. REDVCI. 44 344 



PROVIDENTIA. Medusa's head. 126 349 



One of the Emperors on horseback spearing a Lion appears to refer to 

 a type of Commodus (Akerman No. 99) but the legend is illegible in the 

 drawing. There is also a specimen of Lucius Verus with the type of 

 (Esculapius— and SALVTI. AVG. V. S. P. Q.'R. TR. POT. III. COS. II. 



It may be added that Roman coins are frequently picked up along the 

 sea shore, to the South of Madias, on mounds of sand distant about 5 or 

 miles apart, on the surface of which they are discovered after high winds 

 or heavy rains. They are mostly oboli worn so smooth as to leave 

 little more than the head and device discernible. The legends of Valen- 

 tinian, Theodosius and Eudocia, have however been read. Old Hindu 

 and Chinese coins are met on the same spots. 



W. E. 



Occurrence of Graphite in Tinnavelly and Travancore.— 

 This fact was communicated to us in a letter from a valued correspon- 

 dent transmitting a number of specimens of limestone from a great bed 



* Journal Asiatic Society, vol. vi. pi. 20. p. 298. 

 t No. 1 of Ackerman's Des. Cat. II. p. 381. 



