Transliteration, 



327 



ferences in Dr. Moore's alphabet do not correct what is erroneous. 

 The vowel affixes are not found, in stone inscriptions, as Moore 

 represents them to be The system of transliteration into the square 

 Chaldee letter is open to objection, and the double letters of the San- 

 scrit, and other Indian alphabets, cannot be represented by two fol- 

 lowing Chaldee letters, except when the very short vowel shera is 

 quiescent. For instance Shm (which in Sanscrit would read slim a) 

 cannot be adequately represented by shin and mem as fol- 

 lowing letters, without vowel points. According to the points used 

 the two letters would mean a name (sub.) or thither, (adv.) and, since 

 so great a difference in those two letters depends on the vowel points, 

 the reader will be prepared to appreciate a further remark as to the 

 prevailing omission of vowel points in the sequel. 



The first inscription given is preceded by the Bauddhist symbol 

 termed Dhamma : it is a symbol as much so as the svastica, or any 

 other conventional sign. Yet Dr. Moore finds in it the word 

 Godama ; and then represents this name in Chaldee letters as 

 Yihodamma meaning as he states "god-like." But the translite- 

 ration of the hard syllable go into Yiho is, at the outset, of no 

 great promise. 



The inscription No. 1 contains seventeen consonants, each one carry- 

 ing a vowel affix or prefix, and there are three dots (anusvaram) with 

 the power of the nasal m or n. Dr. Moore transliterates these twenty 

 syllabic or other signs, by thirty consonants, all of which require a 

 vowel in order to their enunciation ; but he only gives the vowel o 

 over three letters. These three vowel-points are three dots on the head 

 of the letters, it is true, but with different import, I conceive, from 

 the three anusvaras of the lat'h letters. I am not perfectly certain 

 of every lat'h letter in No. 1, but the reading I think is something 

 like this. 



Earn kauka saiyottasa tangam jado chalutto ramam. 



Dr. Moore's transliteration is : Yoh d m m 1 k k sh 1 n o y sh th 

 gob moldrydmm pho n h. 



That the three first words may read " Godama (orf Johdama) king 

 ofKash" maybe; but there is nothing like that in the Bauddhist 



f Yohdama melech kash. 



