Inscriptions. 



329 



tissue of nonsense, from some motive, or end, best known to himself. 

 However the dilemma may be cleared, it is a pity that so much 

 labor and expense in printing a book have been next to thrown away 

 — unless indeed the object were to make money, by deceiving the 

 unwary, with a taking subject and flash title : a supposition that I 

 would not hastily, and uncharitably make. There are I repeat many 

 redeeming passages, and much that is either curious or useful ; but 

 that the Bauddhists in the east, or the Saxons in the west, were des- 

 cendants from the Beni Israel, I think remains unproved ; and, to 

 the best of my judgment and belief, the lat'h or Bauddhist inscrip- 

 tions are not as yet correctly translated ; whether by the late Mr. J. 

 Prinsep, or Prof. Wilson, or by the present Dr. Moore. 



I may perhaps venture to state my opinion, that the inscriptions 

 in the lat'h character certainly are in an ancient Indian language. I 

 ground this opinion mainly on my being able to make out words, and 

 parts of sentences ; though I have not been able, with perfect satisfac- 

 tion, to read the entire of an inscription. Dr. Moore has copied a 

 plate, with an inscription, from Col. Cunningham's book on the Bhilsa 

 and Sanchya Topes. Col. C. states that it represents a woman of 

 Thibet dancing before a Chief. The latter is seated with an expres- 

 sion of complacency on his countenance ; two or three female mem- 

 bers of his household are in the opposite corner. The lusty and 

 rather awkward figure of the performer, grotesque in its expression, 

 is in the foreground, and two men in the left corner, seated on the 

 ground, are beating small kettle drums. The inscription over head 

 is plain, and apparently complete. I am not quite sure of two let- 

 ters ; but I believe the reading to be — 



Vilosa ha holangi Jtdri dhora pdkam makagi. 



Pastime of the performer female, the chief beholding rejoices, i. e. 



The chief looking on the dancing woman is pleased. 



This sense corresponds so exactly with the scripture, that I am in- 

 duced to think it correct. If so, the language has a resemblance to 

 the general substratum of southern languages ; and the first word is a 

 prdcrit of the Sanscrit vildsam sport or pastime. This one inscription, 

 if any view of it be solid, would at once remove any idea of Hebrew 

 being the language of any of the said inscriptions. Dr. M. transli- 

 terates it in his usual fashion. 



