ON THE ALPHABETS OF THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 7^7 
plete for its purpose, but rather complex. To these again, must be 
added the ten digits or numeral characters which, from the resem¬ 
blance of some of them to the letters of the alphabet, and their ex¬ 
istence on monuments at least 700 years old, are most probably of 
native invention like the alphabet itself. 
The Javanese alphabet, like all the others of the Archipelago, is 
written from left to right. Each letter is distinct and unconnected, 
and the writing is perpendicular, and not slanting. The letters have 
an oval, rather than a round or square shape, and each is formed, not 
by several strokes of the pen, but by a single effort. On the whole, 
they are so well formed that a carefully written manuscript, if not 
handsome or showy, has at least a neat appearance. 
The Javanese alphabet, although always exhibited in the same 
order, has no vocal classification. The dental and palatal d, for ex¬ 
ample, are separated by 5 other letters that have no organic con¬ 
nexion with them, and the dental and palatal t by 11 equally un¬ 
connected. The letter a begins, and h ends it. The first four lat- 
ters are a. n. c. r. k. which pronounced with the inherent a, form 
the word anacaraka, the name of the alphabet, or in other words the 
a. b. c. of the Javanese. 
In the character thus described are written,—the proper Java¬ 
nese, the Sunda, the Bali, and occasionally I believe the Lombok. 
The Sunda, and Bali, alphabets, however, want the palatals *d. and 
•t. Altogether, including Palerabang in Sumatra, it is probable that 
the Javanese alphabet is current among no less a population than 
twelve millions. 
This, however, is not the only alphabet that has been known to 
the Javanese. In the work of Sir Stamford Raffles there are ex¬ 
cellent representations of not less than twelve different characters 
found on ancient monuments of stone or brass. One of these forms 
is Bewanagri, such according to Sir Charles Wilkins, as was cur¬ 
rent on the continent of India about nine centuries ago. A second 
character is nearly identical with the old square Pali, and eight are 
but ancient forms of modern Javanese writing. There is at least 
one example of a character distinct from the modern Javanese, and 
from all of these found in the western parts of the Island, and we 
may safely conclude therefore, that the inhabitants of Java have in¬ 
vented two alphabets. 
In Sumatra, beginning from the west, the first evidence we have 
of a native written character is found among the Bataks, and it is 
