286 
R. Hoernle —The Note gong Copper-plate. 
[No. 4, 
been one sign, probably numerical, giving the day of the month. It 
is possible, however, that the reading was samvatsare, in which case 
the sism which I have read vai would stand for a numeral. 
The language of the grant is Sanskrit. The specifications of the 
grant, describing the locality, its perquisites and boundaries, is in prose, 
beginning in the fourth line of the reverse of the second plate, and 
extending to the second line on the obverse of the third plate, and again 
the three last lines of the latter plate. The remainder is in verse, detail¬ 
ing the genealogy of the donor (25 verses from the beginning down 
to the fourth line on the reverse of the second plate) and of the donee 
(7 verses, lines 3-11 on the obverse of the third plate). 
The execution of the inscription is, on the whole, very carefully 
done. There are none of the slovenly blunders which are so numerous 
in the Gauhati plates. Occasionally, when by an oversight, one or 
more aksharas were omitted, they have been added between the lines; 
thus the syllables raja in Ila 12 , va in II6 5 , pa in II h 10 and Ilia 3 . 
Very rarely a blunder has remained uncorrected ; thus we have amalan 
for amalam in 15 2 and yauvanan for yauvanam in II a 7 . 
The usual provincialisms occur. Thus instances of the confusion 
of sibilants are aycigagi for ayagasi in II 6 6 ; of the ligature of m with 
v , instead of anus vara with v, duritam-vah in I 6 3 , karmmanam-vipdka 
in II a 12 and elsewhere ; of the ligature of the guttural nasal g, instead 
of the anusvara, with an s or h, yagdgsi for yagdmsi in II a 6 , pugsdm 
for pumsam in II b l , hegsivd in II 6 9 , and sighasana for simhdsana in 
II b 2 ; of spelling, pushkirini for pushkarinl in III a 13 , dolditam for 
doldyitam in I 6 5 , dmvra for dmra in III a 12 , cchattram for chattram in 
II a 7 ; of sandhi, vayasd ambanam for vayas=dmbdnam in II a 9 . 
Palceographically it may be noted that .the guttural nasal is made 
throughout without a ringlet; see, e.g ., I 6 9 , I II a 6 , II a 12 , et passim; 
and that the initial short i is made by two ringlets placed side by side 
with a circumflex or rather a hook below them ), see I 6 s , I b b , I b [0 , 
II 6 12 , III a 9 ; once the hook is nearly closed, forming almost a third 
ringlet, in II a 1 . Also kh and r are made after the earlier fashion. 
An r preceding a consonant is always formed above the line; e.g., 
harnna I 6 7 , sarvvdn II 5 11 , et passim. 
A separate sign for b is never used, it being always expressed by 
the same sign as v ; thus 15 9 labdha, Ila 6 ambu , Ila 6 babhuva. This 
is also the case in the Gauhati plate, and my readings in that plate, 
accordingly, should be modified. The same practice still prevails in 
modern Bangali. 
In the case of a final t , n or m, special modified forms are used. 
For final m, the ordinary form of m is used, but much smaller and open 
