58 Dr. Hoernle— Antiquities from Central Asia. [Extra No. 1, 
about it; and she advised me to try and find it out of a boy with 
whom I was on very intimate terms, and who was the son of the headman 
of this business. So, one day I asked him, how they got these books, 
and he plainly told me that his father had the blocks prepared by a 
cotton-printer, ” ” etc. Now it is evident that the servant might have 
said all this from jealousy only, but I now determined to examine the 
books with more critical eyes than before. Then the following facts 
became clear to me immediately : 
(1) The rich supply of books, which may be purchased at any 
price we are pleased to put on them, although every European traveller 
who has been in Khotan has taken a great interest in them, not men¬ 
tioning the Russian Consul and Mr. Macartney who have bought what 
they have come across. 
(2) The apparent freshness of them, as for instance— 
(a) the sharp corners of the copper plates and nails which are 
covered only with a very thin layer of rust; 
(b) no rust from the plates sticking to the paper under the plates; 
(c) the corners of the books quite square (not round, as they 
usually are in old books), and the edges recently out 
though in such a manner as to make them look old ; 
(d) although without proper covers, the outside leaves as well 
as the leaves in general were well preserved, but one here 
and there destroyed betwixt two fresh ones; b 
(e) no yellow spots or marks of handling by readers, as usually 
occur in old books ; 
(/) the paper, though very ill-treated (burnt and smoky), still 
strong almost as if it were new ; 
(g) the paper exactly of the same kind, as prepared in Khotan 
in the present day. 
Now if these books are forgeries, must not there have been some 
genuine ones, after which these are made ? Certainly, I think so, 
especially in order to account for the characters. But I do not think 
they took the pains to copy any text—they may have or they may have 
not—of the original, but very likely put the letters in a preposterous way 
to make it look like writing. As for the hand-written ones, I have no 
particular opinion, as I have had no opportunity to examine them. But 
I do not think that it is at all impossible that they should be forgeries. 
You see I purchased the volumes I have spoken of—three of the longest 
that have been sold—for a total of Rs. 7, and certaiuly I payed too 
much. If they can get twice as much, very likely they would not 
hesitate to prepare actual manuscript.” 
6 The italics are Mr. Backlund’s. 
