60 
Dr. Hoernle —Antiquities from Central Asia. [Extra No. 1, 
show, has probably actually happened ; but not in the way required by 
the hypothesis referred to. Moreover, as my detailed description of the 
block-prints shows the varieties of the (ex hypothesi) forged script are so 
numerous and so intricate as to require the allowance of a much longer 
time for their elaboration, than has actually passed since forgeries 
can have commenced, at most about ten years ago. The trade in 
forged prints could only have arisen with the advent of modern Euro¬ 
pean travellers. The earliest of these is General Prjevalski who 
visited Khotan in 1885, and at that time these books were unknown 
and unthought of. The first objection, mentioned by Mr. Backlund 
refers to the cheap price of the books. This is a point which may be 
argued either way, and is usually considered to speak rather in 
favour of genuineness. Mr. Backlund obtained his three books for Rs. 7 ; 
but for some block-prints in the British Collection a rather good price 
has been paid. For the book G. 9 (Eighth Set) Rs. 40 were paid ; for 
the book G. 8 (No. VI in the Seventh Set) Rs. 45; for the two books 
in M. 5, Rs. 40; for the two books in M. 6, purchased from Badruddin, 
Rs. 40; for the four books in M. 6, purchased from Mr. Hogberg 
together with a lot of antiques, Rs. 200. On the other hand, for the 
two sets of nine books in M. 7 and eight books in M. 8, only Rs. 40, 
each set, were paid; and for the two books in M. 4 (plus sundry 
antiques) and the two books in M. 9 (also plus sundry antiques) even 
only Rs. 11-3 and Rs. 20 respectively. The fact is that latterly (early in 
1898) when suspicion had once been aroused regarding the genuineness of 
these books, which tended to interfere with their saleableness, the dealers 
found it advisable to lower their prices. This is a question of demand 
and supply, and has little direct bearing on that of genuineness. It is 
quite possible that a large store of genuine books may have been dis¬ 
covered somewhere in the desert. 
The second objection refers to the supposed freshness of the books. 
I have examined 44 books and my observations do not altogether agree 
with those of Mr. Backlund. There are distinct marks of old rust on 
the guards and beneath them in the case of some books ; in others the 
corners are by no means “ quite square,” but irregular aud even round ; 
the leaves of some books (outside as well as inside) are in a very 
damaged condition and rotten, and show the dirty signs of having been 
handled; some books are printed on a kind of paper which is quite 
unknown in Khotan. 
The probability seems to be that latterly when the store of genuine 
old books gave out, an attempt was made to produce new ones by 
imitating some of the old genuine ones. The commencement of this 
attempt would seem to fall in 1897; and the books offered to Mr. 
