9 
1898.] M. A. Stein — New inscriptions discovered by Major Deane. 
and Surkliabi to the Malandri Pass, circ. 72°26' E. long., 31° 24' N. Lat. 
Finally we have in No. 31, a small stone recently found at Shahbazgarln 
far to the south of the Boner hills. 
Some significance may, perhaps, be attached to the fact that this 
group of inscriptions which seems topographically to extend over the 
widest area, is also the one in which varieties of the same system of 
writing can be most readily distinguished. 
In their clearest and sharpest form the characters appear in the 
four inscriptions from Bichounai (M. Senart’s Nos. 2-5) which look as 
if engraved by the same mason or after an identical pattern. Closest 
to them range in this respect our Nos. 26-27 from Tangi and Torsak , 
though here the characters bear a slightly more rounded form. Similar 
in type are also Nos. 24-25 from Elai , but the execution is far less 
careful. Both these little inscriptions are cut into rough stones of 
small size which do not appear to have ever belonged to a building or 
other structure. 
With a peculiarly cursive yet clear enough form of these characters 
we meet on the three inscriptions from Ghargam , Nos. 32-34, which, as 
Major Deane’s note seems to show, were originally fastened together. 
No. 34 contains only a few stray signs which, however, can be traced 
also in the far more regular lines of the other two inscriptions. 
Nos. 28 and 31 from Malandri and Shahbazgarhi , respectively, are 
too small to show any striking peculiarity of their own. Such, how¬ 
ever, is amply displayed by the large-sized characters of No. 29 from 
Ilm-o-Mianz. I should have hesitated to class this inscription with the 
Boner group, were it not that on closer examination the peculiarity of 
these characters appears to be due more to a kind of ornamentation with 
hooks and flourishes than to any real difference of type. The fragment 
No. 30 from the same locality can certainly not be separated from this 
group, the shape of the few signs approaching closely to some found 
on No. 24. 
With the Boner group too, I have thought it best to arrange 
Nos. 35 and 36 which come both from valleys lying to the north of the 
Mahaban range and opening into Boner proper. No. 35 found near 
Surah, circ. 72° 36' E. Long., 34° 24' N. Lat., shows a few characters 
resembling the Boner type, arranged in a circle amidst what are 
evidently symbols. A similar arrangement is exhibited by M. Senart’s 
No. 4 from Bichounai. 
No. 36 which comes from Shera , a locality of uncertain position in 
Amazai territory, is a small loose stone showing on both sides scrawls 
which may be compared with a few signs occurring on No. 30 and else¬ 
where. 
J, i. 2 
