258 
Notes on several Arabic and Persian Inscriptions. [No. 3, 
Firuz Shall inscription at Tribeni (Journal, A. S. Bengal, for 1870, 
p. 287) of A. H. 713. 
A collection of such inscriptions may help us to clear up the 
difficult terms of Muhammadan calligraphy, of which so little is 
known. The art of painting was neglected by Muhammadans for re¬ 
ligious reasons; and calligraphy which, to a certain extent, took its 
place, is hedged in by rules of proportion which are with difficulty 
learnt and appreciated. But it would be erroneous to believe that 
the characters used for inscriptions or coins, no matter how unusual 
they look, are the result of whim : a good Habib, when in posses¬ 
sion of a few characteristic letters of an inscription, can always from 
them complete the whole alphabet, and in the case of difficult in¬ 
scriptions much time is saved, and much accuracy is gained, by first 
writing down the alphabet. It is also worth remembering that all 
Tughra writing intends to be beautiful, not whimsical and obscure. 
On first commencing to read Tughra inscriptions, I was often mis¬ 
lead by a preconceived notion of an intentional obscurity of the cha¬ 
racters, and was often inclined to believe that an upward stroke, for 
instance, belonged to two words and should be read twice. But 
Tughra, as every other writing, expresses each letter fully. 
I use the word Tughra, as it is now-a-days used by Muhamma¬ 
dans in these parts of India, as a general terms for every kind of 
writing prior to the Nasta’liq. 
PI. VIII is peculiar in one respect. The letter <D, which in other 
inscriptions stands above the line, is in every instance kept on the 
line. The long stroke of the initial sin also in the last word of 
the upper line is very unusual on inscriptions. Compare also the 
inscription in Mr. Thomas’s Chronicles of the Pathan Kings, p. 129. 
In the date [719], we have again instead of £—3, or 
Atak. 
Mr. J. G. Delmerick sent the following two inscriptions. The 
first is on the fort of Atak— 
* iJlid £.*13 * 
•« 
jjS] Ah | Aibi 
