184 
A. Cunningham— Belies from Ancient Persia. 
[No. 8, 
In 1875, at Peshawar, about 1000 gold dinars of the Indo-Scythian 
kings Wema Kadphises, Kanerki, Hoverki, and Bazo Deo were dug up in 
the city, out of which I have seen upwards of 600 specimens. 
In 1878, at Sumerpur 12 miles from Hamirpur on the Jumna, 100 
silver coins of the Greek kings of Kabul were discovered, comprising 
specimens of Eukratides, Antimachus, Apollodotus and Menander. 
Amongst them there were nine didrachmas of Menander. 
A very interesting find was also made towards the end of the last 
century near Benares, as recorded in the following extract from “ Nicholls’ 
Recollections and Reflections”, Yol. II, p. 203 [2 vols. 8vo. London, 1822] 
“ I was informed by the late Warren Hastings “ that, while he was 
££ Governor-General of Bengal, he sent as a present to the Directors of the 
“ East India Company one hundred and seventy-two Darics. They bad 
££ been found buried in an earthen pot, on the bank of a river in the 
<£ province of Benares. Mr. Hastings told me that when he sent these 
<£ coins to the Court of Directors, he considered himself as making tha 
“most munificent present to his masters that he might ever have in his 
{£ power to send them. Judge of his surprise when he found on his arrival 
“in England, that the Darics had been sent to the melting pot.” 
The same huckstering spirit clung to the Board of Directors until 
the last, when in a fit of economy they ordered all the gold and silver 
presents which they had received to be sold. Everything was sent to a 
silversmith to be valued, including the Graeco-Bactrian silver plate with 
the procession of Bacchus which was presented to the East India Company 
by Dr. Lord. I have seen the valuation statement of the'silversmith, and 
I was happy to find that this valuable Patera had been saved by Horace 
Hayman Wilson, 
Relics from Sistan. 
The bronze relics given in Plate XIX are also from Ancient Persia ; 
but they come from Sistan , or Drangiana, and were collected by Capt. 
Hutton in the first Afghan campaign, from whom they came into my 
possession by purchase along with a small collection of coins. 
These bronze objects are of two distinct kinds ; ornaments and weapons. 
They are all given full size, 
Fig. 1 is part of a bird including the head and wing and part of the 
back. As it is quite flat on the opposite side, I think it may have been 
part of an ornamental handle of a knife. 
Figs. 2 and 3 seem to he portions of personal ornaments, as they have 
a strong resemblance to some of the gold bracelets given in Plate XVI. 
Figs. 4 and 5 are female figures which I believe formed the handles 
of some unknown instruments. 
