60
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
when a dancer misses his step, it is a sommersault'; ‘Why feel with your finger the bag that you will have to open 2' 13, “Translations of certain Documents, Fami
ly and Historical, found in the possession of the descendants of M. Nanclars de Lanerolle, French Envoy to the Court of Kandi" contributed by L. Ludovici, Esq. These documents are :-(1) an account of the French embassy to the Court of Kandi in 1685 and some particulars of the De Lanerolles Ceylon—translated from the Sin halese ; (2) Extracts of a Resolution passed in the Council of Ceylon on the 24th September 1765, granting sustenance to the descendants of Laisne de Nanclars de la Nerolle, followed by a most amusingly sarcastic endorsement by the late Mr. O'Grady, Government Agent of Galle, on a petition presented by one of the Lanerolles (a police Vidahn at Kattaluwa) applying for the rank of Mohan diram ; (3) A letter from Holland giving an ac count of the siege of Vienna in 1683; (4) Letter from John Sobieski, King of Poland, to the Queen informing her of his victory; (5) The muster roll of the Turkish Army ; (6) The spoil of the Turks carried into Vienna; and (7) a letter relating to trade in Amsterdam. These last five were proba bly intercepted at Trinkomali on their way to the Dutch Governor at Colombo by the emissaries of Raja Sinha, and, translated into Sinhalese for his
[FEB. 2, 1872.
are based chiefly on the numerals found in the Nāsik cave inscriptions. He (Mr. Bhandarkar) had examined Mr. West's copies of these, Š and was convinced of the truth of this opinion, which is also confirmed by the numerals on the Surāshtran coins. And in the fac-simile of one of Dr. Burn's Gurjara plates, given by Prof. Dowson," in which the date 385 is given in words as well as figures, the first symbol has a loop at the lower end similar to that in the present plate. For these reasons the first figure in the present case stands for 300. Now, as to the value of the second figure :—We know the symbols for 10, 40, 80, and 90. Dr. Bhau Daji quotes an inscription from Kárlén in which a symbol somewhat resembling the second in this plate is given with its value in words as “twenty’; and it occurs twice in the Nāsik inscription No. 25.” which is considered to be a deed of sale, executed at the orders of Gotamiputra in some year represented by
this and another symbol. In another inscription (No. 26), in which Gotamiputra's exploits are enumerat ed, his wife assigns the cave in which it occurs for the use of religious mendicants in the 19th year of Padu mayi. And as these events took place shortly after each other, the symbol most probably stands for 20. The same figure occurs on a coin of Vishva Sáh, the
15th king in Mr. Newton's list, f while the second figur on his other coins we know represents 10, the whole date being 217,-the other symbol, therefore, must
stand for 20. The last figure in this grant resembles our modern é = 6, and that has generally been consi dered its value.” The date of the present grant is therefore 326.
information.
Bombay Branch Royal Asiatic Society.
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This grant is by Dhar a sena IV., the great grand son of Dhar as en a II. ; but the figured date
THE OLD SANSKRIT NUMERALS. At the monthly meeting of the Bombay B. R. Asia tic Society, held Thursday, 11th January, Prof. Ram krishna Gopal Bhandarkar, M.A. presented a Devanā gari transcript of a Valabhi copperplate grant," with a paper of considerable length on the reading of the ancient Indian numerals. The following is an abstract of his remarks :-
7.2% on the copper plate of this latter monarch as deciphered by Mr. Wathen, was considered by Prinsept and Mr. Thomast as equal to 300+ some undetermined qua" tity, and the Rev. P. Anderson thinks it to be 330. ś Dr. Bhau Daji! has given five dates from Valabhi plates, but none of them resembles the date in any of the three known grants, though one, which somewhat resembles
In this copperplate, put into his hands, he said,
by Mr. Burgess, the date is given in figures thus—
that on Mr. Wathen's plate, is interpreted by him as
ºG 5
332, while in another paper," he assigns to Dhar * sena II. the dates 322 and 326. If, then, the date in the present case is correctly interpreted, these reading”
The first figure in this was formerly understood to signify 300 in all cases; but Mr. Thomas found varia tions in the form and number of the side strokes, whence he inferred that the value of the symbol was in some way modified by them.t The exact signifi cation of these was given by Dr. Bhau Daji, t— who has pointed out that this symbol without the right hand strokes represents 100; with one stroke, it signifies 200 ; and with two, 300. His conclusions -
- tººlmie and translation of this grant has
been given at
pp. 12-17.
t Jour. R. Asiat. Soc., Vol. XII., pp. 35, Note 1. f Jour. Bom. B. R. As. Soc. Wol. VIII., pp. 225-231. § Ib., Vol. VII., pp. 37-52. | Ib., Vol. VII., pp. 27-28.
- Jour. R. As. Soc. N. S., Vol. I. p. 247.
- Conf. Jour. Bomb. B. R. As. Soc., Vol.V., p. 46 ; and Vol. VII.
p. 228, where the second occurrence of the same symbol appears to have escaped Dr. Bhau's attention, though he remarks the second symbol as 4.
would make Dhar a sena IV. to have reigned four * sic years before his great grandfather, or in the same yº" But on examining Mr. Wathen's plate in the Bombay Asiatic Society” Museum, it is found that the figure representing hu".
or only four years after him.
dreds has only one side stroke. ** It thus appears that
the first figure in the grant of Dhar a sen a II: * presents 200. Now the same minister Sk and * :
bhata executed thegrant of Dharase n a IV. " + Jour. Bom. B. R. As. Soc., vol. VII., p. 28, and Mr. Thom” • jour. B. B. R. Assoc, vol. viii. p. 229, under' cave No. *
Jour. R. As. Soc., Vol. XII., p. 59.
f Jour. As, Soc. Beng., Vol. VII., p. 349. t Jour. R. As. Soc., Vol. XII., p. 5, Note.
§ Jour. Bom. B. R. As. Soc., Vol. III., p. 216. | Ib., Vol. VIII., p. 230.
- Ib.,Vol. VIII., p. 245.
- Jour. As. Soc. Beng., Wol. WII., p. 349.
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