valuable illustrations of his "tree and serpent worship." Colin Mackenzie was an ardent and successful collector of archæological materials, but he was not an archæologist. He could dig up and make drawings of the splendid sculptures at Dharanikotta, but he could neither restore the building, nor translate the inscriptions. But, although not a writer himself, the splendid collection of antiquities which he left behind him has been the cause of writing in others. To his drawings we partly owe Fergusson's "tree and serpent worship," and to his collection of manuscripts and inscriptions we are indebted for the greater part of what we at present know of the early history of the southern portion of the peninsula.* When Horace Wilson left India in 1833 the mantle of Sanskrit scholarship fell to Dr. Mill, whose acquaintance with the sacred language of India is acknowledged to have been as profound and as critical as that of his three great predecessors. To him we owe the translation of several important inscriptions; and his early departure from India, in the end of 1837, was looked forward to by James Prinsep as a loss that was not likely to be soon supplied. But a new era now dawned on Indian archæology, and the thick crust of oblivion, which for so many centuries had covered and concealed the characters and language of the earliest Indian inscriptions, and which the most learned scholars had in vain tried to penetrate, was removed at once and for ever by the penetrating sagacity and intuitive perception of JAMES PRINSEP. During a great part of the years 1836 and 1837, the most active period of his career, I was in almost daily intercourse with him. With our mutual tastes and pursuits this soon ripened into the most intimate friendship. I thus had the privilege of sharing in all his discoveries during their progress. The matured results will be found in the pages of the Bengal Asiatic Society's Journal; but the germs of his discoveries are related in his letters to me, sometimes almost in the same words as he afterwards made use of in the journal, but generally in the more familiar language of friendly correspondence. See Professor Dowson's account of the Southern Kingdoms in the Royal Asiatic Society's Journal, VIII., 1; and H. H. Wilson's Historical Sketch of the Kingdom of Pandya in the Royal Asiatic Society's Journal, III., pp. 199 & 387. Prinsep's first great work was the partial decipherment of the Arian Pâli legends of the Bactrian Greek coins, and his last and most important achievement was the decipherment of the Indian Pâli legends of the coins of Surâshtra, and the consequent decipherment and translation of the still earlier edicts of Asoka on the pillars at Delhi and Allahabad. In both of these achievements the first step towards discovery was made by others, and this was most freely and fully acknowledged by Prinsep himself. Regarding the decipherment of the Arian Pâli alphabet, he says"Mr. Masson first pointed out in a note addressed to myself through the late Dr. Gerard, the Pehlvi signs which he had found to stand for the words Menandrou, Apollodotou, Ermaiou, Basileos, and Soteros. When a supply of coins came into my hands, sufficiently legible to pursue the enquiry, I soon verified the accuracy of his observation, found the same signs with slight variation constantly to recur, and extended the series of words thus authenticated to the names of twelve kings, and to six titles or epithets. It immediately struck me that if the genuine Greek names were faithfully expressed in the unknown character, a clue would through them be formed to unravel the value of a portion of the alphabet, which might in its turn be applied to the translated epithets and titles, and thus lead to a knowledge of the language employed. Incompetent as I felt myself to this investigation, it was too seductive not to lead me to a humble attempt at its solution."* The clue pointed out by Masson was eagerly followed up by Prinsep, who successfully recognized no less than sixteen, or just one-half of the thirty-three consonants of the Arian alphabet. He discovered also three out of the five initial vowels, and two of the medials, or just one-half of the vowels. Here his progress was unfortunately stopped by sudden illness; and he was soon after cut off in the very midst of his brilliant discoveries leaving the task to be slowly completed by others. In the May number of his journal for 1837,† Prinsep published his readings of the legends on the small silver coins of Surâshtra. In this case he has also given a brief notice *Bengal Asiatic Society's Journal, 1935, p 329. Published in June 1837. of the steps which led to the discovery; but as his letters to me convey a much more vivid and lively account of the untiring perseverance which secured his success, I will give a connected version of the discovery in his own spirited language by extracts from his letters: 11th May 1837.-" Here are two plates addressed to me by Harkness on the part of J. R. Steuart, quarto engravings of 28 Saurashtra coins, all Chaitya reverses, and very legible inscriptions, which are done in large on the next plate. Oh! but we must decipher them! I'll warrant they have not touched them at home yet. Here to amuse you try your hand on this" (here follows a copy of three of the coin legends, with the letters forming the words Rajnah and Kshatrapasa, each of which occurs twice, marked, respectively, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, shewing that he had begun to analyze them the same day). 12th May, 7 o'clock, a. m.-" You may save yourself any further trouble. I have made them all out this very moment on first inspection. Take a few examples (here follow both the original legends and the Nâgari renderings) 1 to 4-Raja Krittamasa Rudra Sahasa Swami Jahatuma putrasa. 5 to 8-Raja Krittamasya Sagadamta Raja Rudra Sahasa putrasya. And thus every one of them gives the name of his father of blessed memory, and we have a train of some eight or ten names to rival the Guptas!! Hurra! I hope the chaps at home wont seize the prize first. No fear of Wilson at any rate! I must make out a plate of the names on ours added to Steuart's, and give it immediate insertion. It is marvellously curious that, like the modern Sindhi and Multâni, all the matras, or vowels, are omitted, and the Sanskrit terminations sya, &c., páli or vernacularized. This confirms the reading which I had printed only a day or two ago, Vijaya Mitasa for Mitrasya, of Mithra, identifying him and the devise with our OKРо bull coin! Bravo, we shall unravel it yet." Here we see that, although he had mastered the greater part of these legends almost at first sight, yet the readings b of some of the names were still doubtful. But two days later he writes as follows: Sunday (postmark, May 14, 1837).-"Look into your cabinet and see what names you have of the Saurashtra series. Steuart's list is as follows: Rajas Rudra Sah, son of Swami Janadâma. Atri Damá &c., "The Sanskrit on these coins is beautiful, being in the genitive case after the Greek fashion. We have Rajnya for Raja, Atri-Dámnah for Atri-Dama, Vira-Dámnah for ViraDama, Viswa Sáhásya for Viswa Saha, which are all confirmed by the real name losing the genitive affix when joined to putrasya. "I have made progress in reading the Peacock Saurashtrans Sri bama saga deva jayati kramaditya paramesa. "Chulao bhai, juldee puhonchoge! "* In these lively letters we see that the whole process of discovery occupied only three days, from the first receipt of Steuart's plates to the complete reading of all the legends. Nothing can better show the enthusiastic ardour and unwearying perseverance with which he followed up this new pursuit than these interesting records of the daily progress of his discoveries. When I recollect that I was then only a young lad of twenty-three years age, I feel as much wonder as pride that James Prinsep should have thought me worthy of being made the confidant of all his great discoveries. But the decipherment of the legends on the Saurashtran coins was but the precursor of a still more important discovery. Success only seemed to inspire James Prinsep with fresh ardour. No difficulty daunted his enthusiasm, and no labour tired his perseverance. Only a few years previously he had analyzed the characters of Samudra Gupta's inscription on the Allahabad pillar, and had distinguished the *This is the common exclamation of palki bearers to encourage one another-"Go on brother, we shall soon get there!" attached vowels, a, e, i, and u; but the long í he mistook for o. At that time he had despaired of reading these old inscriptions,* from "want of a competent knowledge of the Sanskrit language." But his present success stimulated him to renew his former attempt. Fortunately just at this time he received a number of short inscriptions from the great stupa at Sânchi near Bhilsa. These he read almost at a glance with the exception of two or three letters, which, however, soon yielded to his perseverance. He then proceeded to examine the inscriptions on the Delhi pillar, and at once read the opening sentence without any difficulty or hesitation. Prinsep's final readings of the Saurâshtran coin legends was announced to me on the 14th May, and this later discovery of the still older inscriptions of the Sânchi Stupa and Delhi pillar was completed before breakfast on 23rd May, or only nine days later. His formal account of the discovery is given in the journal; † but his brief announcement to me is very interesting, as it shows that he had at once determined to attempt the translation of the whole of Asoka's edicts. I give this letter entire. 23rd May 1837.-" MY DEAR CUNNINGHAM,-Hors du departement de mes études! Sultan Adil, &c. No, but I can read the Delhi No. 1, which is of more importance, the Bhilsa inscriptions have enlightened me. Each line is engraved on a separate pillar or dhwaja. Then, thought I, they must be gifts of private individuals, whose names will be recorded. All end in dánam-that must mean 'gift, or given,' dánam-genitive must be prefixed. Let's see. Isa-pálitasa-cha Sámanasa-cha dânam. "The gift of Isa-Pâlita (protected of God; and of Sâmana. Sâmanerasa Abeyakasa Sethinon dánam "The gift of Sâmanera and Abeyaka Sethi. See Journal of Bengal Asiatic Society, 1834, p. 117, and compare 1837, p. 452. + In Bengal Asiatic Seciety's Journal, 1837, p. 460. This was an expression by the famous French academician, Raoul Rochette, regarding the Arian legends of the was frequently quoting it. asked if he could read it. |