________________
60
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[FEB. 2, 1872.
when a dancer misses his step, it is a sommersault'; are based chiefly on the numerals found in the Násik
Why feel with your finger the bag that you will cave inscriptions. He (Mr. Bhandarkar) had examined have to open ?'
Mr. West's copies of these, and was convinced of the 13, “Translations of certain Documents, Fami- truth of this opinion, which is also confirmed by the ly and Historical, found in the possession of the
numerals on the Surashtran coins. And in the fac-simile descendants of M. Nanclars de Lanerolle, French
of one of Dr. Burn's Gurjara plates, given by Prof. Envoy to the Court of Kandi" contributed by
Dowson, in which the date 385 is given in words as
well as figures, the first symbol has a loop at the lower L. Ludovici, Esq. These documents are :-(1)
end similar to that in the present plate. For these reasons an account of the French enbassy to the Court
ihe first figure in the present case stands for 300. of Kandi in 1685 and some particulars of the
| Now, as to the value of the second figure We De Lanerolles Ceylon-translated from the Sin- know the symbols for 10, 40, 80, and 90. Dr. Bhau halese: (2) Extracts of a Resolution passed in the Daji quotes an inscription from Karléri in which Council of Ceylon on the 24th September 1765, a symbol somewhat resembling the second in this plate granting sustenance to the descendants of Laisne is given with its value in words as 'twenty'; and de Nanclars de la Nerolle, followed by a most it occurs twice in the Nasik inscription No. 25 amusingly sarcastic endorsement by the late Mr.
which is considered to be a deed of sale, executed at the O'Grady, Government Agent of Galle, on a petition orders of Gotamiputra in some year represented by presented by one of the Lanerolles (a police Vidrhn'
this and another symbol. In another inscription (No.
26), in which Gotamiputra's exploits are enumeratat Kattaluwa) applying for the rank of Mohan
ed, his wife assigns the cave in which it occurs for the diram ; (3) A letter from Holland giving an ac
use of religious mendicants in the 19th year of Paducount of the siege of Vienna in 1683; (4) Letter
mayi. And as these events took place shortly after from John Sobieski, King of Poland, to the Queen
each other, the symbol most probably stands for 20. informing her of his victory; (5) The muster roll of
The same figure occurs on a coin of Vishva Sáh, the the Turkish Army ; (6) The spoil of the Turks 15th kingin Mr. Newton's list, I while the second figur carried into Vienna ; and (7) a letter relating to on his other coins we know represents 10, the whole trade in Amsterdam. These last five were proba- date being 217,--the other symbol, therefore, must bly intercepted at Trinkomali on their way to the stand for 20. The last figure in this grant resembles Dutch Governor at Colombo by the emissaries of our modern = 6, and that has generally been consi. Raja Sinha, and, translated into Sinhalese for his dered its value. The date of the present grant is information.
therefore 326.
This grant is by Dharasena IV., the great grandBombay Branch Royal Asiatic Society.
son of Dharasena II. ; but the figured date THE OLD SANSKRIT NUMERALS. At the monthly meeting of the Bombay B. R. Asiatio Society, held Thursday, 11th January, Prof. Ram
on the copper plate of this latter monarch as decipherod. krishna Gopal Bhandarker, M.A. presented a Devan
by Mr. Wathen, was considered by Prinsept and Mr. gari transcript of a Valabhi copperplate grant,* with a
Thomast as equal to 300 + some undetermined quanpaper of considerable length on the reading of the
tity, and the Rev. P. Anderson thinks it to be 330.9 Dr. ancient Indian numerals. The following is an abstract
Bhau Dajill has given five dates from Valabht plates, of his remarks
but none of them resembles the date in any of the three In this copperplate, put into his hands, be said,
known grants, though one, which somewhat resembles by Mr. Burgess, the date is given in figures thus
that on Mr. Wathen's plate, is interpreted by him as 332, while in another paper, he assigns to Dhara. sena II. the dates 322 and 326. If, then, the date in
the present case is correctly interpreted, these readings The first figure in this was formerly understood to would make Dharasena IV. to have reigned four or signify 300 in all cases; but Mr. Thomas found varia- riw years before his great grandfather, or in the same year, tions in the form and number of the side strokes, or only four years after him. But on examining Mr. whence he inferred that the value of the symbol was Wathen's plate in the Bombay Asiatic Society's in some way modified by them.t. The exact signifi- Museum, it is found that the figure representing hun. cation of these was given by Dr. Bhau Daji, dreds has only one side stroke. ** It thus appears that who has pointed out that this symbol without the the first figure in the grant of Dharasena II. reright hand strokes represents 100; with one stroke, presents 200. Now the 'Bame minister skanda. it signifies 200 ; and with two, 800. His conclusions bhata executed the grant of Dharase na IV., and
marr
хо
• A fac-simile and translation of this grant has been given at pp. 19.17.
Joor. B. Aslat. Soc., Vol. XII., pp. 86, Note 1. Jour. Bom, B. B. As. Soc. Vol. VIII., pp. 925-231. Ib., Vol. VII., PP. 87-52. Ib., Vol. VII., pp. 27-28.
Jour. R. As. Soc. N. 8., Vol. I. p. 247. 4. Conf. Jour. Bomb. B. R.As. 800., Vol.V., p. 48 ; 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.
+ Jour. Bom. B. B. As. Soo, Vol. VII., P. 28, and Mr. Thomas, Jour. R. As. Soc., Vol. XII, p. 69. • Jour. B. B. R.As. soc., Vol. VIII. p. 929, under Cave No. 4." Jour. As, Soo. Beng., Vol. VIL, P. 349. Jour. R. As. Soc., Vol. XII, p. 8, Note. Jour. Bom. B. R. As. Soc., Vol. III, p. 216. Ib., Vol. VIII., P. 230.
Ib.,Vol. VILL., p. 245. « Jour. As. Soc. Beng., Vol. VII., p. 349.
