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dure and have nothing to do with Administration, the subject-matter of the adhyake apracára. The other section includes the 4th and 5th adhikaranas : kantakasodhanam and yogavrttam upto the last adhyaya of the latter, which deals with a topic unconnected with the preceding one, namely, [838] what should be done in the event of a prospective vacancy of the throne. These two sections, in which no reference is made to any antagonistic views, have this in common that they do not deal so much with general principles as rather contain detailed practical hints: the adhyaksapracára regarding Administration, Inspection of Trade and Commerce, the other about Police, Budget and similar subjects. They are things about which the doctrinaire does not worry himself, but which for the practical politician are of the utmost importance; and on which after all -only such a person can give an authoritative opinion as has taken an active part in the affairs of the State. If Kautilya does not avail himself of the opportunity of entering into controversy in connection with these parts of his work, the reason probably is that his predecessors never having dealt with these subjects, no opportunity offered itself. In the introductory romarks of his work the use of the expression prâyaias appears to show that he had some such idea in his mind : prthivyâ labhe palane ca yavanty arthaídstrani parvácaryaih prasthapitani, prâya kas táni sahrtyai 'kam idam arthaídstram krtam.
(To be continued.) THE REVISED CHRONOLOGY OF THE LAST GUPTA EMPERORS.
BY RAMESH CHANDRA MAJUMDAR, M.A. ; CALCUTTA. THE Bhitari Seal of Kumâragupta II. has added three new names to the list of the Gupta Emperors. Dr. Hoernle who announced this important discovery in JASB., Vol. LXVIII, Part I, p. 88, undertook at the same time a discussion about the chronology of these kings and arrived at the following conclusions about their dates :
Puragupta, A.D. 470-485 Narasimhagupta (Baladitya), A.D. 485–530
Kumâragupta II, A.D. 530 (accession). Dr. Hoernle's views have been generally accepted by scholars. Thus Mr. V. A. Smith placed the accession of the three kings respectively in 480, 485 and 535 A.D.,' whila Mr. Allan refers it to A.D. 480, 485 and 530."
A few inscriptions, recently discovered, seem however to invalidate the above conclusions. As none of these inscriptions has been published in detail, it will simplify matters if a short description of each of them is given at the outset.
1. The first in point of importance is an inscription on a Buddhist image discovered at Sarnath. The announcement of this discovery together with a reading of the dated portion was published in the Annual Report of the Archæological Survey of India. Part I, p. 22.3 Through the kindness of Mr. R. D. Banerjee of the Indian Museum I had an opportunity of examining the estampages of this and the two following inscriptions. I read the dated portion as follows:
Varsha Sate Guplanai sa-chatuh pavicha iaduttare bhuminn rakshati Kumaragupte mase Jyai(shthe). ...
"In the year one hundred and fifty-four of the Guptas, in the month Jyaishtha, while KumAragupta was protecting the earth."
• This article was submitted for nublication in August 1917.-D.R B. * Early History of India, 3rd Edition, pp. 31 1.12.2 Catalogue of Gupta Coins, XLIX, LV, LX. See also Annual Progress Report of the Northern Circle, Buddhist and Hindu Monumento, 1914-15,
p. 68.
