Since publishing my remarks on the date of Kanishka in this Journal, 1914, pp. 973–86, I have succeeded, by the employment of another chemical process, in cleaning still more effectively the silver scroll bearing the Taxila record of the year 136, and I am now able to present a photographic reproduction of nearly the whole of the inscription (Fig. 1). Some fragments, it will be observed, are missing in this reproduction from the upper and lower edges of the scroll. These fragments were too small and friable to be treated further or to be photographed. Another fault of the illustration is the unevenness of the light and shadow on the surface of the metal. This is due to the curved or twisted condition of the several sections and is unavoidable. In order to obtain this illustration, some of the sections of the scroll had to be photographed from three or four different points of view, and the negatives—to the number of nineteen in all—were then composed together into a single plate. Even so, however, it was not practicable to photograph clearly the lettering at the edges of some of the sections, where the latter were bent sharply inwards, and it is for this reason that I have made another hand copy of the record (Fig. 2), so as to show the form of those akṣaras which are not discernible in the Plate.

A Cuneiform tablet in the British Museum referring to the celebrated deity of the Babylonians, Merodach (who is identified with the planet Jupiter), states that he possessed four attendant dogs, and gives their names. It is possible that these represent the four largest of the planet's moons, because instances have been known of these having been discerned with the naked eye.

1. asyaca** (asmākam ṛtupateḥ(-s)) svaituḥ(-ur) yāsat((-d), abhi-(-y-)-ā yacchāt, kila, (-ā-) asurāt prārthayāṅ ime ye ('sya) asya vṛjane nivasanti(-āntai)) smad aryam(a)nā; (b) -asya(?), (haye) devāḥ, (kila, haye yūyaṃ, deva-pūjakāḥ (-ā)); madīye, mama, māne, manasi (-y evam) asurasya maitryam (abhi-vṛtam, abhi vriyate, hṛdayabhakti maitryaṃ) sumedhasaḥ(-o) (mahādhaḥ(-s));—

(c) tava (asura, tvadīyāḥ (-ā)) dūtāsah(-o'sa-) asāma; tāṅ (dūre-) dhārayaḥ(-o) ye vaḥ(-o) dviṣanti(-āntai).

The Indian water-clock was an arrangement for measuring by means of water and a jar or bowl the duration of a nāḍī, nāḍikā, nālikā, or ghaṭī, ghaṭikā, the period of twenty-four minutes, one-sixtieth of a mean civil day of exactly twenty-four hours from mean sunrise to mean sunrise, 6.0 a.m. It has existed in two forms.

The unsatisfactory modern compositions in European languages which profess to treat of the life and reign of Akbar all omit many things which ought to be mentioned, and fail to give a true view of Abkar's personality. The design of writing a life of Akbar more veracious than any now current has long been present to my mind, but may never be fulfilled, although I have made considerable collections for the purpose. However that may be, it seems worth while to devote a special article to the consideration of the enormous cash reserve accumulated by Akbar, which is one of the numerous facts of importance neglected by historians and biographers.

Some time ago when I bought for a good price a good copy of the 1669 edition of the English version of Mandelslo's Travels, my impression was that I had secured a rare book recording the experiences in India of a learned and observant traveller in the reign of Shāhjahān. In fact, I believed the current legend concerning the high value of Mandelslo's writings as given by Mr. Oaten, whose words may be quoted, so far as necessary—

“As a source of information on the political or social condition of the country, however, neither Methold nor Bruton can compare with Albert de Mandeslo [sic]. Murray truly says that he was one of the most active and intelligent travellers who have ever visited India. The editor of Harris's collection of travels says no less truly that he had ‘all the qualities requisite in such a guide, Knowledge, Diligence, and Fidelity’. That these encomiums are justified a very slight acquaintance with his book is sufficient to show. Being a scholar and a gentleman, and one already equipped with a considerable amount of knowledge about India, he entered on his travels with a stock of information which was calculated to render his observations peculiarly intelligent.”

For two reasons we give here the elements of Sumerian and Georgian–Lazian–Mingrelian–Svanian sound-changes: (1) to show how far the sound-changes in Sumerian correspond to the sound-changes in Georgian and (2) to justify our comparisons of Sumerian and Georgian words, i.e. to show that those comparisons are phonetically not impossible.

In these Notes the numbers refer to the similarly numbered phrases and sentences published in the January number of the Journal.

5. Here, and elsewhere on these bones, the word hsiang is always written with the once homophonous character for sheep, yang, both probably in ancient times being pronounced approximately tsāng.