There are, unquestionably, many doubtful points in the

above series: thus Mr. Hodgson was not certain about 'as'

424 LINGUISTIC AFFINITIES OF NIPAL AND ARRACAN.

being the infinitive sign proper, though it would appear to be so. There seems, however, to be enough to justify our excluding all idea of chance, in the similarity between these languages, while there is still less possibility of the one having borrowed from the other.

Little is known of the structure of any of them; nominals and their possessives are very similar :

the pro

The dialects of the Arracan Hill tracts belong to the same class as the Burmese, Karen, and various Nága tribes, whether we call that class Lohitic or Tibeto-Burman; and there seems every reason, if linguistic affinity and not locality governs the classification, to place the Chepang and its cognate dialects in the same class.

We might, conjecturally, account for this wide disruption by supposing that, at a time when these broken tribes of Nipál, and of their brethren, the Khyens, Kumis, etc., of Arracan, occupied the upper valley of the Brahmapootra, an irruption of the races now known as the Bhotiya and Burman, may have severed them in half, forcing one portion westward, along the Terai, to the present locality of the Chepangs, while the other was pressed south-eastward through Munipoor, into the inaccessible mountainous region forming the north of Arracan. It is a fact well known to our frontier officers that this pressure from tribes, some almost unknown, continues to this moment, driving, as this does, the Khyens, Kumis, and Shindoos on to the boundary of the British possessions, and affording (as might have been anticipated) a great motive cause of those raids, which are often ascribed to mere savage delight in bloodshed and rapine.

ART. XIV.-Notes on Some Antiquities Found in a Mound near Damghan. By A. H. SCHINDLER.

ABOUT a mile and a half from Damghan is a mound called Tepeh i-Hissár, in which, during last autumn, some human bones were found. The people thinking that there had been in ancient times a burial-place, began digging in different parts of the mound, and discovered some black earthenware pots together with silver and copper ornaments. As soon

as Government heard of this, a person was ordered to excavate this mound; and, since then, a number of objects, with about seventy or eighty skeletons, have been brought to light. The objects are, most of them, in the Shah's Museum, but the skeletons have unfortunately been thrown away as useless. I visited the mound in March last, and again in September. At my first visit, I saw that most of the objects were damaged or destroyed by unskilful digging, and I recommended a water-course being led to the mound, so that the objects might be washed out. They followed my advice, and a number of earthenware vessels, ornaments, etc., have been got out intact.

The skeletons were found in all kinds of positions, sitting, standing, reclining, etc.; it seemed as if the place had been destroyed by an earthquake or a sudden fall of sand or earth.

One earthenware vessel, with a small spout, was found in the hands of a man and in his mouth: he had been probably crushed down by a great weight falling on to him while he was in the act of drinking. A great quantity of earthenware vessels of different shapes and sizes have been found. Most of the vessels are of a blackish clear-ringing clay, and are half baked. This kind of black clay is not now found

anywhere near Damghan. Many different articles, of which the following is a list, were found:

A silver weapon; hammer one side, hatchet the other

side.

A carved piece of Lapis Lazuli, supposed to have been the handle of a stick.

Some copper basins.

A sort of table with short legs, made of white marble. Some pieces of marble which, when put together, formed the curved horn of a ram.

Some copper rings.

Many black and white beads of stone, with a small hole in the centre.

Some beads of carnelian.

Some arrow-heads of carnelian.

Many sharp pieces of flint.

Some silver and copper ornaments.

Many flat pieces of black earthenware, pierced with a number of differently-sized holes; the pieces are

all slightly curved, and were parts of some large basins or jars.

Some large pieces (two feet long) of a soft calcareous stone, slightly hollowed by having been rubbed

upon; the grinding stone of harder material, small and round, was found close by.

Many pieces of copper ore and pieces of scoriæ, proving the existence there of a smelting-house.

All these objects, together with the skeletons, were found some yards below the surface; over this stratum, are signs of later habitations, with traces of charcoal and straw. The most interesting objects, however, were three seals (?), one of stone, two of a mixture of copper with another metal. Figs. 1, 2, 3, are exact copies of these seals: the characters on them, if letters at all, having a Mongolian or Scythic type. No. 1 represents two four-footed animals.

The characters and animals are in relief.

The skulls found in the mound are smaller than the skulls