At the beginning of June, 1803, a new phase opened in the relations of the British Company and the Marathas. It was symbolized by two events; the march northwards from Poona on 4th June of the detachment of East India Company troops commanded by Arthur Wellesley and the assembly near Malkapur on the 5th or 6th June of the armies of Daulat Eao Sindhia and the Raja of Berar. Since what was at stake, in diplomatic terms, was the contest of the British Company and Sindhia for overlordship of the Peshwa, it was appropriate that in military terms this should be expressed by the confrontation, not far from the capital city of the Maratha people, of the Company's army and what could be formed of an army of the Maratha Confederacy.

I am much indebted to the Royal Asiatic Society for having given me the opportunity to study three bronze plaques owned by it and also for having sent me excellent photographs of them.

RAS a = RÉS 3125; forgery after CIH 516/3–9.

Plaque:

11·35 cm. × 16·8; thickness: 0·35 cm. (top) and 0·45 (bottom).

Remarks on RÉS 3125: add a word divider before b in 1. 1 and at the end of 1. 8 omit the word divider at the end of the line.

Antioch, under the government of the Crusades, for 200 years was ruled judicially by a series of assizes the original text of which remains lost.

In 1870 an Armenian scholar-priest, Father Hovhaness M'krian of Constantinople, published a letter in an Armenian periodical to which he added a few notes, stating that he had discovered an Armenian manuscript belonging to a Mr. Manoug Aslanian that contained various codices. This collection of religious and civil laws was copied in a.d. 1331 for the king of Armenians, Levon, son of Oshin. The scribe of this manuscript was the well-known Sarkis, surnamed Bidzag, who illuminated it and decorated it with a fullpage miniature in gold and colour, showing King Levon seated in court to pass judgment. In this law book was incorporated an Armenian translation of the Assizes of Antioch with seventeen articles about liege lords and serfs, and their rights as well as their obligations towards each other, and twenty-one assizes dealing with civilians. This manuscript was secured for the library of the Mekhitarists in Venice and is kept there now.