Dear Arlo,
I happen to have an "offprint" from Asiatic Researches Vol. 5 of 1799, pp. 131 ff of an article by a certain Jonathan Duncan, Efq., titled An Account of the Difcovery of Two Urns in the Vicinity of Benares. The text of the article is followed by drawings of the inscriptions. This is volume 5 of Asiatic Researches. I can imagine that in the earlier volumes more can be found.
Herman

Herman Tieken
Stationsweg 58
2515 BP Den Haag
The Netherlands
00 31 (0)70 2208127

Van: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces@list.indology.info] namens Arlo Griffiths via INDOLOGY [indology@list.indology.info]
Verzonden: donderdag 14 februari 2019 7:22
Aan: INDOLOGY
Onderwerp: [INDOLOGY] first Sanskrit inscription ever published?

Dear colleagues,

Does anyhow know a modern scholarly publication of a Sanskrit inscription older than the one that can be found here in the following?

John Crawfurd, An Inscription from the Kawi or Ancient Javanese Language, Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap der Kunsten en Wetenschappen 8, 1816, Batavia: Government Press.

The volume of the Verhandelingen in question can be found on archive.org. The title is misleading, and the decipherment utterly unreliable, but the transcription clearly reflects the Sanskrit-text of the 'Calcutta Stone' (https://iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/kolkata-calcutta-stone-bicentennial-british-interregnum-java-1811-1816). It occurred to me recently that this publication might mark the beginning of Sanskrit epigraphy as a modern scholarly enterprise. But perhaps there is competition from publications by British officers who were posted in India proper rather than in 'Farther India'. Please enlighten me.

Best wishes,

Arlo Griffiths