PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL EDITED BY Jhe JTonorary Secretaires. ❖ JANUARY TO DECEMBER, 1879 . CALCUTTA: PRINTED BY G. H. ROUSE, BAPTIST MISSION PRESS, AND PUBLISHED BY TIIE ASIATIC SOCIETY, 57 , PARK STREET. 187 . 9 . QQT 4 1886 CONTENTS. Proceedings for January 1879, .•. Do. for February, including Annual Deport, . Do. for March, 1879, . Do. for April, » . Do. for May, ,, . Do. for June, „ . * Do. for July, „ ...*. Do. for August, „ . Do. for November, „ . Do. for December, „ .. . . Index, . . .. . . • • • •. List of Members of the Asiatic Society of Bengal on the 31st December, 1878, Appendix to February Proceedings. Abs t r act Statement of Receipts and Disbursements of the Asiatic Society of Bengal for the year 1878, Appendix to February Proceedings,....... Page 1-16 17-72 73-116 117-150 151-170 171-184 185-198 199-242 243-272 273-292 293-303 xvii LIST OF PLATES. V\. Plates of characters and Monograms on Coins from the Alim Posh Tope, (p. 123). 1" II, III. Coins from the Ahin Posh Tope, (p. 122). y jy Coins of Khusrau Shah and Kharran Malik, (p. 178). V 'V. Sculptured Group from Kanauj, (p. 189). WI. Inscriptions from Sandwe, (p. 201). *. VII. Conjectural Sketch of the Country to the South of the lower portion of the Great Sanpo River, (p. 203). V^ym, XX, X. Ahin Posh Stupa, (p. 205). ^ xi. Plan of Encampment used at the Installation of the Dalai Lama, (p. 275). ERRATA. Plate VI should be Plate V 99 VII 99 99 VI 99 VIII 99 99 VII 99 IX 99 99 VIII 99 X 99 99 IX 99 XI 99 99 X 99 XII 99 99 XI OCT 4 1883 ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL. EDITED BY JHE jJoNORARY ^SECRETARIES. No. I. JANUARY, 1879. “ The bounds of its investigation will be the geographical limits of Asia: and within these limits its inquiries will be extended to whatever is performed by man or produced by nature.”— Sib. William Jones. Annual Subscription,. ■*> ru P ee8, Price per Number, ... saunas. Postage in India, (Additional), . 1 anna. Price in England, with postage, .. J-s. iu. •jag- The publications of the Society consist - of the Proceedings, one num- berof which is issued, as soon as possible, after every monthly meeting and of oer oi , f^nicLia divided into two Parts: Part I being *oSSlI to Natural Science: each part is separately" fa'ed and provided with a special index, and one number of eacn partis publi&d quarterly. Single numbers for sale at the rates given on the last page of cover. * * It is requested that communications for the Journal or Proceedings may be sent under cover to the Honorary Secretaries, Asiatic Soc„ to whom all orders for these works are to be addressed in India; or, m London, to the Society s Agents, Messrs. Triibner and Go., 57 Sf 59, Ludgate Hill. N B -In order to ensure papers being read at any monthly Meeting of the Society; they should he in the hands of the Secretaries at least a week before the CALCUTTA: PRINTED BY 0. H. ROUSE, BAPTIST MISSION PRESS, AND PUBLISHED AT THE ASIATIC SOCIETY’S ROOMS, 57, PARK STREET. 1S79. In a folio volume of 180 pages, with thirty-six Lithographs and fifty wood-cuts. Price Bs. 35. THE ANTIQUITIES OF ORISSA. Er RA'JENDRALA'LA MITRA, LL. D. Volume I. *** second volume, to complete the work, is in the press- it will extend to about 210 pages folio, and will be illustrated with sixty photo graphs and lithographs. J * PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL, j^OR January, 1879 , --==HH=—-- The monthly General Meeting of the Asiatic Society of Bengal was held on Wednesday, the 8th instant, at 9 p. m. W. T. Branford, Esq., F. R. S., President, in the Chair. The minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed :— The following gentlemen, duly proposed and seconded at the last Meeting, were ballotted for and elected Ordinary Members—- R. Sewell, Esq., M. C. S. J. F. Browne, Esq., C. E., M. R. A. S. Capt. W. E. Gowan. The following are candidates for ballot at the next meeting— 1. Lieut. C. R. Macgregor, Quarter Master, 44th N. I., Shillong, proposed by Dr. Anderson, seconded by G. H. Damant, Esq., C. S. 2. Major J. Sconce, B. S. C., Depy. Surveyor General of India, propos- ed by Col. J. T. Walker, R. E., C. B., seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. 3. J. F. Duthie, Esq., Superintendent Botanical Gardens, Saharun- pore, proposed by Dr. G. King, seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. The Secretary announced that Dr. W. J. Palmer had intimated his desire to withdraw from the Society on proceeding to England. In the absence of Dr. Hoernle, Philological Secretary, Mr. C. H. Tawney read the following note on Jainism received from Mr. E. Thomas : Jainism. Among other questions put down for consideration and discussion at the ‘ Congres des Orientalistes’ at Lyons, on the 31st of August last, there was formulated a subdivision devoted to “ Les Dja'inas sont-ils d’anciens Bouddhistes anterieurs a Sakia Mouni, ou des Bouddhistes modifies depuis les persecutions brahmaniques ?” As I have paid some attention to this subject,* though unable to attend the Congress, and therefore unaware of the course taken in the dis- * ‘ Jainism; or, the Early Faith of Asoka’ (Triibner, 1877) ; J. E. A. S., IX, p. 155. 2 E. Thomas— Jainism. [Jan. cussion, you will, perhaps, allow me to advert in your columns to a very important item, bearing upon the relative priority of the creeds of Jainism and Buddhism which has not hitherto been noticed ; that is to say, liow their reputed dates balance and adjust themselves inter se within the bounds of reasonable probability. The Jains have a fixed and definite date for the Nirvana of “ Mahavi- ra,” their great saint, which is established by the concurrent testimony of their two sects, whose method of reckoning varies in itself, thereby secur¬ ing, as it were, a double entry. The Svetambaras date in the era of Vikra- maditya, 57 B. C. ; the Digambaras reckon by the Saka samvat, 78 A. D , and both arrive at the same figures of B. C. 52G-7 for the death of Mahavi- ra. This calculation is equally supported by the dynastic lists, which satis¬ factorily fill in the period from the accession of “ Palaka, the lord of Avanti, [who] was anointed in that night in which.Mahavira entered Nirvana,” “ to the four years of Saka,” who immediately preceded Vikra- maditya.* On the other hand, Buddha’s date varies according to different authori¬ ties from the extreme points of B. C. 2420 to 453, and even is reduced so low-as 370 B. C. ; so that up to this time modern inquirers have been una¬ ble to concur in the determination of this epochf further than to suspect, as we are taught by the Chinese, that the period was antedated from time to time, with the direct purpose of arrogating priority over other saints. Now, if the ascertained Jain date will serve to determine the era of Buddha, under the theory that Buddha himself was a disciple of Mahavira, it will, in the fact, go far to establish the priority of the latter, and the pre-existence of the creed of which he was the twenty-fourth or last pro¬ phet. The date of Buddha most largely accepted has been adopted from the Ceylon annals, which supply the figures 543 B. C.J But, as was remarked by Mr. Tumour, who first investigated the local traditions, the accep¬ tance of such a date involved an error, in default of the required period of sixty years (sixty-six) ; or, to use his own words, “ the discrepancy can only proceed from one of these two sources ; viz., either it is an intentional perversion, adopted to answer some national or religious object, which is not readily discoverable ; or Chandra Gupta is not identical with Sandra- * Dr. Biihler, ‘ Indian Antiquary,’ Yol. II, 3G3; J. E. A. S., IX, 15, note 2. f Prof. Wilson, J. E. A. S., XVI, 247; see also IX, n. s. 170; Beal, ‘Travels of Bah-Hian,’ pp. xxvi. 22 ; and Hioun-Thsang- (Paris, 1857), I, p. 163. X Lassen; St. Hilaire; M. Barth, Revue Critique, 13th June, 1874; Prof. Weber, ‘ History of Indian Literature’ (London, Triibner, 1878), p. 287 ; Childers, Pali Dic¬ tionary. I myself am only a recent convert, J. E. A. S., I. 463, 1879.] E. Thomas— Jainism. 3 cottus.”* A partial reconciliation of the error was proposed by the method of restoring to the dynasty of the Nandas the full hundred years assigned to them by some Pauranik authorities, in lieu of the forty-four allowed for in the Ceylon lists ; but if the local annals were so dependent for their accuracy upon extra-national corrections, their intrinsic merits could have stood but little above zero ; and any such summary introduction of sixty- six years from outside sources could scarcely have been held to be satisfac¬ tory, unless the assumed total of 543 years B. C. were proved to be a fixed quantity by better external testimony than has hitherto been adduced. To General Cunningham belongs the merit of having first proposed, in 1854, the fixing of Buddha’s Nirvana in “ 477 B. C.”+—a result which he obtained from original figure calculations; while Max Mfiller, m 1859, independently arrived at the same conclusion, from a more extended critical review of the extant literary evidence.]: General Cunningham has lately enlarged the sphere of his observations, and in adopting Colebrooke’s view in regard to the fact that Gautama Buddha was “ the disciple of Mahavira,” has materially fortified his early arguments—in re-asserting that the Nirvana of Buddha must be placed in “478 B. C.,” or “forty-nine years”§ after the release of Mahavira, the last of the Jinas. The passages relied upon by Colebrooke in 182G|| have since been con- firmed by important contributions from other sources. None, liowevei, bring the question home so distinctly and in so quaintly graphic a way as Prof. Weber’s translation of a passage from the ‘ Bhagavatq’f wherein e Chela, “the holy Mahavira’s eldest pupil, Indrabhuti”—“ houseless of Gautama’s Gotra,”—begins to distrust the negative perfection of Jainism, in the terms of the text,-“ Thereupon that holy Gautama, m whom faith, doubt, and curiosity arose, grew and increased, rose up. Having arisen, le went to the place where the sacred Qramana Mahavira was...... ...After per¬ forming these [salutations] he praises him and bows to him After so doing, not too close, not too distant, listening to him, bowing to linn, with his face towards him, humbly waiting on him with folded hands, he thus SP ° k In conclusion, I may recapitulate certain deductions, which I have suggested elsewhere. The juxtaposition of the last representative of the * The Mahawanso, Ceylon, 1837, pp. xlviii, l.-lii, &c. f Journal Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1854, p. 704. J ‘Ancient Sanskrit Literature,’ London, 1859, p.j298. 6 ‘ Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum,’ Calcutta, 1877, P- v. . || p r of. Cowell’s edition of Colebrooke’s ‘Essays, II, 278, lanaac ions >.oja Asiatic Society, I, 520. H ‘ Fragment der Bhagavati,’ Berlin, 1867. 4 W. T. Blanford —On the Mamh or Baluchistan Bear. [Jan one faith with the first exponent of the other, which took over so many traditions that it retained in common with the parent creed, is a point of marked importance. Eclipsed for a time by the energy of the reformers, whose missionaries carried the Buddhist doctrines over so large a section of the globe, non-proselytizing Jainism has survived in its simplicity—as the natural outcome of the ideas and aspirations of a primitive race—still undisturbed in the land of their common birth ; while Buddhism, with its fantastic elaborations, retains scant honour, and no place within the limits of its nidus in India proper. (Athenwum.) Mr. W. T. Blanfobd exhibited the skin and skull of a bear from the neighbourhood of Gwadar, and read the following— Note on the ‘ Mamh’ or Baluchistan Bear, Ursus gedrosianus. In November 1877, I exhibited to the Society a skin of the bear in¬ habiting Baluchistan.* In the belief that this skin, which was of a brown colour, indicated the existence of an animal previously undescribed, I pro¬ posed to call the species Ursus gedrosianus. From various sources, how¬ ever, both before and after the publication of the paper, I had heard that a black bear occurs in Baluchistan, and it remained to be seen whether there were two species, or whether the colour was variable. Moreover as ho skull had been examined, the affinities of the animal remained doubtful. I am indebted to my friend Major Mockler, who sent me the first speci¬ men, for enabling me to clear up this difficulty. He has succeeded in pro¬ curing from the neighbourhood of Gwadar a second skin, in better condition than the first, and with the skull. The fur of the skin now sent, although far from being as black as in Himalayan specimens of Ursus torquatus, is very much darker than in the example previously received; the hairs are rather coarse, but there is no marked distinction from those of the Himalayan black bear. The Baluchistan skull is scarcely distinguishable from one in the Indian Museum, belonging to a female U. torquatus, recently living in the Zoological Gardens at Alipore.f The following are the dimen¬ sions of the skull from Gwadar. inches millem. Length from the lower margin of th oforamen magnum to end of premaxillaries, . 9'7 246 Ditto from occiput to do. 10'45 265 Breadth across zygomatic arches,. 6'9 175 Least breadth of cranium between orbits, . 2'9 73 * P. A. S. B., 1877, p. 204; J. A. S. B., XLYI, Pt. 2, p. 317. t I am indebted to Dr. Anderson for calling my attention to tbis specimen. 1879.] Haris'chandra —On Drista-Tcuta of Sur Bus. 5 Width of muzzle behind canine teeth,. 2'G 61 Length of bony palate from the opening of the poste¬ rior nares to the anterior border of the premaxilla- ries,.... 5152 140 Length of the lower jaw from angle to symphysis, ... 7'55 192 Height of ditto, . 4'3 110 I should have been disposed to consider the Baluchistan bear identical with IT. torquatus (U. ihibetanus) but for the arrival of another skull of the former at the Indian Museum. This, although fully adult, is so much smaller than any full grown skull of the Himalayan black bear, as to ren¬ der it possible that the first skull, although precisely corresponding in size to that of a female U. torquaius, belonged to a male IT. gedrosianus. The latter can, however, be but little more than a race or sub-species of the former, and is evidently a near ally. The distribution of the Himalayan black bear, if the Baluchistan form be classed as a sub-species, is very anomalous and remarkable. It is essentially a forest animal inhabiting the slopes of the Himalayas and parts of Southern China, and, it is said, even Eastern Siberia, whilst a closely allied species is found in Japan. But the extension of this Himalayan form to the mountains of Baluchistan has no known parallel amongst other animals. The fauna of Baluchistan is desert with an admixture of Indian types, but the Indian types are those of the Indian Peninsula and not of the Himalaya. The most characteristic Indian forms in Balu¬ chistan* are such animals as Sciurus palmarum, Gerbillus indicus, Athene brahma, Gymnoris jlavicollis, Ortygornisponticeriana, &c., but nearly all are Peninsular types in India, prevalent in the drier parts of the Peninsula, and as a rule wanting both in the Himalayas and to the eastward of the Bay of Bengal. The only known Baluchistan species that range to the east of the Bay of Bengal are two birds, Pratincola caprata and Butastur teesa, and a lizard, Calotes versicolor. But all these abound in the plains of India, and no example has hitherto been known of an animal wanting in the Indian peninsula, but occurring in the Himalayas and also in the hills of Baluchistan. The very great difference in physical conditions between the damp forest- clad slopes of the Himalayas and the bare ranges of the Baluchistan high¬ lands renders it very surprising that the same or closely allied types of bear should be found in both areas. The Philological Seceetaey read the following extracts from a let¬ ter from Biibu Harischandra to Dr. Bajendralala Mitra on a new Hindi book—Drista-kuta of Sur Das, with his own commentary. * Eastern Persia', Vol. II, p. 15. G Haris'chandra —On Drista-Tcuta of Sur Das. [Jaw. “ Two or three clays ago I found quite a new Hindi hook : Dristakuta of Sur Das with his own commentary. The book contains at the end a sketch of the author’s biography, which differs from the story of his life hitherto known. The Varta of 84 Yaishnavas also contains some biography of Sur Dasji. It mentions that ho was a Sarasvata Brahman, and was the son of poor parents, and had no brothers. His village was Sihi near Delhi. This is the idea we Yaishnavas believe. But the poetry at the end of this new book says—He was born in Prath Jagat Gotra. The founder of his family was Brahma Rao. In the family of Brahma Rao, there was a man Bhonchand or Chanel in the time of Prithviraj. The king Pritli- viraj gave him Joala Desa. He had four sons. First Naresa, second Guna- chancl, third and fourth not told. S'ilachand was Gunachand’s son. From him Birchand. In his family Harisckancl was most famous. He lived first in Agra, and then in Gopachal, where he got a son, name not told (or if the word Bir is a proper name, it must be Birchandra). He had seven sons : Krishnachand, Udanckand, Rupchand, Buddhichand, Devachand, Prabo- dhachand, and Surajchand. If the word Rupchand be taken as an adjective, the name of the fourth son would be Prakaschand. All these were slain in the Muhammadan battles, except one, Surajchand, who was blind. (It seems that then his family had fallen into a low state.) Surajchand, walk¬ ing out, once fell into a well, whence ho was saved by S'rl Krishna. ISTo one helping him he was for seven days in that blind well, but STi Krishna himself saved his life, and showed him his own beauty—full svarupa. He named him Sur, Sur Das and Surasyam. Then he went to Yraj, where Go- sainji (son of S'ri Yallabhackarya) made him one of ^JWTq Vaisknavas. The Bhaktamal says that Sur Das was a Brahman, no doubt, but he was living at Gaughat, a place near Agra, and so all other Vaisknava gran- thas say. He was a great poet, as told “ ^ qisrqqra I qr qifq *3%fT qq riq qiqf^ qqqq II sit qrq) %t qrq\ | qTqft qqft tt gwt qrq^ qiq or sra) n ” C\ C\ It is said that the famous poet Behari once, when walking about, saw a man very uneasy. Then he asked him— fqqi qrq qq qptr fqitf ^ qft xftc | %t qq; qjq fqqre qn% g^g «T qqigpr II vi ^qq=q qqiq qgq ^ gffiT grq I ggr ggT gTg ^gsr 5 ^ g^q faqrm n gr ggg qrfg gnf% gqqr jr fafa ^ #rqr i ggr ^gsr gg^ ?ji q qfa gggg grq< n qqi ^q qqqg qTTW »fl gfatg I grgq fag gra qr^qfg qffa qjTq gqrg ii fagr qqi t; q>q\ fag gg qffqi qq sir grr l %t qi# qq qjrfg grqg gq gm gqtgu ^gqr gr qq g;fai tt^t girg i ggg qrggT fa^j qfaft qgqqi gqig n qqqr gfq?g faq fig g qq #'t grg i qjfqg qfq faqrq fasjTgig grg grg n gTg gra grg qrgsj^rg r?g ggrrg i gq qjqigqTg qfa qrw gft fgfaqjig ii gTfq qg grg q qg qft qg gq fgqgrq i qjTfq jfrgig qsgt gg qirs gq wrq ii fqq qjg 5jjnq %t % giq gg fgqrg i 0\ ^g q gq; g^g ^ €t ^t ggrrg ii 8 H. L. St. Barbe —Pali Derivations in Burmese. [Jan. Sur Das was very famous among Hindi poets. He was one of 8-1 Bhaktas of the Vallabhacharya sect. Vallabhacharya was born in the year 1478 corresponding with the Vikram Era, 1535.” The following papers were read— 1. Place names met with, during the season 1877-78, mostly in the Kaveri delta and Tanjore District.—By Lieut.-Col. B. It. Branfill, Depy. Superintendent Survey of India.—Communicated by Colonel J. T* Walker, C. B., E. E., Surveyor General of India. This paper will be published in the Journal, Part I. 2. Pali Derivations in Burmese.—By H. E. St. Baebe, Esq., C. S. (Abstract.) The Burmese have borrowed their alphabet, religion and a great por¬ tion of their language from India. The alphabet was no doubt introduced at a very early period. It has never been analyzed in any case, but its square variety approximates more closely to the Asoka and fifth century B. C. inscriptions than any later Indian modifications. It was adoqited en bloc, though the Burmese have never themselves found any use for 12 out of 34 consonants, and have altered several of the sounds, notably the 2nd ..... -i m i i 1 tt • n • J et am /_ mrga from and : y” to “ s” and “ z,” the vowel “ ai” into “ e” (pro- nounced more or less like the “ e” in there) and the o into 6 (like the aw in “ law.”) The bulk of the Aryan element found its way into the Burmese language through a Pali channel. But Sanskrit words had entered the lan¬ guage before this without any connection with Buddhism. The names for the days of the week are derived from a Sanskrit source, and some other words such as missa, a ram, (Sans, rnesha) pritta (Sans, preta, the dead) prassad, a town, (Sans, for dsdda), seem to point to a time when foreign voca¬ bles were written down as they sounded in Burmese without reference to their etymology. The importation of those words is due to Indian immigrants who founded kingdoms inBurmah (the Sorehkhetara kingdom was founded B C. 482) and were the pioneers of civilization there. At present, words of Indian extraction constitute more than one-seventh of the entire Burmese vocabulary. The process of engrafting Aryan vocables on a Mongoloid stock must be more or less clumsy and inadequate. Gautama himself would not understand ten words together of his own doctrine as recited by a phungyi, and most certainly will not make himself intelligible to a Bur¬ mese audience. The character must always be a most unsatisfactory one to adopt for a new dialect or language, and it is a great misfortune that the Latin alphabet has not been used in reducing the Karen language to writing. 9 1879.] H. Rivett-Carnac— Prehistoric Remains in Central India. There is, however, a certain method observable in the appropriation of Pali terms. The author has been able to frame a simple set of rules which are tolerably comprehensive, and which may be of some use in dealing with future importations. These rules form the most important part of the- paper which will be published in the Journal, Part I. 3. Prehistoric Remains in Central India.—By H. Rivett-Caenac, Esq., C. S., C. I. E., M. R. A. S., F. S. A., &o. (Abstract.) This paper contains an account of the remains discovered by the author in the barrows near Junapani, a hamlet lying about 5 miles to the west of the civil station at Nagpur, in the Central Provinces. These tumuli, which are by the people of the neighbourhood ascribed to giants or to the Gaoli or shepherd kings, regarding whose rule in Central India prior to the Aryan invasion a deep-rooted tradition exists, are surrounded with double rows of trap boulders selected from the masses with which the hill¬ side is strewn. On those selected stones are found the “ cup-marks” re¬ sembling those found on exactly similar tumuli in Europe. The remains discovered were all found in the centre of the barrows. The earth dug through was invariably hard and firm, as if compressed by many centuries into its present compact shape. The first indication of a “ find” is broken pieces of pottery of red and black clay, 2 or 2| feet below the surface. The fragments of metal imple¬ ments and ornaments are found, and further pieces of broken pottery, evi¬ dently the fragments of urns. With the urns is found a whitish-coloured earth, probably the remains of bones. In a plate accompanying the paper are represented some iron instruments found in these barrows, among them the best specimen of the battle-axe or hatchet that has yet been discovered. It was found by Mr. Henry Danger- field in one of the outlying groups of barrows near Junapani. The bands with which the axe was fastened to the wooden handle are in perfect pre¬ servation. Another plate represents six bangles or bracelets found in a mound adjacent to that in which the axe was found. In a third plate are represented some instruments dug out of a barrow which Mr. Rivett-Carnac supposes to have been the grave of a chieftain. Among them are arrow-heads, axes, spear-heads, a snaffle bit in excellent preser¬ vation, and what Mr. Rivett-Carnac supposes to be a pair of iron stiirups. It is generally supposed that the “ cup-marks” are a rude kind of ornamentation. But Mr. Rivett-Carnac has observed on these boulders 10 H. Rivett-Carnac —Prehistoric Remains in Central India. [Jan. which he has examined, a striking combination of large and small cups. He is therefore of opinion that this combination of marks may have some secret meaning yet to be discovered. He remarks that those who are acquainted with the system of printing by the electric telegraph, and the combination of long and short strokes in the Morse code, and the recent arrangements for communicating signals to troops at night, will agree that these marks may have some hidden signification. He connects these marks also with that found in the Kumaon Hills, and described in the Society’s Journal for January 1877, believes them in some cases to be the remains of Mahadeo worship. He thus sums up the results of his paper: (1.) The sketches shew that the shape of the tumuli in India and Europe is the same. (2.) The Barrows in India and Europe always face towards the South. (3.) The remains found in the Indian barrows resemble almost exactly the remains dug out of the burial-places of Europe. (4 ) The cup-marks on the boulders which surround the Indian tombs are identical with the marks found on the stones placed round the same class of tumuli in Europe. The paper will be published in the Joumal, Part I. The President said that he had been until recently under the impres¬ sion that the stone circles of Nagpur had already been fully described, but that having occasion lately to search for a description of them, ho had been unable to find any sufficient account, and he was therefore very glad that Mr. Rivett-Carnac had furnished the necessary details. These curious remains are of peculiar interest and deserve more attention than they have hitherto received. Rude stone monuments, sometimes in the form of cir¬ cles, sometimes of cromlechs or kistvaens, and occasionally of both together, the connexion being such as to shew that all are probably the work of the same people, have been found in the extreme north-west of India near Peshawar and in many places in the Peninsula, as at Nagpur, in several parts of the Hyderabad territory, in Mysore, Coorg, on the Nilgiri hills, in Mala¬ bar, Coimbatur, Salem, Tinnevelly, &c., and near Madras. In Southern India the rings are generally known as Koramba rings, and it is curious, as noticed by Mr. Foote, that near Madras some are formed of laterite, in which, in the same neighbourhood, palseolithic human implements are imbed¬ ded. The best descriptions hitherto given of any explorations are those of Capt. Meadows Taylor, who excavated some of the stone circles and kistvaens, here found together, near Ferozabad and Sliorapur in the Dec- can, west of Hyderabad, and gave a full account of his discoveries in the 11 1879.] H. Bivett-Carnac '—Prehistoric Remains in Central India. Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Boyal Asiatic Society (Yol. Ill, Pt. 2, p. 179, and IV, p. 380,) and in the Transactions of the Boyal Irish Acade¬ my (Yol. XXIV, Antiquities, p. 329.) He found cists containing skeletons, some of them headless, and thus furnished the necessary link between the stone circles of Nagpur, in which enclosed chambers are wanting and the bones appear to have decayed, and the burial-places of the Scythian tribes. The distribution of these monuments in India is so peculiar and re¬ stricted, that they are very probably the tombs of an immigrant race, and not of an aboriginal population. The so-called aboriginal tribes of the country, such as the Gonds, appear, as a rule, to have no knowledge of the remains. If the curious articles supposed by Mr. Bivett-Carnac to be a snaffle bit and stirrups are really what he thinks them to be, they would furnish another connecting link between the circle-building race and the tribes of Central Asia, who have been horsemen from time immemorial, whilst none of the wilder tribes of the Indian peninsula use horses, nor is it probable that the animal is indigenous to the country, the climate of most parts of India being ill-suited for horse-breeding. At the. same time it must not be considered as conclusively proved that these pieces of iion are really a bit and stirrups, although the view is probable, especially in the case of the bit. There is one very striking peculiarity to which I think Mr. Bivett- Carnac has not called attention, but which deserves notice. Mr. Bivett-Carnac has remarked the numerous points in which these circles and the markings upon them shew a connexion with similar remains in Europe. There is, how¬ ever, one very remarkable distinction. In Europe all such stone monuments as these are classed in the bronze age, the implements of human manufacture found associated being chiefly or entirely of bronze. The occurrence of iron implements in so many cases in India may be due to either of two causes, to the later age of the Indian remains, or to the circumstance that the use of iron was known earlier in India than in Europe. From the extreme paucity of bronze and copper implements in India, it is not impro¬ bable that the interval between the time when smoothed' stone implements were employed and the discovery of iron was shorter in. this country than in Europe, and the relative abundance of iron in Indian tombs may very possibly indicate that the use of the metal was known in India at an earlier period than in Europe. 12 Library. [Jan. h IBRARY. The following additions have been made to the Library since the Meet- ing held in December last. Transactions, j- >ERIODICALS i and Journals, presented by the respective Societies or Editors. Berlin. Die Handschriften-Verzeichnisse der Konigliehen Bibliothek,— Erster Band, 1853. Bordeaux. Societe de Geographic Commerciale,—Bulletin, Nos. 22, 23. Buenos-Aires. La Sociedad Cientifica Argentina,—Anales, Octubre 1878. Lull errant, Notas sobre una nueva Relacion entre la Condiictibilidad Elec¬ trical de los metales y sus Oaraotres moleculares. Calcutta. Mahabharata,—No. 29. Copenhagen. La Societe Boyale des Antiquaires du Nord,—Memoires, Nouvelle Serie, 1877. Dublin. The Boyal Irish Academy,—Proceedings, Yol. I, No. 12, Yol. II Nos. 6, 7, Vol. Ill, No. 1. Yol. Ill, No. I. F. 0. Foss.— Myology of the Cheetah, or Hunting Leopard of India (Felis Jubata). -• -• Transactions, Nov. 1876, March and Augt. 1877. March, April, July and Augt. 1878. Augt. 1877. /. Birmingham.— The Red Stars, Observations and Catalogue. Augt. 1878. Itco. II. Lloyd. Attempt to deduce the General Laws of the Variations of Temperature at the Earth’s Surface from those of Solar and Terrestrial Radiation. London. Institution of Mechanical Engineers,—Proceedings, June, 1878. A. Mallet.—Ore Mechanical Traction upon Tramways. Gapt. D. Galton.— On the Effect of Brakes upon Railway Trains. -. The Athenaeum,—Nos. 2661 to 2667, Novr. 1878. -. Statistical Society,—Journal, Vol. XLI, Part 3, September 1878. -. Society of Telegraph Engineers,—Journal, Yol. VII, Nos 22 23. ’ C. V. Wallcer. —On the Unit of the Birmingham Wire-Gauge. F. A. Gower. The Telephone Harp. W. II. Frcece. —Tho Connection between Sound and Electricity. J. Ferry, and W. K Ayrton.— Note on Electrolytic Polarisa¬ tion. The Resistance of Galvanometer Coils. The Resistance of the Arc of the Electric Light. A. IX. Schindler. —Notes on some Telegraph Lines lately constructed for the Persian Telegraph Administration. -. Anthropological Institute,—Journal, Vol. VII, No 4 Vol VIII, No. 1. Library. 13 1879.] Vol. VII, No. 4. Qenl. A. Lane. —Observations on Mr. 'Man’s Collection of Andamanese and Nicobarese objects. Vol. VIII, No. 1. F. A. Allen. —On the Original Range of the Papuan and Negritto Races. London. The Geographical Magazine,—Vol. V, No. 11, November, 1878. --. The Institution of Civil Engineers,—Proceedings, Vol. L1V, Part 4. --. Royal Astronomical Society,—Monthly Notices, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 9. -. Nature,—Vol. XIX, Nos. 471 to 475, Novr. 1878. Paris. L’lnstitution Ethnographique,—Annuaire, 1878. -. La Societo d’Anthropologie, Bulletin, Tome I, Mars a Juil- let 1878. M. cle Ujfalvy. —Voyage d’exploration dans lo Kohistan. ———. Journal Asiatique,—Tome XI, No. 3, 1878. M. L. Feer. —E'tudes bouddhiquos, Maitrakanyaka—Mittavindaka. La piete filialc. Trieste. La Societa Adriatica di Scienze Naturali,—Bolletino, Novembre, 1878. Periodicals Purchased, Benares. A new Hindustani-English Dictionary,—Part 18, November, 1878. Berlin. Journal fur die reine und angewandte Mathematik. Vol. 86, Part 2. Bombay. The Vedarthayatna, or an attempt to interpret the Vedas,—Part 2, No. 13. • Calcutta. The Indian Medical Gazette,—Vol. XIII, No. 12. Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Review, No. 304, Ootober, 1878. 0. IB. Zoic. —History of the Indian Navy. Giessen. Gottingische Gelehrte Anzeigen,—Stiicke 45—48. -. --. Naehrichten,—No. 15. Leipzig. Annalen der Physik und Chemie,—Band 5, Heft 3. F. Auerbach, — Der Durchgang des galvanischen Stromcs durch das Eisen. A. Fitter. — Untorsuchungen iiber die Hiihe der Atmosphaxo und dio Constitu¬ tion gasformiger Weltkorper/ London. The Academy, — Nos. 341 to 344, 1878. -. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History,—Vol. II, No. 11. -. The Westminster Review,—No. 108, October, 1878. E. J. Miers . — On a small collection of Crustacea made by Major Burton in tho Gulf of Akaba. J. Wood-Mason . — Description of Fidrcpanephorus bifalcifer, the typo of new Genus and Species of Futelidce, remarkable for the^hugo sickle-shaped Man¬ dibular Horns of the males. 14 Library. [Jajt. London. The Chemical News,—Vol. XXXVIII, Nos. 991 to 993, 1878. -. The Entomologist,—Vol. XI, No. 186, Novr. 1878. —3 -. The Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine,—Vol. XV, No. 174. ■ The Ibis,—4th series, Vol. II, No. 8, October 1878. R. R. Sharpe .—Contributions to the Ornithology of Borneo, Part III, on two Collections of Birds from Sarawak. R. B. Sharpe .—Notes on a ‘ Catalogue of the Accipitres in the British Museum,’ (1874.) -. Society of Arts,—Journal Vol. XXVI, Nos. 1355—1356 and Vol. XXVII, Nos. 1357—1359. --The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science,—Vol. VI, No. 38. E. Edlund .—Researches on Unipolar Induction, Atmospheric Electricity, and the Aurora Borealis. ■ ■ ' - 1 ■ The Messenger of Mathematics,—No. XC. -. The Nineteenth Century,—No. 21, November, 1878. -. The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Numismatic So¬ ciety,—Part III, No. 71, 1878. ■ -. Scientific Meetings of the Zoological Society of London,—Pro¬ ceedings, Part III, May and June, 1878. May. P. L. Sclater .—Reports on the Collection of Birds made during the voy¬ age of H. M. S. ‘ Challenger,’ No. X, on the Birds of the Atlantic Islands and Kerguolen’s Land, and on the miscellaneous collections. J. Wood-Mason .—On new and little-known Mantidse. June. W. II. Blower.—On the skull of a Rhinoceros (R. lasiolis, Scl. P) from India. -. The Quarterly Review,—No. 292, October, 1878. New Haven. The American Journal of Science and Arts,—Vol. XVI,' No. 94. J. C. Draper .—On the presence of Dark Lines in the Solar Spectrum which correspond closely to the lines of the spectrum of Oxygen. R. Meldola .—On a cause for the appearance of Bright Lines in the Solar Spectrum. Paris. Comptes Eendus,—Tome 87, Nos. 19, 20 and 22, 1878. ■ -. Journal des Savants,—Octobre, 1878. • -. Revue des deux Mondes,—Novembre, 1878. • -• Revue Critique,—Nos. 45—48, Novembre, 1878. -. Revue Scientifique,—Nos. 20—22, Novembre, 1878. No. 20. M. Ad. Wurtz .—La Constitution de la Matiere. M. Byndmttn.—ha. banqueroute de l’lnde. j3oOKS AND j-’AMPHLETS, presented by Authors. IIenby, J. Aeneidea, or Critical, Exegetical, and Aesthetical Remarks on the Aeneis, Vols. 2. Pamphlet, 8vo., Dublin, 1877. 1879 .] Library. 15 White, C. A. Bibliography of North American Invertebrate Paleontolo¬ gy. Pamphlet, 8vo., Washington, 1878. Wood-Mason, J. Description of Didrepanephorus JBifalcifer, the type of a new Genus and Species of Butelida. Pamphlet, 8vo., London, 1873. jVL ISCELLANEOUS ^RESENTATIONS. Biedwood, G. C. M. A Handbook to the British Indian Section of the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878. Dept, oe Revenue, Agriculture and Commerce. Chambees, E. Brief Sketch of the Meteorology of the Bombay Presi¬ dency in 1877. Bombay Government. Moeeis, J. II. Report on the Administration of the Central Provinces for the year 1877-78. CniEE Commissioner, Central Provinces. Cornish, W. R. Annual Report on Vaccination for the year 1877-78. Madras Government. Fleet J. F. Pali, Sanskrit, and old Canarese Inscriptions from the Bombay Presidency and parts of the Madras Presidency and Maisiir. Secretary oe State eor India. Weight W. Facsimiles of Ancient Manuscripts, Oriental Series. The Pal-zeographical Society. Beglae J D., Archeological Survey of India. Report of a tour through the Bengal Provinces, in 1872-73. Report of a tour in Bundelkhand and Malwa, 1871-72, and in the Central Provinces, 1873-74. Secy, to Govt., Home Dept. J3oOKS JPURCHASED. The life of the Greeks and Romans, described from Antique Monu¬ ments. By E. Guhl and W. Koner, translated from the 3rd German Edition by E. Hueffer. 8vo„ London. Cyprus, its Ancient Cities, Tombs and Temples. By General L. P. di Cesnola. Svo., London, 1877. . . The Bayeux Tapestry, reproduced in Autotype Plates, with Historic Notes by F. R. Fowke. London, 1875. LIST OF BOOKS FOR SALE AT THE LIBRARY OF THE Asiatic ^Society of Bengal, No. 57, PARK STREET, CALCUTTA, AND OBTAINABLE FROM THE SOCIETY’S LONDON AGENTS, MESSRS. TRUDNER & CO., 57 and 59, Lydgate Hill, London, E. C. BIBLIOTHECA INDICA. Sanskrit Series. Uttara Naishadha, 12 fasci: . . Chaitanya-chandrodaya, Nataka, 3 fasci. S'rauta Sutra, As'valayana, 11 fasoi... -Latyayana, 9 fasci. S'ankara Yijaya, 3 fasci...’ Vaishes'ika Darsana, 6 fasci. Dasa-rupa, 3 fasci...* Kaushitaki Brahmanopanishad, 2 fasci. ... Sankhya-sara, 1 fasci. Brihat Sanhita, 7 fasci. Lalita-vistara, 6 fasci..... Taittiriya Brahmana, 24 fasci. Taittiriya Sanhita, 31 fasci. Taittiriya Aranyaka, 11 fasci.. .... , Maitri Upanishad, 3 fasci... . As'valayana Grihya Sutra, 4 fasci. Mimansa Darsana, 13 fasci... Tandya Brahmana, 19 fasci... Gopatha Brahmana, 2 fasci. Atharvana Upanishads, 5 fasci... Agni Purana, 13 fasci. Sama Yeda Sanhita, 37 fasci. Gopala Tapani, 1 fasci... Nrisinha Tapani, 3 fasci. Chaturvarga Chintamani, 30 fasci.... Gohhiliya Grihya Sutra, 9 fasci... Pingala Chhandah Sutra, 3 fasci... Taittiriya Pratis'akhiya, 3 fasci. Prithiraj Rasu, hy Chand Bardai, 3 fasci. Kajatarangini, . Mahahharata, vols. III. and IV., ... Purana Sangraha, . Pali Grammar, 2 fasci... Aitareya Aranyaka of the Big Yeda, 5 fasci. Chhandogya Upanishad, English, 2 fasci. Taittiriya, &c., Upanishads, English, 2 fasci... Sankhya Aphorisms, English, 2 fasci. Sahitya Darpana, English, 4 fasci. Brahma Sutra, English, ... . _ Katantra, 4 fasci. Kamandakiya Nitisara, 4 fasci. (Fasci. 1, out of stock.)''.'. Bhamati, 6 fasci... Aphorisms of Sandalya, English, Fasci. 1., ... Bs. 7 S ... 1 14 ... 6 14 ... 5 10 ... 1 14 ... 3 2 ... 1 14 ... 14 ... 0 10 ... 4 6 ... 3 12 . .. 15 0 ...19 6 ... 6 14 ... 1 14 . .. 2 8 ... 8 2 ... 11 14 ... 1 10 ... 3 2 ... 8 2 ..23 2 .. 0 10 ,.. 1 14 ... 18 12 .. 5 10 .. 1 14 .. 1 14 .. 1 14 ..4 0 ..40 0 .. 10 .. 1 4 ..3 2 .. 14 .. 14 .. 1 4 .. 2 8 .. 10 .. 4 0 ..2 8 .. 3 12 .. 0 10 Arabic Sf Persian Series. Dictionary of Arabic Technical Terms. 20 fasci., complete,.. Rs. 25 0 Risalah-i-Shamsiyah, (Appendix to Do. Do.), . 1 4 Fihrist Tus'i, 4 . 3 0 Nukhbat-ul-Fikr,. 0 10 Futuh-ul-Shim,'Waqidi, 9 fasci..'... 6 10 Tutah-ul-SlS&n, Azadi, 4 fasci. .... ... 2 8 Maghazlof Waqidi, 5 fasci. ..... 3 2 iBabah, 28 fasci., with supplement, .. 20 14 TMfkh-i-Firuz Shabi, 7 fasci. . 4 6 TMikh-i-Baihaqi, complete in 9 fasci. . 5 10 Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh, vols. I. XX. and III., complete in 15 fasci. 9 6 Wis o-Ramin. 5 fasci. .. .. 2 3 Iqbalnamah-i-Jahangiri,: complete in 3 fasci. -.... ..... 1 14 ’ A' lam gSrnamah, 13 fasci,, with index,- .. 8 2 IVidshahnamah, 19 fasci., with index. H 14 Muntakhab-ul-Lubab, by KMfi Khan, 19 fasci., with index, . 12 12 Am-i-Akbari, Persian text, 4to., 22 fasci. 27 8 A'in-i-Akbari, English translation by H. Blochmann, SI. A., vol. I, . 12 4 Mub.i/'.g-i-ilidu'ii. 14 fasci., complete,.......... .............. ............ 17 8 Nizami’s Khiradnamah-i-lsfctndari, 2 fasci. complete, .. 2 0 Akbarnainah, 13 fasci. with Index, . 15 0 Maasir-i-’Alamgiri, by Muhammad Saqi, complete, 6 fasci., with index,. 3 12 Haft Asman, history of the Persian Masnawi.. 1 4 Tabaqat-i-Naqiri, English translation, by Ruverty, 8 fasci. 8 0 'jabaqat-i-Kaqii'i, Persian text, 5 fasci. ..*.* 3 2 MISCELLANEOUS. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal from vols. XII to XVII, 1843-48, vols. XIX to XXI, 1850-52, to Subscribers at Re. 1 per number and to non-subscribers at Re. 1-8 per number ; vols. XXVI, XXVII, 1857-58, and vols. XXXIII to XLV, 1864-76, to Subscribers at 1-8 per number and to non- subscribers at Rs, 2 per number. Asiatic Researches, vols. VII. to XII. and vols. XVII. to XX. each, Do. Do. Index, ... Catalogue of Fossil Vertebrata,...... ...... . --of Sanskrit Manuscripts, ........• ■ • • ... ■ ■ -- of Arabic and Persian Manuscripts, .......» .. Tibetan Dictionary, . • Grammar, .Rs. Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts, 13 fasci. ............ ............ . lstilabat-i-Hufiyah■ Edited by Dr. A.. Stronger, 8vo . Jawami’ ul-’ilm ir-riyazi, 168 pages with 17 plates, 4to. IxSSonaSratf'of £ Manu^ripts,' bytho RoV. w! Han Koong Tsow, or the Sorrows of Han, by L Erancis Davis. Tnayab, a Commentary on the Hidayah, Vols. U. I V-, . Analysis of the Sher Chin, by Alexander Csoma do Keros, . 'KJiazanat-ul-’ilm, ........ Sharayat-ul-Tslam, .. ' * ’ Anis-nl-Musharrihrn,. A''‘ ‘7' b,. Catalogue Eaisonne of the Society’s Sanskrit MSS. Part I, . Grammar,.., Tayloi, 10 5 2 1 1 10 8 13 1 2 3 2 1 8 16 0 1 0 4 0 4 0 3 0 2 0 PROCEEDINGS ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL. EDITED BY - JHE pONORARY ^SECRETARIES. No. II. FEBRUARY, 1879. (i The bounds of its investigation will be the geographical limits of Asia: and within these limits its inquiries will be extended to whatever is performed by man or produced by nature.”—S ib. William Jones. Annual Subscription, ... Price per Number, .... Postage in India, (Additional), Price in England,,,.,... 4 rupees. 8 annas. Xanna. Is. S 35 T The miblicathms of the Society consist — of the Proceedings, one num- berof which is issued, as soou as possible, after every monthlymeofcingand o£ the Journal, the annual volume of which is dividedinto two Parts: Part I being devoted to History, Philology, &c„ Part II to Natural Science; each part is separately paged and provided with a special index, and one number of each pit is published quarterly. Single numbers for sale at the rates given on the last page of cover. # * -* it is requested that communications for the Journal or Proceedings may be sent under cover to the Honorary Secretaries, Asiatic- Soc.,to whom all orders for these works wre to be addressed in India; or, in London, to the Society s Agents, Messrs. Tr-iibner and Co., 67 Sf 50, Ludgate Hill. w B __Tn order to ensure papers being read at any monthly Meeting of the Society; they should bain the hands of the Secretaries at loast a week before the CALCUTTA: PRINTED BY G. H. ROUSE, BAPTIST MISSION PRESS, AND PUBLISHED AT THE ASIATIC SOCIETY’S ROOMS, 57, PARK STREET. 1879. JM, CONTENTS. Page Annual Meeting, 1879, ... 17 Annual Report of the Council, . Abstract of Council Proceedings during 1878,. 30 President’s Address,. 33 Election of Officers and Members of Council for 1879, . 62 Monthly General Meeting in February,. 63 Exhibition of gold and silver Sitarami Coins received from H. Rivett-Carnac, Esq., C. I. E., with descriptions by Dr. Bdjendralala Mitra Eai Bahadur, C. I. E., . 64 Memorandum by H. Rivett-Carxac, Esq., C. I. E., on administra¬ tive rules for the Protection of Indian Antiquarian Eemains,... 65 Paper — On the Operations for obtaining the Discharges of the large Eivers in Upper Assam during 1877-78.—By Lieut. J. H. Haeman, E. E., in charge Assam Valley Series, Survey of India.—Com¬ municated by Major-General J. T. Walker, E. E., C. B,, Surveyor General of India.—(Title only),. 69 Library,... Abstract Statement of Accounts for 1878. Appendix, . j. List of Members of the Society to 31st December 1878. Appendix, xvii. In a folio volume of 180 pages, with thirty-six Lithographs and fifty wood-cuts. Price Es. 35. THE ANTIQUITIES OF ORISSA. nr RA'JENDRALA'LA MITRA, LL. D. Volume I. *#* The second volume, to complete the work, is in the press: it will extend to about 210 pages folio, and will be illustrated with sixty photo¬ graphs and lithographs. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL, j^OR j^EBRUARY, 18J9, The Annual Meeting of the Asiatic Society of Bengal was held on Wednesday, the 5th of February, 1879 at 9 o’clock p. h. W. T. Blanford, F. B. S., President, in the Chair. According to the Bye-Laws of the Society, the President ordered the voting papers to be distributed for the election of Officers and Members of Council for 1879, and appointed Drs. King and Cayley, Scrutineers. The President then called upon the Secretary to read the Annual Keport. ^Annual Report for 1878 . In presenting to the Society the customary review of the state and progress of its affairs during the past year, the Council are glad to be again able to report that the condition of the Society is satisfactory, as regards the state of its finances and the interest that continues to be shown in its operations, as evidenced by the accession of members and the number and variety of the communications received for publication. During the year 1878, 35 new Members joined the Society, a larger number than usual. The losses, by death (9), by retirement (11), and re¬ moval (31) amount to 51. The number of Ordinary Members at the close of the year was therefore 327 against 345 in 1877. Of the Ordinary Mem¬ bers 29 are absent from India, so that the effective list now numbers 117 Resident, 153 11011 -Resident, 15 Foreign and 13 Life Members. The annexed tabular Statement shows the fluctuation in the number of the Ordinary Members during the past 6 years. Annual Report. [Feb. Yeae. Paying. Non- Paying. Total. Total. Resident. Non-resi¬ dent. Foreign Life. Absent. 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 302 312 292 294 290 260 116 127 113 119 113 117 186 184 179 175 163 153 14 15 3 3 3 5 9 13 53 32 50 48 46 29 358 346 345 ;47 345 327 The diminution in the numbers is apparent rather than real, and is due to the lists having previously included a number of individuals who had virtually ceased to he members, and had for a considerable period abstained from paying subscriptions. All such have now been removed from the list of Members, under Rule 38. _ . . During the year one Member compounded for his subscription, and the free life-membership of the Society was granted to Sir E. C. Bayley and General Thuillier on their retirement from India. The Society has specially to deplore the loss of Mr. H. Blochmann, who had for many years past so ably filled the post of Philological Secretary, and whose researches into the Ancient History and Geography of Bengal, and more especially his labours in connection with the editing of the text and translation of the Ain-i-Akbari, and other Muhammadan historical works, have enriched the pages of the Society’s Journal and Bibliotheca Indica, and gained for their author a world-wide renown among scholars. It is greatly to be regretted that by Mr. Blochmann’s untimely death a great part of the immense wealth of valuable information that he had collected on these subjects has been lost to the world. Another serious loss to the Society is Mr. S. Kurz, the author of many valuable papers relating to the botany of India and Burma, and. by whose early death the Society loses a zealous contributor, and botanical science an experienced and indefatigable worker. The Society has also to regret the death in England of Dr. T. Oldham, late Superintendent of the Geological Survey, who was on several occasions President of the Society. The Obituary further includes the names of Mr. A. Anderson, who had contributed several papers on Indian Ornithology to the Society’s Journal and other scientific periodicals, Mr. P. T. Carnegy, Mr. T. Chennell, Dr. E. J. Gayer, Mr. C. Heintze, Dr. Verchere, Ordinary Members; M. Garcin de Tassy and Dr. T. Thomson, Honorary Members, and Dr. H. Bleeker, Corresponding Member. 1879.] Annual Report. 19 Indian Museum. During the past year the Council have received no presentations re¬ quiring to be transferred to the Indian Museum under the provisions of Act XXII of 1876. A large number of sculptured stones from the ruins of Buddha Gaya, have, however, been received from Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, Bai Bahadur, C. I. E., which will be transferred to the Museum as soon as a selection has been made from them for the Berlin Museum. Mr. T. S. Isaac and Capt. J. Waterhouse have continued to act as Trustees on the part of the Society throughout the year. On the vacation of the Presidentship by the Hon’ble Sir E. C. Bayley, K. C. S. I., he was succeeded as ex-officio Trustee by Mr. W. T. Blanford. On the death of Mr. Blochmann, Mr. 0. H. Tawney was appointed Trustee, and Mr. H. Beverley took the place of Dr. T. It. Lewis, who went on furlough to Europe. Finance. The Council are glad to be able to report that the financial position of the Society continues in a satisfactory state, and that the accounts of the year show a slight balance of income over expenditure. The income of the Society from its vested funds will, however, be less in future than it has been during the past year or two, on account of the expiry of the 5J per cent, loan, and the consequent transfer of the Govern¬ ment Securities held in that loan to the new 4<| per cent. loan. This loss of income will necessitate the most careful economy in the administration of the Society’s funds, a point to which the attention of the Council will be duly given. The gross receipts of the Society during the year amount, as shown in the table below, to Its. 27,284-9-0 and the gross expenditure to Rs. 20,961- 9-11. From the balance, Rs. 6,322-15-1, must be deducted Rs. 976-0-0 for admission fees and Rs. 100-0-0 for compounding fees, both which sums were transferred after the close of the year to the Permanent Vested Fund, leaving a balance of Rs. 5,222-15-1 available for the expenditure of the present year. The gross receipts are larger than they would have been under ordina¬ ry circumstances, owing to the Society having received the whole of the interest due on the 5f per cent, loan up to its expiry on the 30th April next, amounting to Rs. 10,266-1-5, instead of Rs. 7,308-0-0, the interest due for the year. The difference, Rs. 2,958-1-5, must therefore be considered as part of the income of the current year. The gross expenditure includes the following items of extraordinary expenditure: under Publications, Rs. 928-1-6 remitted to England in advance 20 Annual Report. [Feb. for the publication of Mr. Moore’s papers on Indian Lepidoptera from the collection of the late Mr. C. S. Atkinson. This sum was provided by the sale of Government Securities for Es. 1,000. TJnder library , Rs. 1,594-0-0 paid for the preparation of the new Catalogues of Books and MSS. This sum, which should have been met by sale of Government Securities in the Temporary Tested Fund, has actually been paid from current income. Apart from the interest derived from the vested funds, the ordinary income of the Society shows a further falling off in the two important items of Subscriptions and Publications, which is to be regretted. The loss is,, however, more than made up by an increase in the items of Library and Contingencies, the increase on the latter head being chiefly the proceeds realised from the sale of the old Museum cases &e. The receipts from admission and compounding fees amounted to Es. 1,076-0-0, Es. 1,100-0-0 have been transferred from the Temporary to the Permanent Vested Fund on this account, and steps will be taken immedi¬ ately to replace the amount in the Temporary Fund. At the close of 1877 the outstandings due to the Society for admission fees, subscriptions, sale of publications &c., amounted to Rs. 7,074-5-5. Of this sum Es. 3,250-9-0 has been written off as irrecoverable. The sum now due from members for arrears of subscriptions &c. amounts to Es. 2,215- 5 -0, a great part of which it is hoped may be recovered during the current year. The net income of the Society amounted to Es. 20,461-13-9, but from this Es. 2,958-1-5, the amount of interest received in excess for the half year October to April 1878, should be deducted, leaving a balance of Es, 17,503-12-4. The ordinary expenditure amounted to Es. 16,417-15-7. There is thus a balance of Es. 1,085-12-9 in favour of the Society. The following is a Statement of the Cash Assets of the Society at the close of 1878:— Permanent Vested Fund, Temporary ditto, Balance in the Bank of Bengal, Cash in hand, Es. 127,800 0 0 7,200 0 0 6,265 14 11 57 0 2 Total, Es. 141,322 15 1 The following tables will show the Gross Receipts and Expenditure of the Society as compared with the previous year, and also the Net Income and Ordinary Expenditure. 1879.] 21 Annual Report. Gbobs Eecelpts. 1877. 1878. Balance of 1876, Es. 3,432 3 5 2,694 13 3 Admission Fees, 880 0 0 976 0 0 Subscriptions, ... 7,200 2 0 7,006 0 0 Publications, ... . • • 1,633 5 0 1,340 5 0 Library, . • • 227 5 0 270 11 0 Fines &e., 47 7 9 42 11 9 Sale of Government Securities, 17,501 0 11 1,045 8 0 Interest on Government Securities, 7,583 0 0 10,226 1 5 Coin Fund, ... 17 0 0 0 0 0 Loan from Fund a/c 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 Do. 0. P. Fund, 0 0 0 2,000 0 0 I)o. Cons. MSS., 0 0 0 6 6 o Eefund of postage, «•» 1,033 11 0 957 9 10 Compounding Fees, 770 0 0 100 0 0 Contingencies, ... 21 8 0 618 6 9 Total, Es. 41,346 11 1 27,284 9 0 Geoss Expendittjee. Publications, ... Es. 8,194 15 5 7,652 13 5 Library (Purchase of books &c.), • • • 3,436 13 9 2,215 6 3 Do. Extra men for Catalogues, • • • 935 3 0 1,594 0 0 Establishment, Library, ... . * . 1,800 0 0 1,497 8 0 Do. Secretary’s Office, ... 2,191 0 0 2,320 0 0 Secretary’s office, Contingencies, 1,452 15 8 1,201 1 1 Sale of Government Securities, • • • 78 8 1 3 14 10 Interest of ditto, 18 15 2 25 8 10 Coin Fund, ... . * . 221 10 0 59 8 6 Furniture &c., , 4 . 8,125 15 6 620 13 0 Building, • « • 7,569 13 6 11 4 0 Taxes, • *. 750 0 0 780 0 0 Loan from Fund ajc 800 0 0 0 0 0 Do. from 0. P. Fund ale... • • • 1,000 0 0 2,000 0 0 Cons, of Sans. MSS. a/c ... 1,000 0 0 6 6 0 Eefund of postage, 1,075 15 9 932 6 0 Copying MSS., 0 0 0 41 0 0 Es. 38,651 13 10 20,961 9 11 Balance, 2,694 13 3 6,322 15 1 Es. 41,346 11 1 27,284 9 0 22 Annual Report. [Feb. Net Income. 1877. 1878. Subscriptions, Es. 7,200 2 0 7,006 0 0 Publications,... ... 1,633 5 0 1,340- 5 0 Library, ... 227 5 0 270 11 0 Fines &c., ... 47 7 9 42 11 9 Interest, 7,583 0 0 10,226 1 5 Coin Fund, ... ... 17 0 0 0 0 0 Eefund of postage, ... 1,033 11 0 957 9 10 Contingencies, ... 21 8 0 618 6 9 Es. 17,763 6 9 20,461 13 9 Ordinary Expenditure. Publications, ... Es. 7,623 8 7 6,724 11 11 Library, 3,436 13 3 2,215 6 3 Establishment, Library, ... 1,800 0 0 1,497 8 0 Do. Secretary’s office, 2,191 0 0 2,320 0 0 Interest, 18 15 2 25 8 10 Contingent charges, ... 1,452 15 8 1,201 1 1 Coin Fund, ... 221 10 0 59 8 6 Taxes, ... 750 0 0 780 0 0 Postage, 1,075 15 9 932 6 0 Copying MSS., ... 0 0 0 41 0 0 Furniture, 0 0 0 620 13 0 Es. 18,570 14 5 16,417 15 7 The following is the estimate for Income and Expenditure during 1879. Balance in band, ... Income. Es. 5,222 15 Subscriptions, ... 7,000 0 Publications and Library, ... 1,600 0 Interest in Vested Funds, ... 3,235 0 Es. 17,057 15 0 1879.] Annual Report. Expenditure. 23 Publications, Library, Establishment Library, Do. Secretary’s office, Contingencies, Building, Furniture, Coins, Taxes, Rs 7,000 0 0 3,000 0 0 1.500 0 0 2.500 0 0 1200 0 0 500 0 0 300 0 0 200 0 0 780 0 0 Rs. 16,980 0 0 The London. Agency. Messrs. Triibner and Co.’s yearly statement of accounts with the Socie¬ ty from 1st January to 31st December, 1877 showed a balance of £34-2-1 due from the Society. On subsequent examination, this sum was reduced to £33-16-11 and duly remitted. According to Messrs. Triibner’s statement, the sale of the Society’s publications during the year 1877 amounted to Rs. 278-6, and that of the Bibliotheca Indica publications to Rs. 545-10. This sum representing £75- 11-6 was placed to the credit of the Society and O. P. Fund respectively. Twenty-four invoices, consisting of prablications of scientific Societies presented to the Society, books purchased and books on inspection, were received from Messrs. Triibner and Co. during 1878. The money value of these consignments amounted to £99-6-11. 335 copies of both Parts of the Journal, and 288 copies of the Proceedings, representing respectively a money value of £61-8-4 and £15-12, were despatched to Messrs. Triibner and Co. for sale. 546 copies of the Bibliotheca Indica publications, valued at Rs. 407-2, were also sent for sale. Library. The additions to the Library during the past year comprise in all 1,326 volumes or parts of volumes. Of these 677 were received as presentations from Government, from authors, or by exchange, and 649 were purchased. The new Catalogue of the Library, to which reference was made in last year’s Report, progressed as far as completion of the cataloguing in the hands of the late Mr. Blochmann. A heavy work of revision and arrangement has yet to he done before the Catalogue can go to press. Mr. H. B. Medli- cott has kindly taken charge of the work, and it is hoped that the current 24 Annual Report. [Feb. year will see it through the press. As, however, the Council have to rely entirely upon the gratuitous aid offered by already over-worked officers and Members of Council for the effective supervision of such important works, they trust that delays will be excused. Arrangements have been made with Messrs. Triibner and Co. for the quick despatch by Overland Parcel Post of the periodicals and Journals supplied to the Society, and these now come in monthly or fortnightly par¬ cels instead of being collected and sent out by the P. and O. Steamers. Publications. The publications of the Society issued during the year comprise 9 Nos. of the Proceedings, consisting of 188 pages of text with two plates ; No. 10, with Index, will be ready immediately. Three Nos. of the Journal, Part I, have been issued containing 257 pages of text, illustrated by 24 plates. Of the Journal, Part II, three Nos. have been issued, consisting of 174 pages of text illustrated by 8 plates (5 coloured). No. 4 is well advanced in the press and will shortly be ready. The Council hoped that the 1st Part of the Extra Number, containing descriptions by Messrs. Moore and Hewitson of the Indian Lepidoptera, found in the collections of the late Mr. W. S. Atkinson, would have been ready for distribution during the year. Some delay has, however, occurred in the drawing of the plates, and it is uncertain when the first part will be ready. Building. The amount expended on repairs to the Society’s premises and for fur¬ niture during the year has been very trifling, amounting only to Es. 632. , With reference to the erection of the railing in front of the Society s premises, the Council have decided on having the present wall altered and repaired,' as they do not consider it advisable to diminish the funds of the Society further at present. The arrangement the Council had hoped to conclude with the Municipality to give a small strip of land to the latter in exchange for a sum that would have sufficed to pay part of the expense of erecting railings has not been carried out, no acceptable proposal having been made by the Municipality. Coin Cabinet. The accessions to the Coin Cabinet during 1878 were 2 gold, 6 silver, and 41 copper coins purchased ; 5 silver Burmese coins presented by the Trustees of the Phayre Museum, llangoon ; one gold and two silver coins received from the Bajah of Suket through the Foreign Office ; and 3 silver and 5 copper coins received from Col. C. Martin. Annual Seoort. 25 Mr. James Crawfurd, C. S. brought to the notice of the Council the desirability of a reference being made to Government on the subject of the Treasure Trove Act, in order that the Society might have a chance of purchas¬ ing coins &c., found in different parts of the country. The Council according¬ ly addressed the Government on the subject, and orders have been issued to the Civil authorities throughout the country to inform the Asiatic Society of all finds of coins within their respective jurisdictions. The consequence is, that the Society is constantly receiving intimations of finds of this kind and has been glad to purchase on several occasions. .By more recent orders the Asiatic Society is to inform the Bombay Branch of the Eoyal Asiatic Society of such finds and vice versa. Secretary’s Office. Part I of the Journal was in the hands of the late Philological Secre¬ tary, Mr. Blochmann, until his death in July, when Mr. C. H. Tawney kindly undertook the duties of the Philological Secretary as a temporary measure. The Eev. Dr. A. P. Eudolf Hoernle was subsequently appointed permanently Philological Secretary. Captain Waterhouse has continued to hold the General Secretaryship, and charge of the Proceedings, with the exception of 4 months from July to November when Mr. H. B. Medlicott acted for him. Part II of the Journal has been in various hands during the year. Mr. Lydekker being appointed Natural History Secretary in the early part of the year, relieved Captain Waterhouse and Mr. Blanford of the charge of it; but on Mr. Lydekker’s sudden departure in March, those gentlemen again resumed charge of it. During Captain Waterhouse s absence on leave, Mr. Medlicott took charge and the editorship is now held again by Captain Waterhouse and Mr. Blanford. The Treasurership was held until March by Mr. H. B. Medlicott, who was relieved by Mr. E. Gay. On Mr. Gay’s departure for Bombay in August, Mr. H. Beverley was appointed Treasurer and now holds the office. Mr. G. S. Leonard resigned his appointment as Assistant Secretary in April and Mr. W. E. Bateman was appointed in his place. Mr. Andrews and Babus Kedarnath Bysack, Eamjiwun Mookerjee and Jadu Bindu Bysack have continued to hold the post of Assistant Librarian, Cashier, Assistant Cashier, and Storekeeper, respectively. Bibliotheca Indiea. The progress made in the publication of oriental works has bjen entire¬ ly satisfactory, Altogether 24 fasciculi have been published, including 26 Annual Report. [Feb. portions of 9 different works, and three large and important works have been completed. Of the works published, one is an English translation from the Sanskrit, five in Sanskrit, and three in Persian. The translation above referred to is an elegant and most accurate ren¬ dering of the Aphorisms of Sandilya with the commentary of Sivapnesvara. The Society is indebted for it to Professor E. B. Cowell. The work is devoted to the Hindu doctrine of faith, and forms the text-book of the Bhakti system, which appears in its most developed form in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the commentary of Bamanuja on the Vedanta aphorisms of Vyasa. In many of its salient points it is closely related to the doctrine of the Sufis. The cardinal principle which the author of the work upholds is, that “ knowledge is only the hand-maid of faith and not, as contended by the Hindu gnostics, the only thing needful.” The Sanskrit text was origi¬ nally undertaken by the late Dr. Ballantyne, and on his retirement from India when half of the work had been printed, was completed for the Society by Mr. Griffith, in 1861. Of the Sanskrit works, the most important is the Sanhita of the Sama Veda. It comprises four different works, namely, Gramageya Gana, the Uha Gana, Uhya Gana and Aranya Gana. These include all the hymns of the Sama Veda set to music. Inasmuch, however, as the hymns with their musical notations were perfectly unintelligible, the words of the hymns were early separated into a distinct compilation called “ Archika; or the Bichas of the Big Veda, occurring in the Sama Veda”. This last was com¬ mented upon by Sayana. A recension of this compilation was published by the Oriental Translation Fund of London, in 1842, and another by Dr. Benfey in 1848. Both appeared under the name of the Sanhita of the Sama Veda ; hut as they did not include those peculiarities which convert Big verses into Sama hymns, they were, in the form in which they appeared, not Samas hut Big verses. The Society undertook, in 1870, an edition of the Sama hymns, and it has now been completed in 5 volumes. The Big collection has been adopted as the basis, and to every verse of it have been added all the various transformations which it has undergone in changing from the Big to the Sama,—including all the musioal notations, as also the commentary of Sayana on the text. Thus practically the Society’s edition comprises six different works, namely, the Archika, the four Ganas and the commentary of Sayaiia, and the hulk of the edition has necessarily been greatly increased thereby ; hut it is hoped that it will afford to oriental scholars the most complete edition of the Sama Sanhita. The plan adopted has in some places disturbed the order in which the Ganas appear in their respective collec¬ tions ; hut this was unavoidable. To remedy the defect full indexes have been supplied at the beginning of each volume. The Council have great 27 1879.] Annual Report. pleasure in adding that the editor, Pandit Satyavrata S'amasrami, has com¬ pleted the work with commendable zeal, ability and care. The Agni Purana was taken in hand in 1871 by the late Pandit Hara- molian Tarkabhushna ; but it was stopped after, the publication of two fasci¬ culi. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra has now completed it in three volumes. The work forms a Cyclopaedia of Sanskrit literature, and has been printed from nine different MSS., one of which was obtained from Bombay, one from Tanjore, two from Benares and five from different sources in Bengal. Of the Society’s edition of Hemadri’s Chaturvarga Chintamani, seven fasciculi have been published during the period under report. Four more will complete the second volume, and with it the work will for the present be concluded, as it has not been possible to procure sufficient materials for the remaining 3 volumes. Pandit Bala S'astri of the Benares College has brought out the sixth fasciculus of the Bhamati. It is expected that the work will be completed in the course of the current year. Pandit Ohandrakanta Tarkaratna s edition of the Gobhiliya Grilfya Sutra is also expected to be completed in a short time. The whole of the text has been printed, and two short appendices are now in the hands of the printer. The Bev. Dr. Hoernle’s edition of the Prithvirdja RmjasA\ia.i advanced by one fasciculus. The work is a large one, and it will be some time before it can be brought to a conclusion. The Persian series has sustained a serious loss by the death of Mr. H. Blochmann. Under his able superintendence it was progressing in a most satisfactory manner, and the Council doubt if they will be able to replace him for a long time to come. A little before his death, he had completed the second volume of the text of the Ain-i-Akbari, which is a largo 4to. of nearly a thousand pages, got up in a manner that leaves nothing to be desired. Annexed to the volume is an interesting biography of the author, in English. It is to be regretted that the untimely death of the learned editor has deprived the public of the chance of obtaining an English trans- ation of this portion of the work from his pen. An impression appears to exist both in this country and in Europe, that the late Mr. Blochmann be¬ fore his death had completed this translation. The Council have, however, had a most diligent search made for the MS, but without finding the least trace of it or any allusion to it in Mr. Blochmann s papers, and ait theie oie inclined to believe that the translation was not completed, and that a con u sion has arisen between the completion of the text and translation. Maulawi ’Abdur Rahim has advanced the Society’s edition ot the Akbarnamah by one fasciculus, and has also brought out an Inc ex o names of persons and places occurring in tlie first volume of tlie vvoi 28 Annual Report. [Feb. .The following is a list of the number of fasciculi published during the past year. Sanskrit Series. 1. CnATtntyABCtA Ciuhtamani, by Hemadri, edited by Pandit Bharatachandra Siromani. Nos. 391, 400, 401, 403, 406, 407, 410, Vol. II, Pt. II, Base. XIII, and Vol. II, P. II, Ease. I to VI. 2. Sama Veda Sanhita, with the commentary of Sayana A'charya, edited by Pandit Satyavrata Samasrami. Nos. 376, 382, 385, 389, 398, 402 413, 414. Vol. V, Paso. I to VIII. 3. Agni Pdrana, a system of Hindu Mythology and Tradition, edited by Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, C. I. E. Nos. 399, 404, Ease. XII and XIII. 4. BhImati, a Gloss on Sankara A'charya’s commentary on the Brah¬ ma Sutras, by Vachaspati Misra, edited by Pandit Bala S'astri. No. 405 Fasc. VI. 5. Pbithikaja Kasatasa of Chand Baradi, edited by the Rev. A. F. R. Hoernle, Ph. D. No. 408, P. II, Fasc. II. 6. The Aphorisms op Sand£lta with the commentary of Svapne- svara, of the Hindu Doctrine of faith, translated by E. B. Cowell, M A No. 409. Arabic and Persian Series. 7. Xih-i-AkearI, by Abul-Fazl-i-Mubarak-i-’Allami, edited by H. Blochmann, M. A. Fasc. XVII. 8. Akbar-namah, by Abul-Fazl-i-Mubarak-i-’Allarm, edited by Mau- lawi ’Abdur Rahim, Calcutta Madrasah. Nos. 411 and 412 Vol II Fasc. III. 9. Index of Names of Persons and Geographical Names occurring in the Akbar-namah, Vol. I, by Abul-Fazl-i-Mubarak-i ’Allami, edited by Maulawi ’Abdur Rahim. List of Societies and Institutions with which Exchanges of Publications have been made during 1878. Batavia Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences. Birmingham -.—Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Bombay Bombay Branch, Royal Asiatic Society. -:—Editor, Indian Antiquary. Boston :—Natural History Society. Bordeaux :—Bordeaux Academy. Buenos Ayres :—Public Museum. Brussels :—Royal Academy of Sciences. - -:—Geological Society of Belgium. 29 1879.] Annual Eeport. Calcutta: — Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India. • -:—Geological Survey of India. Cherbourg :—National Society of Natural Science. Christiana :—University Library. Copenhagen : — Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries. Cambridge : — -University Library. Colombo : — Royal Asiatic Society, Ceylon Branch. California: — Californian Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dehra-Dun :—Great Trignometrical Survey. Dublin Royal Irish Academy. -:—Natural History Society. Edinburgh :—Royal Society. Frankfort:—Natural History Society. Geneva : — Physical and Natural History Society. Genoa : — Museum of Natural History. Konigsberg : — Physical and Economical Institution. Leipzig :—German Oriental Society. Liege :—-Royal Society of Sciences. Liverpool:—Literary and Philosophical Society. London : — Royal Society. — -: — British Museum. --: — Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. - : — Royal Institution. -: — Institution of Civil Engineers. -: — Royal Geographical Society. — - : — Museum of Practical Geology. -: — Zoological Society. -: — Statistical Society. - :•— Geological Society. * - :—Linnean Society. - :— Anthropological Institute. - :— Royal Astronomical Society. --: — Editor, Athenaeum. -: — Editor, Geographical Magazine. -:— Editor, Nature. -:— Society of Telegraph Engineers. Lyon :— Agricultural Society. -—Museum of Natural History. Madras : — Literary Society. Manchester : — Literary and Philosophical Society. Munich :—Royal Academy. Netherlands : — Royal Society. New Haven, U. S. :— Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. 30 Annual Report. [Feb. New South Wales :—Royal Society. Oxford :—Bodleian Library. Paris :—Imperial Library. •-:—Anthropological Society. ;-:—Asiatic Society. -:—Geographical Society. -:—Ethnological Society. -:—Zoological Society. Pisa :—Tuscan Society of Natural Sciences. Stettin :—Entomological Society. Stuttgardt:—Natural History Societyof Wurtemberg. St. Petersburgh :—Imperial Library. -:—Imperial Russian Geographical Society. ---:—Imperial Academy of Sciences. Stockholm :—Royal Academy of Sciences. Trieste :—Academy. United States, America:—Geological Survey of the Territories. Vienna :—Imperial Geological Institute. -:—Anthropological Society. -:—Imperial Academy of Sciences. -:—Zoological Society. Washington :—Smithsonian Institution. --:—Commissioners of the Department of Agriculture. Yokohama :—German Oriental Society. -:—Asiatic Society of Japan. Abstract of Proceedings op the Council during 18/8. January 3 Qih, Ordinary Meeting. A letter was read from the Assistant Secretary, Government of Bengal, forwarding a letter from the Home Department, Government of India, No. 12, dated 3rd January, 1878, stating, with reference to the Society’s letter, No. 487, dated 8th August, 1876, that the Governor-General in Council accepts Dr. Rajendralala Mitra’s offer to prepare -an abstract of Harrish Chandra Shastri’s Analytical Catalogue of Sanskrit Books in the possession of the Maharaja of Bikanir at a cost not exceeding Rs. 5000. The letter was ordered to be recorded. February 28 th. Ordinary Meeting. An application for an exchange of publications with the Society of Telegraph Engineers was sanctioned. A copy of Scudder’s Catalogue of Scientific Series was ordered to be subscribed for. 31 1879.] . Annual Report. A recommendation of the Finance Committee, with reference to an application from Dr. Rajendralala Mitra for a grant of Es. 360 for the General Catalogue of the Society’s Sanskrit MSS. and Rs. 340 for the cataloguing of the Hodgson MSS., that the latter should be sanctioned, hut that the expense for an additional pundit for the former could not he afforded at present, was approved. On the recommendation of the Secretary, it was ordered that the So¬ ciety’s publications should he sent direct by post to the Royal, Geological, Zoological, and Royal Asiatic Societies in London. It was ordered that £80 should he remitted to Mr. Grote to meet the expenses of publishing Part I of the descriptions by Messrs. Moore and Hewitson of Lepidoptera in the collection of the late Mr. W. S. Atkinson. With reference to a communication from Mr. J. Crawfurd, C. S., on the subject of the Treasure Trove Bill, it was ordered that the Government he asked that the Society may be allowed to purchase duplicates of such coins as the Government do not require for their own purposes at the price paid by the Government. March 28 th, Ordinary Meeting. It was ordered that the publications of the Society should he sent by post direct to the Oriental Society of Leipzig and the Asiatic Society of Paris. April 25th, Ordinary Meeting. A Committee composed of the President, Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, the Hon J. O’Kinealy, T. S. Isaac, Esq. and Capt. J. Waterhouse, was ap. pointed to meet Mr. Metcalfe, and discuss the question of the boundary railings. An application from the Geographical Society of Halle for an exchange of publications was declined. A similar application from the Societe Imperiale des Amis d’ Histoire Naturelle, d’ Anthropologie et d’ Ethnographie, of Moscow, was also declined on the ground that the publications were believed to bo in Russian. The question of publishing an- Index to Vols. 24 to 46 of the Society’s Journal, compiled by Mr. G. S. Leonard, Assistant Secretary of the Society, was considered, and it was ordered that if Mr. Leonard will publish the work on his own responsibility, the Society will take copies to the value of Rs. 500 for distribution. May 30; th, Ordinary Meeting. An exchange of Part II of the Society’s Journal for the Archives of the Museum d’ Histoire Naturelle de Lyon was accepted. An exchange of publications with the Royal Society of New South Wales was sanctioned. 32 Annual Report. [Feb. The new rules for the Library, drawn up by the Secretary, were ap¬ proved, with a few modifications. June 27tli, Ordinary Meeting. With reference to the question of a new boundary railing, it was finally decided that as no satisfactory offer had been received from the Mu¬ nicipality, the present wall should be altered and repaired after the rains. A recommendation of the Finance Committee that Its 1000 worth of Government Securities should be sold to meet the expense of the Atkinson papers was sanctioned. August 1st, Ordinary Meeting. Mr. H. Blochmann having resigned the Trusteeship of the Indian Museum, Mr. E. Gay was appointed a Trustee on behalf of the Society. The following minute was recorded on the death of Mr. H. Bloch¬ mann, Philological Secretary of the Society. “ The Council desires to place on record its sense of the very great loss that the Society and Oriental literature have sustained in the death of Mr. Blochmann, and to express its deep regret at the sad event that has de¬ prived the members of so valuable and estimable a colleague.” Mr. C. H. Tawney was appointed Philological Secretary temporarily. Mr. E. Gay having resigned the Treasurership on his departure for Bombay, Mr. H. Beverley was appointed in his place. Applications from the Industrial School of Distritz and the United Ser¬ vice Institution of India for an exchange of publications were declined. A Committee composed of Messrs. O’Kinealy, Croft, Dr. R. L. Mitra, Babu Prannatk Pandit, the President and Secretaries was appointed to col¬ lect subscriptions for a memorial to the late Mr. Blochmann. August 2 Qth, Ordinary Meeting. Mr. C. H. Tawney was appointed a Trustee of the Indian Museum in place of Mr. E. Gay. The recommendation of the Finance Committee that the Society’s 5 ! per cent. Government Securities should be transferred to 4-j, was approved and confirmed, and the Treasurer ordered to effect the transfer. An offer from Mr. C. J. Lyall to continue the editing and publishing of the Persian text of ’Amar Khayyam was accepted with thanks. September 25th, Ordinary Meeting. In reply to a letter from the Society of Telegraph Engineers a copy of the Ronald’s Catalogue was ordered to be subscribed for. Read a letter No. 200, dated 31st August, from the Under-Secretary to the Government of Bengal, stating that the Lieutenant-Governor approves of the manner in which the Government grant for cataloguing Sanskrit MSS. had been applied. President's Address. 33 1879.] _ Mr. H. Beverley was appointed a Trustee of the Indian Museum, in place of Dr. T. It. Lewis, resigned on leaving India. October 31s£, Ordinary Meeting. The publication of Lieut. R. Temple’s Grammar of the S. Andaman language was declined from want of funds. November 28 tit. Ordinary Meeting. In reply to a letter from Messrs. Newman and Co., asking if the Society had promised to take copies of Mr. Leonard’s Index to the Journal, they were ordered to be informed that if the Index were published, the Society would be prepared to take copies to the value of Its. 500, provided it meets with the approval of the Council. The Mali and Beaver were ordered to receive a temporary increase of 1 Rupee each per mensem for November and December. The Peesidestt then delivered the following address— ^resident's D DRESS. The close of the period for which you have done me the honour of entrusting me with the Pi’esidency of your Society brings with it the occa¬ sion of reviewing briefly some of the incidents of the past year, and of offering a few remarks on some of the scientific questions which have from time to time attracted the attention of our members. In the great Societies of Europe, where the subjects discussed are of cosmopolitan interest, it is not an unusual proceeding to review the progress of human thought generally or of the particular branch to which each Society devotes itself, during the course of the preceding twelve months, but situated as we are, at a distance from the greater centres of scientific activity, we shall best do service to the general cause by confining ourselves to the area of the continent from which our Society derives its name, and more especially to the country in which we live. To review the various discoveries made during the year, and to afford anything like an adequate sketch of their scope and meaning, is indeed a task far beyond the powers of any individual. The year commenced with that marvellous triumph of mechanical resource, the liquefaction, simulta¬ neously and independently by two different chemists, of the only gases which had hitherto resisted all attempts to induce them to change their gaseous state, and terminated with Mr. Norman Lockyer’s spectroscopic analyses of the metals, analyses so singular as to have led to the announcement, more sensational than accurate, that the decomposition of bodies hitherto sup¬ posed to be elementary had been effected, and even in the columns of news¬ papers to the suggestion that the old alchemist’s dream of transmutation had come true. Great additions have been made in the course of the 34 President's Address. -l reswuni s jLaaress. [Feb twelvemonth to the remarkable series of discoveries of which the telephone Td ina t S a r he Ph0n0graphand m ’ cro pbone some of the results, and in astronomy one if not two planets have been shewn to exist, on far more satisfactory evidence than any previously existing, within the orbit of cury. there has been no lack of scientific energy, and the results have een in proportion to the labour, the correspondence between power expend- and work done holding good in mental as in material dynamics. In mope and America^ where the workers are many, the advance in scientific ought is great Here m British India and its dependencies, the labourers aie comparatively few, and the results are consequently small, but it will ]a , ' f j? SS S ° me , ° f these bne % in review, and try to ascertain what the labours of the year have added to our knowledge. There is one feature in which almost all scientific work in India differs from that in Europe and America, and especially from the work done in the British Islands and in the United States. In the west nearly all that is effected is due to the labour, entirely spontaneous, and for by far the greater part unremunerated, of private individuals, or of associations like our own ; very little is due to the initiation of the ruling power, however willing the Government may be, in some cases, to aid and extend exploration already commenced. In India, although Societies like the Asiatic are not directly subordinate to the Government of the country, by far the laro-er proportion of our members are officers of the Government, and, in many cases are officially engaged in scientific enquiries. Hence no small portion of the scientific work of the year, instead of being due to private research, is the result of investigations made for the Government of the country by its own officials, and consequently a review of the year must deal largely with national rather than individual undertakings. . „ me ™ berS of the Asiafcic Society, and especially to those resident m Calcutta, perhaps the most interesting incident of the past year has been the opening of the new Indian Museum. The ornithological and reptilian and the archaeological galleries were thrown open to the public on the 1st April, and the mammalian gallery in December. The collection of speci¬ mens in spirit is arranged in cases and nearly ready for exhibition, and a poition oi the beautiful Buddhist railing from Bharahut has been set up in the archaeological gallery in the room to the south of the entrance Very much still remains to be done ; the ethnological collection has not yet been provided with cases, although arrangements have been made by the Trustees to meet the expense, and the archaeological collection, almost entirely trans¬ ferred from the Society,, is still unarranged and unprovided with stands ■ but for this also provision has been made by the Government. But seeing the progress that has already been made, and considering how great ha's been the labour necessary, I think that very much has been accomplished 1879.] President's Address. 33 35 by Dr. Anderson, tbe superintendent, and by bis staff of assistants, espe¬ cially by the taxidermists’ department under Mr. Fraser, in the course of the last year. To the members of the Society it must be a source of gratification to see the superb collections made by themselves and their predecessors fairly exhibited in well-lighted galleries, instead of being hid¬ den in small rooms, as they formerly were, and the value of the collections can be much better appreciated since it has been possible to see and examine them. The geological galleries at the Museum, which were finally opened to the public from the 1st of January, 1878, had been ready for exhibition for some time before, and even temporarily thrown open, but they required much less preparation, and more superintendence was available, amongst the officers of the Geological Survey, for the important work of arrangement. Although the Society’s specimens form a much smaller element of the geological than of the zoological, archaeological, and ethnological collections, no unimportant part, both of the fossils and minerals, was the property of our association, the most valuable amongst the specimens derived from the Asiatic Society being probably the Siwalik mammalian remains, and the series of meteorites, both of which occupy a conspicuous position in the new galleries. The Zoological Gardens of Calcutta continue to flourish, and although, like other gardens of the same class, they are rather adapted for recreation than for study, it is a question whether this is not an advantage, for the number of students is so limited in India, that education is needed more than opportunities for original investigation. Several rare Indian animals have already been exhibited, and it is to be hoped that the number will be increased. Passing now from the more local subjects of interest and turning to those of wider scope ; first and foremost of all research in India, as the ground-work upon which so many other sciences depend, is our knowledge of the topography of the country and of neighbouring regions. The first branch of enquiry progresses satisfactorily in the hands of General Walker, and his able assistants of the trigonometrical and topographical surveys, and if the second is still far from what we could desire, some advance has been made, thanks to the officers of the same survey. Some important pro¬ gress, to which I will refer presently, has been achieved in trans-frontier exploration, and almost the only scientific use hitherto made of the Afghan expedition has been the. extension of geographical surveying. But it is impossible not to regret that our present information is not wider. It is difficult to cast a glance over the map of India and not be struck by the hard sharp line that divides, on so many of our frontiers, the known from the unknown. Desprte the new treaty with China, Tibet 36 President's Address. [Feb. is still forbidden ground, and apparently awaits the advent of Colonel Prejevalski, or some other adventurous traveller from the distant regions of Northern Asia, to trace out the upper waters of the rivers that irrigate British India. We can but hope that it will not long remain a national reproach to us that we have less knowledge of the rivers of India than of those of Africa, and that the sources of the Nile and Congo have been explored before those of the Brahmaputra and Irawadi. There is no lack of willing and able explorers, but as the opposition in this case comes not from savage tribes or individuals, but from a fairly civilized Government, it can only be overcome by the action of the ruling power in India. There is no subject at the present time in which more general interest is taken than in the progress of geographical exploration. That there are difficulties in the road of research is unquestionable, but whatever may be the case in politics, it is certain that difficulties in science are not conquered by ‘ mas¬ terly inactivity.’ It is not likely that Tibet will long remain untrodden by European feet. Colonel Prejevalski, far from being discouraged by his two previous failures, failures, however, which have contributed more to our knowledge of Central Asia than any other recent travels, is again about to set out for Lhassa. Nor is he the only traveller who is endeavouring to reach the centre of Mongolian Buddhism, for an Austrian, Count Szechenyi, is about to leave Pekin for Tibet under peculiarly favourable conditions. But we hear of no British exploration, and we can only regret that the Government of Great Britain appears desirous of leaving the examination of countries almost within sight of its own mountains to Russian or German travellers. It is impossible that the inhabitants of the country should not contrast Russian energy with British apathy, and the result can scarcely be favourable to the diplomatic reputation of our own Government. Although Tibet has not been explored nor even entered by any Euro¬ pean, something has again been added to our knowledge of its geography by the employment of trained natives, and a step in advance has been made by the determination of the quantity of water passing down the different Assam rivers in the dry season, for the purpose of ascertaining which receives the drainage of the Tibetan plateau. The measurements have been made by Lieut. Harman, R. E., of the Great Trigonometrical Survey, and serve to shew clearly that the Tibetan river cannot be the Subansiri, and that it is probably the Dihong. I have just been informed by Genl. Walker that a native sent by Lieut. Harman to Tibet for the purpose of endeavouring to trace the Sanpo to the eastward, had returned after having followed the river to a point where its course turned southward nearly north of the spot where the Dihong emerges from the mountains into the Assam valley. 1879.] President's Address. 37 All therefore tends so far to support the view taken by the officers in the Great Trigonometrical Survey, and to shew that the Sanpo and Dihong are identical. At the same time the question cannot be considered settled until the two rivers are actually traced into connection with each other. We may hope for large additions to our knowledge of Afghanistan from the present expedition. I regret to say that hitherto the endeavour to take advantage of the presence of a British army in Afghanistan for purposes of scientific enquiry has been limited to the despatch of surveying parties, but I hope this will not continue to be the case, and that so favour¬ able an opportunity for extending our knowledge of the Archseology of a most interesting region, and for examining the Ethnology, Geology, Zoolo¬ gy and Botany of Afghanistan, will not again be allowed to pass away with¬ out being used. I am indebted to General Walker for the information that Major Tanner of the Survey Department has discovered, near Jellalabad, some relics of the old Kafir (pre-Muhammadan) rulers, and more parti¬ cularly has found a subterranean palace, which has been already partially excavated. He has also made enquiries about those mysterious people, the inhabitants of Kafiristan, and finds that there are at least ten dialects of the Kafir language : of these dialects which, as might be supposed, are Aryan, he is making a glossary. It is greatly to be hoped that Major Tanner will succeed in visiting Kafiristan, a region which has for so long been an object of interest and enquiry, and which was strangely neglected when formerly access was possible. It is not probable that there will be much difficulty in going thither, as the inhabitants are believed to be friendly, and tried to induce English officers to visit them during the former occupation of Cahul. On some of the other land frontiers of India good progress is being made in the work of surveying. In Burma and Assam, where the difficul¬ ties caused by dense forest, one of the worst enemies a surveyor can meet, are at their maximum, there is a steady advance in the triangulation. The regular work of the Trigonometrical Survey has but little general interest, although it is laying the ground-work for every variety of know¬ ledge, and the details of topography are even less exciting, hut the Survey is certainly to be congratulated on the production of maps such as those of Guzerat. Scarcely any one in the country has so good opportunities of testing the accuracy of map-drawing as have the officers of the Geological Survey, and the maps of Kattywar on the scale of an inch to the mile are described as excellent. But, besides exploration and mapping, there are several branches of scientific enquiry on which the officers of the Great Trigonometrical Survey are engaged. One of these,—a question of far greater practical importance that it appears at first sight,—is the determination of the exact differences 38 President's Address. [Feb. in longitude between distant countries, and especially between England and India, by means of the electric telegraph. This has resulted in the cor¬ rection of the longitude of Madras, previously ascertained by very long and tedious astronomical observations, extending over many years, by 3F8 seconds of time or rather more than half a mile of distance in this latitude. No addition has been made during the past year to the work described in the Report of the Survey for 187G-77, both the officers engaged, Major Campbell and Captain Heajviside, having been absent on furlough. Ano¬ ther question to which much labour has been devoted by the Survey is the establishment of bench-marks throughout several parts of the country by means of careful spirit-levelling. The vast importance of such marks for engineering works and especially for all plans of irrigation is manifest, and it is not inqrrobable that the scientific importance of the levels will increase greatly, as, in connection witli a series of other observations at tidal stations, they will afford data for determining whether changes in the elevation of land are taking place in different parts of the country. Amongst the numerous subjects to which the officers of the Trigono¬ metrical Survey have directed their attention, some of great interest have been described, at Genl. Walker’s suggestion, in the Journal of the Society for the past year, and it may fairly be hoped that the publication, in this form, of observations such as those made for the purpose of determining the mean sea-level in the Gulf of Cutch, may serve the purpose of making the results more widely known than if they were recorded only in an official report, whilst the Journal of the Society gains in interest and value by being made the medium of publication. The paper by Lieut. Harman, to which I have already alluded, on the results of measurements of the Assam rivers, will, I hope, be read this evening. Few plans for recording the advancement of any enquiry are more trustworthy than a comparison of the methods employed in delineating the results : careful observations require for their record neat and accurate drawing, and facility of reproduction. Thus the account given by Captain Waterhouse in our Journal of the various photographic methods employed in the reproduction of maps and plans, whilst dealing solely with the art of map printing, shews indirectly the great advance of the science of Geogra¬ phy in India, and the demand for more accurate knowledge of the surface of the country. The progress of the whole art of Government in India during the last thirty years, and the change from cordparative ignorance to more accurate knowledge, could not be better illustrated than by a compa¬ rison of the maps produced at the commencement of the period, and those now issued, and it may safely be asserted that the increase in the accuracy of the maps is at least equal to the improvement in map printing. President's Address. 39 1879.] The work of the Marine Survey under Captain Taylor, I. N., is still greatly restricted by the want of a proper vessel, and until the steamer now being built at Bombay is completed, it is not possible that any important additions can be made to our knowledge of the Indian seas. Meantime, however, some most useful charts have been published, and several harbours, roadsteads, and tracts of the coast have been surveyed. For a knowledge of the true contour of the sea bottom in the neighbourhood of India, and for the investigation of all the interesting problems in geology and zoology that may be solved by means of the sounding lino and dredge, we must still wait for the new vessel, which I am happy to say will be fully provided with the necessary apparatus, and which, in the hands of Captain Taylor and Lieut. Jarrad, may be expected to add to the magnificent series of dis¬ coveries due to the “ Challenger” expedition. The seas of India are as yet untouched, and as the country itself has had a peculiar and exceptional geological history, it is not improbable that the depths of the surrounding- ocean may harbour many forms of life not existing in the other oceanic tracts. Some of those curious questions as to the course of the great oceanic currents, questions upon which, undoubtedly, the distribution of temperature and rainfall largely depends, may receive their solution in an area where access from one polar region is entirely barred, and thus the con¬ flicting effect of two sources of cold water is not present, as in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, to disturb the observations made. The subject of deep-sea dredging is one to which the attention of the Society was first directed several years since, and the Council has never ceased to urge the importance of it. It may be hoped that there is at last a pros¬ pect of useful exploration. For geological purposes and for comparison with the marine fossils of the tertiary formations, a series of the inverte- brata and especially of the mollusca, echinoderms and corals of the Indian seas is essential, and for much aid in obtaining such a collection we look to the Marine Survey. The field work of the Geological Survey for the past year has not been very prolific in results of interest, and, as in the larger field of the Trigono¬ metrical Survey, the importance of the work is due chiefly to its being part of a connected system. Some valuable additions have been made to our know¬ ledge of Kashmir, Hazara, Bannu and some other portions of the Punjab, Kumaun, Rajputana, Chutia Nagpur, Kattywar, the Godavari valley, Tan- jore and the islands of Ramri and Cheduba, but in no case are the details such as greatly to alter the conclusions previously formed. The only published number of the “ Memoirs of the Geological Survey” contains a paper by Mr. Ball on some previously unexplored coal-fields in Palamau (Palamow), and of this paper the interest is rather practical than scientific, although some interesting details are given as to the distribution of certain lower Gondwa- 40 President's Address. [Feb. na formations beyond tbe Damuda valley, to which they were previously supposed to he restricted. A much longer and more important paper by Mr. Wynne on the Salt Range of the Punjab would have appeared, but for delay in the preparation of maps. All the principal facts and conclusions in this memoir had, however, been published previously in short notes con¬ tained in the 1 Records of the Geological Survey’ and elsewhere. The ‘ Records’ for the past year exceed the ‘ Memoirs’ both in bulk and in importance, and several of the papers add materially to the knowledge previously existing. Perhaps the most important in their bearing upon physical geology are Mr. Lydekker’s and Colonel McMahon’s contributions to the geology of the north-west Himalayas. Many circumstances have concurred to delay the geological examination of the Himalayan chain, and thus it has happened that Kashmir, which, it might have been thought, would have attracted the earliest attention from the Geological Survey, has remained so long imperfectly known. For what has hitherto been ascer¬ tained we are chiefly indebted to Col. Godwin-Austen and the late Dr. Verchere, for although an excellent geologist, Mr. Drew, was for years resi¬ dent in the country, in the service of the Maharaja, he was 2 )revented by his official position from publishing the observations he made, and his oppor¬ tunities of examining the country were much restricted. Mr. Lydekker has now traced several points of connexion between the series of formations determined by Dr. Stoliczka in Spiti, Rupshu and Ladak, and the rocks of Kashmir, Kishtwar and Pangi, and has in some cases modified the conclusions formerly arrived at, especially with regard to the very complicated relations of the metamorphic rocks. There is still much to be done before the relative ages of the latter are determined with certainty, but it seems clear that gneissic rocks of two different systems, distinct both in origin and in period of metamorphism, exist both in Kash¬ mir and Ladak, that the slates and bedded volcanic rocks, so abundantly developed both north and south of the Kashmir valley, are of older paleo¬ zoic age, and although they have hitherto proved unfossiliferous, that they must be considered to represent the Silurians of Spiti and Hundes, and that all the different limestones of the Pir Panj al range, including the great bed of the Jamu hills, are probably carboniferous, like the fossiliferous lime¬ stones of the Kashmir valley. Not the least interesting of Mr. Lydekker’s observations refer to the physical structure of the mountains. He has shewn that the Kashmir val¬ ley is a compressed synclinal ellipse, and consequently similar in its main features to the area already described by Dr. Stoliczka further to the east¬ ward in Spiti and Ladak, although in the latter region newer rocks appear than are found in Kashmir, where the highest beds occurring are triassic. The Pir Panjal range, to the south of the Kashmir valley, is shewn to be a President's Address. 41 1879.] great anticlinal flexure, with all the beds on the southern side inverted, as they so commonly are along the southern base of the Himalayas. A small¬ er synclinal ellipse occurs south-east of Kashmir on the upper Chinab in the Pangi district. To all these facts attention has been especially directed by Mr. Medlicott, the Superintendent of the Geological Survey, in his an¬ nual report for 1877, and he notices especially how the recurrence, in the north-western Himalayas, of a series of synclinal ellipses, formed of sedi¬ mentary beds and having their longer axes parallel with the main direction of the mountain range—each ellipse being isolated from the others by inter¬ vening ranges of metamorphics,—tends to shew that the different basins were all originally part of one sedimentary area, and that their present isola¬ tion is due to disturbance and denudation. Nevertheless some subsequent observations to the north of Simla are in favour of partial separation in early paleozoic times having subsisted between the two important sedimen¬ tary tracts of Spiti and Hundes. Colonel McMahon’s paper on the rocks of the Simla area was publish¬ ed in 1877, but it has been supplemented by another, now in the press, on the Central Himalayan region to the north of Simla. These contributions to the geology of the Himalayas are deserving of more than a passing- notice. It is but rarely in India that any one beyond the limit of the Geological Survey possesses both the inclination and the opportunity to investigate the geology of the country, and it may bo added that the physi¬ cal geology of the Indian Peninsula in general is chiefly remarkable for monotony and want of interest. When a new observer arises amongst us and proves himself not only able but willing to examine such very difficult problems as those presented by the complicated formations of the Hima¬ layas, all interested in geology must welcome so valuable an addition to our strength. One of the greatest drawbacks to scientific progress in this coun¬ try is the want of external criticism, and the worthlessness of much of such criticism as is offered ; too frequently it happens that such remarks as appear, whether laudatory or adverse, serve chiefly to shew the ignorance of the critic. Hence arises a professional intolerance of criticism, and a disposition to dogmatize. Had we but a few more independent observers like Colonel McMahon, the progress of Indian geology would be far more raP1< There are few tracts in the Himalaya more puzzling than the Simla area. North of the Sutlej lies the great band of ancient metamorphic rocks, called the Central Gneiss by Stoliczka, and beyond this again to the nort - ward is the great sedimentary series of the Spiti valley, containing marine fossiliferous rocks of Silurian, carboniferous, jurassic, tnassic and cretaceous age, the lowest of which beds form the peaks of the snowy range South of the band of central gneiss none of these fossiliferous rocks have been 42 President's Address. [Feb. found, but a series of sedimentary beds occur, long since classed and de¬ scribed by Mr. H. B. Medlicott, in descending sequence, as Krol, Infra-Krol, Blaini, and Infra-Blaini. With these sedimentary beds gneiss is associated, and two difficulties have hitherto attended all attempts at determining the position and relations of the Simla rocks; the first being that the sedimen¬ tary beds, in places, appear to be distinctly lower in position than the gneiss, and the second that no clear connexion can be traced between the sedimentary unfossiliferous beds to the south of the snowy range, and the fossiliferous series to the north. Stoliczka considered that the gneiss of Simla was newer than the central gneiss, and that the Krol limestone, the most characteristic bed of the Simla area, represented the Lilang triassic limestone of Spiti. Mr. Lydekker suggested on the other hand that the Krol limestone was probably the same as that of the Pir Panjal, and conse¬ quently carboniferous. Col. McMahon confirms Stoliczka’s views as to the resemblance between the Krol and Lilang limestones, but has shewn, on what appears to be clear evidence, that the gneiss of Simla and the ‘ Central Gneiss’ are identical, and that the apparent superposition of the gneissic rocks on the sedimentary series near Simla is due to the original deposition of the latter in valleys or other hollows worn out of the surface of the former, and to the subsequent great compression of ' the whole area, and partial metamorphism of the sedimentary rocks. These views, worked out with much care, suggest a similar explanation of those singularly anoma¬ lous sections in Sikkim in which, as Mr. Mallet has shewn, there appears, on all sides of the mass of hills around Darjiling, to be a gradual passage in an ascending section from unaltered Damuda sandstones and shales, contain¬ ing coal seams and fossil plants, to quartzites and slates, and from these to gneiss. Another Himalayan paper by Mr. Ball refers to the origin of Naini Tal and the other lakes of Kumaun. The peculiarity of these lakes is due chiefly to the paucity of similar accumulations of water throughout the lower Himalayas in general; in the higher Himalayas lakes are common enough, and are, in numerous cases, clearly due to glacial action. Mr. Ball considers that the Kumaun lakes are not of glacial origin, but caused by landslips, as are a few other lakes in the lower Himalayas. The question cannot, how¬ ever, be considered as definitely settled, for Mr. Theobald, who has recently examined the neighbourhood of Naini Tal, has come to a conclusion exactly the reverse of Mr. Ball’s. A subject of some interest has been discussed by Mr. Mallet in a paper on the ‘ mud-volcanoes’ of Raniri and Cheduba, in which he shews, on what appears to me to be unanswerable evidence, that nothing resembling igneous volcanic action has been exhibited by these vents, and that they are due to the evolution of gaseous hydrocarbons, accompanied by water and small 1879.] President's Address. 43 quantities of liquid hydrocarbons, such as petroleum; both the gases and petroleum having been formed by the decomposition of vegetable tissue contained in the tertiary rocks of the islands. Several severe and paroxys¬ mal eruptions are on record, accompanied by earthquakes, and during these eruptions, the gases, which are of course inflammable, have frequently been ignited, but this is a very different phenomenon from the ejection of red-hot lava and scorke. The cones of the mud-volcanoes are composed of clay, derived from the beds traversed by the gas on its way to the surface, mixed with water, and driven out by the gas. This determination of the non- igneous nature of the Kamri and Cheduba mud-volcanoes coincides with the observations made on similar vents in upper Burma and in Baluchistan, and shews that the idea, so frequently put forward in geographical and geolo¬ gical works, that the great line of volcanoes, which traverses the Malay Archipelago, terminates in Rainri, is erroneous. The northernmost extre¬ mity of the volcanic chain in question is probably to be found in Barren Island, and may have some connection with the isolated extinct volcanoes of upper Burma and Yunan. There are still three other subjects discussed in different papers in the Records of the Geological Survey for 1878, each of which is illustrated by a number of the “ Paheontologia Indica” published during the year. Two of these subjects are intimately connected, both being stages in the investi¬ gation of that extraordinary series of sandstones and shales, so largely developed in south-western Bengal and the Central Provinces, and chiefly known from comprising all the coal deposits of the peninsula. This re¬ markable system, comprising the Talehir, Pamuda, Panchet, Mahadeva, Jabaljrar and other groups or series, and now known by the collective term of the Gondwana system, has long attracted much attention, no less on account of the rich seams of coal and ironstone that it contains, than because of the peculiarities of its fossil fauna and flora, and a discussion, by no means ended as yet, has arisen, as to the relations between this fauna and flora and those found in various rocks of Europe and Australia. It must be remembered that the data on which the geological history of the earth, as shewn by fossiliferous rocks, has been determined, chiefly consist of marine organisms, and that, although it cannot be positively stated that beds at remote spots on the earth’s surface, if containing an assemblage of the same or of similar organisms, are of exactly contemporaneous origin, yet the fact, that the succession of marine life in all countries hitherto examined has proved to be the same on the large scale, is in favour of the view, that all deposits containing the fossils of one epoch, such as the juras- sic, were formed at a period subsequent to the disappearance of forms of the previous epoch, such as the triassic'. At all events no instance is as yet known in which a purely older fauna occurs in a bed of clearly later date 44, President's Address. [Feb. than another containing only the forms of a later epoch, and perhaps the nearest approach to such an anomaly is in Barrande’s well known ‘ colonies’ of lower silurian fossils apparently overlying upper silurian. I am not sure that this case of interposition can be yet considered as decided, but admitting the fact, as contended for by Barrande, the difference between upper and lower silurian is not equivalent to the difference, for instance, between silurian and devonian, much less to that between silurian and carboniferous, the next great and typical series in ascending order, nor can the change be compared to that between triassic and jurassic rocks. The freshwater and land organisms of past times, both vegetable and animal, are, however, far less thoroughly known than the marine, and it appears to have been assumed rather than proved that their succession has been as uniform throughout the land surface as has that of marine beings in the sea. Now in the Gondwana system, with one or two exceptions in the upper subdivision, the only organic remains found are terrestrial or fluviatile, plants being much more common than animals. The few animals traced are chiefly reptiles, amphibia or fish, but these are of great interest, because similar forms, owing to their biological importance, have been very carefully examined and described almost wherever they have been found. The animal remains have only been found in a few parts of the country. One of the richest of these is in the Panchet beds of the Raniganj coal field; another is in the neighbourhood of Sironcha, at the junction of the Pranhita and Godavari rivers. In this last-named country there are several locali¬ ties, at one of which, near the village of Kotah, remains of several species of ganoid fish have been found in limestone, whilst at another, close to a village site called Maledi, teeth and bones of reptiles and fish have been discovered in red clay. The part of the 1 Palseontologia Indica’ to which I have referred contains descriptions of some of the Kotah fish by Sir P. Egerton, and of the teeth of Ceratodus, another fish found at Maledi, by Mr. Miall, toge¬ ther with a brief note of my own upon the deposits in which the fossils occur. In the ‘ Records’ is a paper by Mr. Hughes describing the geology of the upper Godavari basin, between the river Wardha and the Godavari near the civil station of Sironcha. Now Sir P. Egerton has shewn that the Kotah fish belong to the genera Lepidotus, Tetragonolepis and Dopedius, and are typically lower jurassic (liassic) forms. The Ceratodus from Maledi and some other places is very closely allied to a triassic species, and it is associated with two reptiles, Hyperodapedon and Parasuchus, both triassic types. It is therefore very startling to find that Mr. Hughes is of opinion that the Kotah limestone is a bed of the Maledi deposits, and that the two are in fact identical. 1879.] President's Address. 45 If this case stood alone, taking into consideration the great difficulty of surveying in the neighbourhood of Sironcha, on account of the very im¬ perfect manner in which the rocks are exposed, and the prevalence of forest, it would be reasonable to doubt Mr Hughes’s conclusions, the more so as Mr. King, who also examined the ground, and who at first thoroughly endorsed them, has since expressed some slight doubts, although these doubts appear due rather to Paleontological than to Geological considerations; but somewhat similar contradictions in homotaxis occur amongst the fossil plants of several Gondwana groups. The collections which have accumulat¬ ed in the course of the last 25 years are now being examined and described by Dr. Feistmantel, who has already published accounts of most of those found in the upper Gondwana beds. One fasciculus of the “ Palseontologia Indica,” containing the plants of the Jabalpur group, appeared during the past year, and the flora was shewn to be closely allied to that found in middle jurassic (lower oolitic) beds in Europe. But some of the same plants have also been found in the Maledi beds associated with the triassic fish and reptiles. Other plants from the Maledi beds, it is true, indicate a lower horizon, but still one superior to the trias. Again, in Cutch, some of the Jabalpur plants recur together with others, all allied, like those of Jabalpur, to middle jurassic types in Europe ; yet the plant beds overlie marine rocks abounding in upper jurassic mollusca. Last of all, the Indian coal measures or Damuda series, which are of lower Gondwana age, contain a flora considered by several botanists to be jurassic, but lately classed by Dr. Eeistmantel as triassic. This flora, however, is most closely allied to one occurring in Australia in beds associated with others containing marine carboniferous fossils. It may, I think, safely be inferred from these anomalies in the distri¬ bution of ancient terrestrial and fiu’viatile organisms in India, that such types did not exist at the same epoch as their nearest allies, often not to be distin¬ guished in the fossil state, in other countries, and that the succession of life on land was less uniform than in the ocean. The fact that land regions at the present day, under the same parallels of latitude and enjoying the same climate, are distinguished by far more striking differences in their fauna and flora than marine provinces are, and that in some land regions, as in Australia, types have survived and even predominate, which in other parts of the earth’s surface appear to have died out at distant past epochs, is quite in accordance with this view. It follows as a corollary that land plants and animals cannot be accepted as evidence of geological age with the same confidence as marine forms can. It must not be supjjosed that the opinions just exjn’essed are generally accepted. They are disputed by Dr. Feistmantel himself and by other 40 President's Address. [Feb. palaeontologists. I think, however, the facts of the ease must ultimately lead to conviction. It is of course impossible to describe the whole evi¬ dence here ; a fuller account will be found in the ‘ Records of the Geologi¬ cal Survey’ for 1878, in a paper on “ The Palajontological Relations of the Gondwana System.” But precisely the same important conclusion, the want of uniformity in the succession of terrestrial forms of life in distant countries, is enforced by the Sivalik fauna, the third subject to which a fasciculus of the 1 Palseontologia Indica’ and a paper in the “ Records of the Geological Survey,” both by Mr. Lydekker, have been devoted. The value of the part of the 1 Palseontologia’ is, I regret to say, much diminished by the inferiority of several of the lithographs, but the artistic difficulties to be encountered in this country are well known. The importance of Mr. Lydekker’s work on the Siwalik and other tertiary mammalian fossils may be easily ajjpreciated by the circumstance that very large additions, many of them from new localities, have been made to the original collections described by Dr. Falconer, that Dr. Falconer’s descriptions were extremely incomplete, a very large proportion of them, including nearly all.the details, having only been printed after his death, and having been kept back by him for years with a view of rendering them more perfect, and that the Siwalik mammalian fauna appears to be far richer than any existing, and perhaps than any other assemblage of fossil mammalian remains hitherto examined. Although very few bones of animals inferior in size to a pig or a sheep are found, although no bats or insectivora and but 8 species of rodents have been discovered, no less than 84 species belonging to 45 genera have been detected and described up to 1878, inclu¬ ding 11 elephants and mastodons, 7 rhinoceroses, and 6 giraffes or then- allies, such as the huge Sivatherium. Two or three additional species of mammals have since been added. The whole of this fauna is still assigned to the miocene period by many European paleontologists, and in the anniversary address of the Pre¬ sident, Prof. Martin Duncan, to the Geological Society of London for 1878, the miocene age of the Siwalik fauna was advocated in very strong terms. The views held by those members of the Indian Survey who have written on the subject and have advocated a pliocene age for the Siwalik fauna were I think, rather underrated, and this is the more to be regretted, as several of the data quoted as adverse to those views are incorrect. Had the case really been as Professor Martin Duncan puts it, the Indian Surveyors would deserve to be ridiculed for bad reasoning, but I think it will be easy to shew that the arguments in favour of a pliocene age for the Siwalik fauna are much stronger than they are represented. I must refer all who wish to examine the argument more fully to Chapter XXIV of the ‘ Ma¬ nual of the Geology of India,’ but the principal facts are simple enough, 1-879.] President's Address. 47 The Siwalik mammalian fauna consists of 21 extinct genera, comprising 30 species, and 24 living genera, represented by 53 species. Of the extinct genera, 10 are peculiar to the Indian tertiaries, 4 are only known to occur in Europe in miocene beds, whilst 7 are both miocene and pliocene ; of the recent genera, 8 range hack as far as the upper miocene in Europe, 10 are not known in older beds than pliocene, and 6 have elsewhere only occurred living or in post-pliocene deposits. Several mammalia are very closely allied to existing species. Of six Siwalik reptiles sufficiently known to he fairly comparable, three are common living species now inhabiting the same area. All the land and freshwater mollusca found, so far as they can be identified, are recent spe¬ cies. The whole facies of the fauna, including Mammalia , Beptilia and Mollusca is decidedly more recent than miocene. All the reptilia and most of the mollusca found in the mioeenes of Europe are extinct forms, and the proportion of extinct mammalian genera is usually greater than in the Siwaliks, though there are exceptions. The palaeontological data are confirmed by the geological. The Siwa¬ lik fauna is entirely derived from middle and upper Siwalik beds, the lower Siwalik or Nahan being unfossiliferous in the typical Sub-Himalayan locali¬ ty. But in Sind some beds called Manchhar occur, corresponding to the Siwaliks, and in the lowest of these strata, there are found, together with some Siwalik species, remains of extinct genera not detected in the upper or middle Siwaliks, and in some cases characteristic of the miocene epoch. Amongst these genera are Dinotlierium, Anthracotherium, Ilyopotamus and 1Jyotherium. The lower Manchhar beds pass down into a group of marine strata, called Gaj beds, containing miocene (and apparently upper miocene) marine fossils. The age of the lower Manchhars cannot therefore be older than upper miocene, and as the Siwaliks contain a later fauna, and appear to be distinctly higher in the series, they must be pliocene. The Nerbudda ossiferous gravels, containing human implements similar in form to those found in the post-tertiary beds of Europe, are universally admitted to be of later date than the Siwaliks, and must consequently be classed as post¬ pliocene. In the address to which I have alluded Prof. Martin Duncan notices the difficulty of finding a place for the newer gravels in the Deccan, from which Bliinoceros deccanensis was obtained. This is on the assump¬ tion that these Deccan gravels are of later date than those of the Nerbudda, but there is no reason for believing that the two differ in age. At the same time it is only right to add that the alliances between the Siwalik fauna and the European miocene are very marked, and that a few Siwalik forms, such as Chalicotherium, indicate even more ancient rela¬ tions. Moreover some beds at Pikernii in Greece contain a fauna having 48 President's Address. [Feb. several points of resemblance to the Siwalik, and amongst the Pikermi mammals are several characteristic species occurring also in the miocene beds of Central Europe. The Pikermi fauna is consequently commonly quoted as upper miocene, both by geologists and naturalists. Now the Pikermi beds have been admirably described by M. Gaudry in a work enti¬ tled “ Animaux fossiles et geologie de l’Attique,” in which it is shewn that, at the base of the ossiferous gravels, there is a layer containing pliocene marine fossils, and that all these beds rest unconformably on lacustrine miocene rocks. The age of the latter, it is true, depends on plants, but the pliocene marine fossils of the Mediterranean area are too well known for a mistake to be possible as to their relations. The reasonable conclusion ap¬ pears to be that the Pikermi mammals are pliocene also, and that some species survived to a later period in Greece than in Central Europe. It is highly probable that the miocene affinities of the Siwalik fauna are due to a similar migration to the southward of the animals which in the warmer miocene period inhabited central and northern Europe and Asia. Such a migration may have been facilitated by the circumstance that the Himalay¬ as up to pliocene times were of small elevation, even if they formed a range of mountains, for it has been shewn that all the disturbance of the north¬ western Himalayas is of post-eocene date and much is post-pliocene. A similar migration to the southward is perhaps indicated by the presence of miocene plants in Greenland, and the possibility, as explained by Mr. Gardi¬ ner, that the beds containing these plants are really of eocene age. If the suggestion made by Wallace in his “ Geographical Distribution of Animals” be correct, and the astonishing difference in the abundance of large animals in the later tertiary periods and at the present day be due to the extermina¬ tion of the greater portion in the glacial epoch, it is evident that the refri- geiation of the earth, known to have commenced as early as miocene times, had for its first effect the migration of many forms to the southward. Before quitting the subject of Indian Paleontology, I am very glad to be able to announce an act of liberality on the part of the Government of India. It has been determined to engage Dr. Waagen’s services for the description of Indian fossils, and thus to enable him to proceed regularly with the large collections from the Salt Range and other places. I am also happy to state that Professor Martin Duncan, who has described tertiaiy corals from so many parts of the world, has very kindly under¬ taken the examination of the large series of tertiary corals collected in Sind. We are also indebted to the same naturalist for having described some remarkable fossils from the Karakoram pass, occurring, apparent¬ ly , in triassic beds, though Dr. Stoliczka’s brief note does not state this so clearly as might be wished. These fossils are spherical with a 1879.] President's Address. 49 very peculiar structure, and have been alternately classed as corals, Forcmi- nifera, and sponges, and even by one writer as Cystideans, a view which must have been derived from the examination of an imperfect drawing. It appears, according to Professor Martin Duncan’s determination,* that these singular “ Karakoram stones” are examples of an entirely new class of Protozoa, distinct from sponges and Foraminifera, but most nearly allied to the latter, and chiefly distinguished by the absence of cells and by the much greater development of the tubular structure. For this new class of animals the name of iSyrinyospliceridce is proposed. Finally I am glad to be able to announce the completion of the Manual of Indian Geology, on which Mr. Medlicott and I have been engaged for more than two years, and which will, I hope, render the study of Indian Geology in the future somewhat less laborious than it has hitherto been, and enable all who are interested to gain some knowledge, at all events, of the science, without going beyond the limits of a single work. I have the pleasure of laying before you this evening the bound copy of this work, complete, with the exception of the index, which is now being printed. It is a deplorable circumstance that the late Dr. Oldham, under whose superintendence the greater part of the survey has been carried out, and to whom so much of the labour is due that has rendered it possible to prepare anything like a connected account of Indian Geology, should not have lived to see the com¬ pletion of the Manual. In Biology, although, owing to the sad gaps left in our numbers by the losses of the last few years, and by the absence of some of the most energetic members of the Society in Europe, the contributions to the Jour¬ nal cf the Society have diminished, there is no decrease in the work done, and the smaller number of the papers published in our Journal is partly accounted for by the publication of such works as “ Stray Feathers.” At the same time, as the continuance of these works shews the growing inter¬ est in different branches of science in India, our Society cannot but benefit indirectly from the rivalry. The most important botanical work at present in progress is of course the ‘ Flora Indica’ published by Sir Joseph Hooker, with the assistance of several excellent botanists. Of this Flora one part was {mblished during the year, bringing the work down to the natural order Myrtacece, and, as I learn from Dr. King, another is nearly ready, completing the second volume. A large amount of material for Vol. Ill, is ready or nearly so. To the staff engaged in the preparation of this hand-book, Mr. C. B. Clarke, one of the best Indian botanists, has been added, and it may confidently be hoped that * Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Octr. 1878, Ser. 4, Vol. II, p. 297. President's Address. 50 [Feb. many years will not elapse before a complete hand-book of the Flora of British India and its dependencies will be completed. Kurz’s ‘ Forest Flora of Burma,’ the last work of its lamented author, although dated 1877, only appeared at the commencement of 1878. It consists of two octavo volumes, and contains descriptions of all the woody plants, i. e., trees and shrubs, about 2000 in number, hitherto detected in British Burma. Any criticism of this work is of course beyond my power, but it is easy for any one to recognize the very great amount of labour expended on its production, and I am assured, by both forest officers and botanists, that it is a most valuable addition to the botanical literature of India. In zoology the field is so wide, and the observations so scattered, that it is difficult to select the particular points of importance. One of the most important works published during the past year is the British Museum Catalogue of Ghiroptera, written by one of our members and a frequent contributor to our Journal, Mr. G-. E. Dobson. The descriptions of Asia¬ tic bats are copied from the author’s Monograph of Asiatic Ohiroptera, published by the Trustees of the Indian Museum two years ago. The effect of Mr. Dobson’s studies of bats has been simply to render the mammalian order of which, previously, the least information existed, one of the best known amongst the smaller and more obscure sub-divisions of the class, and to place the study of the Cliiroptera, at all events so far as generic and specific distinctions and geographical distribution are concerned, considera¬ bly in advance of such orders as Podentia and Insectivora. The number of species of bats known to exist is 400 : of these no less than 122 are Asiatic, and as the species in tropical and subtropical climates vastly exceed in number those found in temperate countries, it is not surprising to learn that, of these 122, a large proportion are found in some part of the territo¬ ries belonging to British India, no less than 69 species being enumerated within these limits. In Dr. Jordon’s Mammals of India, published in 1869, the number of species of bats noticed was 55, not including purely Burmese forms. This, however, conveys an inaccurate idea of the additions made by Dr. Dobson, for many of the supposed species noted by Dr. Jerdon were merely varieties, differing in colouration alone. Birds have, as usual, attracted far more attention than any other class of animals, vertebrate or invertebrate, and foremost amongst the publica¬ tions devoted to them must be placed Mr. Hume’s Journal of Ornithology for India and its dependencies, which continues to appear, under the title of 1 Stray Feathers.’ By far the greater portion of this periodical is from the pen of its proprietor and editor, and it is difficult to over-estimate the energy and hard labour by which alone a work of this kind can be published President's Address. 51 1879.] by one busily engaged in official duties. Collections on the scale of Mr. Hume’s have never been made in India before, in any branch of the animal kingdom, and much time and care are devoted to the determination and description of the large series of skins collected. Indeed Mr. Hume may fairly claim to have founded a school of ornithology in India, and the great attention now given to one of the most interesting classes in the animal kingdom, by training observers, has no small effect in leading to a study of other branches of zoology, less attractive perhaps at first, but of equal scientific importance. Of ‘ Stray Feathers’, one whole volume and part of a second have ap¬ peared during the past year, or more than has ever previously been publish¬ ed within the same period. The completed volume is entirely filled with a list of the Birds of Tenasserim, and is, in all respects, a great addition to our knowledge of one of the richest, though hitherto the least known, of the terri¬ tories belonging to the Indian Government, and a country of singular zoolo¬ gical interest for two reasons, firstly, because few tracts on the earth’s surface have been less changed by the hand of man, and secondly, because within the limits of the province there is one of those dividing lines between the faunas of different zoological subregions or provinces, the investigation of which is so essential in order to determine the history and causes of geographical distribution. The value of Mr. Hume’s work may be partly inferred from the circumstance that his assistant and coadjutor Mr. Davison has collected no less than between 8000 and 9000 specimens of birds in the Tenasserim provinces, and that these and about 500 specimens received from other collectors represent 580 species out of the 669 be¬ lieved, on good authority, to occur within the province. Mi. Blyth s list of the birds of all Burma, published in the Society’s Journal for 1875, contain¬ ed but 660 species, and of these at least 100 have been found in Pegu or Arakan, but not in Tenasserim, whilst 41 are said by Mr. Hume to be either not Burmese or else not distinct specific forms, so that fully 150 birds have been added to the avifauna of Tenasserim, (and, in most cases, this implies an addition to the avifauna of British India and Burma,) in the short space of three years. It is scarcely necessary to say that a large proportion of the additions are Malay species now detected for the first time in Southern Tenasserim. The whole bird fauna of British India and its dependencies, inclusive of Ceylon and Burma, as now known, comprises, according to Mr. Hume’s estimate, about 1700 well authenticated species,* whilst only 1008 * Mr. Hume informs me that the number of species, roughly calculated, is 1793 ; of these probably about 93 are sub-species or varieties or of doubtful occurrence within the limits. If the neighbouring countries, as the Laccadives, Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Wakhan, Upper Burma, and the western-half of the Malay Peninsula with Malacca, 52 President's Address. [Feb. wn.mjmw.taJ in Dr . Jerdon's Birds of India, the Assamese, B— and Ceylonese forms not being included. 172 the VOlUm r, ° n the ? irdS 0f T " erim > a goodly fasciculus of PrL w A ap P ea ™ d - devoted t0 ™ious Indian Ornithological subjects. Travi ore ” 7Z , ^ ™ “ * SeC ° nd list of the birds °£ Southern a ancore a region quite as interesting as Tenasserim, and until recently equally neglected, as least so far as its birds were concerned. Some impor tern & T d T t0 *** avi ' fauna ° f desert country in Wes- ein India although it is to he hoped that such species as Rutlilla meso- leuca and lamus aunculatus will not be included in the Birds of India evidence^ 11 ' ° CCU1TenCe Within tbe limits has been trifled on unquestionable worIc C of ^ gge ’ S ‘ Hist0r ^ of tbe of Ceylon’ is a most important T • ! T 1 C A°“ e quart0 part ooofedoiog 347 pages has already appeared. I am imlehted t ° IMr. Hume for an opportunity of seeing an early copy ot this part, the only copy, I believe, that has reached India, and I can only endorse his opinion that it is the best work of the kind devoted to Indian Zoology that has appeared. Carefully and systematically arranged, very much on the model of Dresser’s ‘Birds of Europe,’ containing ample de¬ scriptions of plumage, habits, distribution, and nidification, it is still free trom excessive discursiveness, and the plates, in which most of the species peculiar to Ceylon are represented, are excellent. The present part contains the Accipitres, Psittaci and Picarice. Tnrl . Tt 1 " alm ° St to ° 80011 to h °P e for a similar book on the birds of all r iV d SUCh a W01 'k be P r0( i u ced, there are, I would suirs-est two z th ;‘ wonld ~ “■ <■ ^ C; «f addition of rtf ° fc f eSe ” a key t0 the genera and s P ecies ’ the other the .uohaethlbdtSXZlt giVi, ‘ Sde “‘ ° f AnHoLrAAA 7 b ° the faVOurite “ological study of so many that derdoo, . Bird, of India- « he a £ | e 7"S of tt,' h ?°? seb& . 1§ber ments > an d it is unquestionable that the existence o h„ book ha, aided greatly in fo.t.ring a tat. for ornithology. B „tZ classification adopted by Jerdon was anthprated and obsolete, e™„ when hi i” k " S P ?>? e Z ““ ™ T * m P°rtant advances have been nj” knowledge ot the affinities of the ration, families since it appeared s“h at the present day there is really no excuse for snob tanTmZrJ^":”'British*,, h. added 1879.] President's Address. 53 retention of gulls and ducks together in one order, and plovers with herons and storks in another. If there is any one point clearly made out, it is that gulls are far more closely allied to plovers than to ducks. This is, of course, only one, instance out of several: the classification of swifts and goat-suckers beside swallows, of Purylaimidm beside hornbills, and of par¬ rots next to wood-peckers are gross violations of natural affinity. Yet whilst almost everything else has been changed ; whilst the nomenclature of a large proportion of the birds has been altered, a mass of additional information added as to range, habits and nidification ; whilst the very limits of the country classed as British India have been so greatly extended as to change entirely the geographical range of the fauna, the worst feature of Jerdon’s work, the classification, has been so religiously maintained that even the numbers given by him to the species enumerated are carefully quoted, and the numerous additional species inserted after their nearest allies. It is scarcely necessary to say that these remarks do not apply to Captain Legge’s work on Ceylon birds, the arrangement of which, so far as it has gone, is consistent with our present knowledge of the class. We are, however, promised a most useful work on the Game Birds of India, in¬ cluding, it may be presumed, the Anseres, Columba, Gallinee, Fuiicarice, Alectorides, and Limicolce of Mr. Sclater’s classification, but which would consist of broken fragments of orders under the old system. It is to be hoped that in this, which is very likely to he the first book on zoology studied by many future ornithologists, the classification will not be such as grievously to mislead every tyro who uses the work. It is impossible to write of Indian ornithology without deploring the loss it has sustained in the death of the Marquis of Tweeddale, for many years past one of our first authorities on all subjects connected with the Avi-fauna of the Oriental region, who died at the close of the year after a few days’ illness. To many of the working ornithologists of India, and espe¬ cially to those who are carrying on the study in England, the loss will he irreparable, the more so as Lord Tweeddale was engaged upon a new edition of Jerdon’s ‘ Birds of India.’ Unquestionably such a work, compiled with the advantage of access to the libraries and collections of Europe, would have remedied the defects almost inseparable from the preparation of a similar monograph with only the means available in this country. There is but little novelty to record in Peptilia or Amphibia,. Colonel Beddome continues his discoveries amongst the wonderfully rich fauna of the Malabar hills, and some curious forms of lizards, snakes and frogs have been described by him. Some interesting forms have also been obtained by Mr. Davison in Tenasserim, and described in the Society’s Journal, and a new snake has been captured in Sikkim, one of the last places from which a novelty could have been expected. 54 President’s Address. [Feb. Dr. F. Day’s work on the Fishes of India has been much delayed by the death of Mr. Ford, the artist, to whom the plates had been entrusted for preparation, and hitherto but one volume has appeared, containing the first 22 families of Acanthopterygii. Both descriptions and plates appear to be all that can be desired. It is to be hoped that, for the advantage of local students, who will have some difficulty at first in understanding the descrip¬ tions, a complete explanation of all scientific terms used may be appended, but the abundance of figures should render it easy to recognize the various forms. To the volume there are no less than 68 plates, exquisitely drawn, each representing on an average about 6 species. When Dr. Day’s work on the Indian fishes is concluded, we shall possess hand-books of all the vertebrate classes ; Jerdon’s Mammals and Birds, Gunther’s Reptiles and Amphibia, Theobald’s on Reptiles alone and Day s on lishes. But with the exception of the last, all these works are more or less imperfect, and require considerable additions in order to bring them up to the present state of our knowledge. The most imperfect of all is perhaps that on the Amphibia, the number of which, known to inhabit British' India and its dependencies, has been greatly increased since Dr. Gunther’s work was produced. Large and expensive illustrated works are not so much needed as books on the model of Jerdon’s, of such size as to be easily carried, and containing sufficient descriptions to enable any one with a little study to identify the animals he meets with. But much as hand-books of Indian Vertebrata are wanted, there is a far greater need of similar aids to the study of the Invertebrata. In the course of the last few years a beautifully illustrated work on land and fresh¬ water shells, the “ Conchologia Indica” of Hanley and Theobald, has been published, but I know of no other monograph of any large group of Indian invertebiates. The number of students would be greatly increased were the means of identifying the animals greater, and even from a practical point of view, the only view in which, I regret to say, the majority of the world is capable of sympathizing, much good might be done. For instance, the injury done yearly by insects to the crops of India is something enor¬ mous, without considering the mischief inflicted by our various six-footed rivals and enemies in other ways. Yet we scarcely know which kinds of insects are to be guarded against, nor what are their natural enemies, and any one desirous of ascertaining the species and of learning what is known about their habits must search through an extensive library in order to gain the information required. In time much aid in the preparation of books on Indian natural history may be anticipated from the officers of the Indian Museum. The only work hitherto commenced on any portion of the invertebrate collection, Mr. 1879.] President's Address. 55 Nevill’s ‘ Hand-list of Mollusca,’ is little more than an enumeration of the specimens in the Museum. This by itself is extremely useful, and would be easily rendered more so by a reference to a description and figure in the case of each species, but it is a matter for regret that the labour spent in determining so many foreign land Mollusca, all comparatively well known, and perhaps better monographed than almost any other section of invertebrata, should not have been devoted instead to the preparation of a work on the marine Mollusca of the Indian seas. One small fasciculus, containing three families of freshwater Gastero¬ poda, , the Ampullar idee, Valvatulce and Paludinidce was issued in 1877. This part contained numerous references, and many excellent critical remarks, hut in the much larger part printed last year the remarks are comparatively much fewer, and scarcely any references are given. This, it is true, is not of much importance, since the Indian land-shells are mostly figured in the 1 Conchologia Indica’, and all can be found in Pfeiffer’s mono¬ graphs, both of which works are, of course, well known to every naturalist who pays more than a passing attention to the subject, but it may fairly be hoped that any future fasciculi containing lists of marine Mollusca will be rendered more useful to students by the addition of references, if not of descriptions. It is also, I think, unfortunate that Mr. Nevill should have adopted the classification of Cams and Gaerstecker, as it is, I believe, in error in classing together the Nelicinidce, Cyclostomidce and Cyclotidce in one suborder Neurobranchia, a suborder founded on the old false system of neglecting all the details of structure except the characters of one promi¬ nent organ. The breathing organ is selected in this particular instance, although its variability in some families of Prosobranchiate Gasteropoda, such as the Littorinidce and Oerithiidce, is notorious, and the close resem¬ blance of these groups to some of the so-called Neurobranchia is manifest. It is true that Mr. Nevill has the majority of'European conchologists with him, but very few of these have had the same advantage of becoming ac¬ quainted with the animals of operculated land-shells that Indian observers possess. If the Cyclophoridce belong to a suborder of Gasteropoda distinct from that comprising Littorinidce, and if the distinction of the supposed suborder Neurobranchia be founded on the absence of gills, why is not Assiminea removed from the Itissoidce (as is done by von Martens) and Cerithidea obtusa* from the Gerithiidce, and both classed with the other air-breathing Gasteropoda ? Another cause for regret, due I believe also to the evil example of Messrs. Cams and Gaerstecker, is the want of uniformity in the terrni- * See Stoliczka P. A. S. B., 1869, p. 187, and 1871, p. 114. Dr. Stoliczka’s most valuable observations appear to have been much overlooked by Malacologists. 56 President's Address. [Feb. nologj used for names of families and subfamilies. In this matter it may be hoped in future that the British Association rules will be followed, and the terminations idee and ince employed, as they are by almost all Eng¬ lish zoologists. It is confusing to find Ampullariacea and Paludinidce , Helicidce and Auriculacea, Aciculidce, Pomatiacea, Helicinacea, &c., as families and Onchidiidce, Testacellidce , Limacea , Philomycidce, Arionidce, Helicea, Vaginwlidce, Orthalicea, Suceineacea, 0tinea, Melampea &c., Cyclotina, Cyclophorim, &c., Pupinea, Cyclostomina and Bealiea as sub¬ families. The value of Mr. Nevill’s catalogue consists in the large number of authentic localities, and in the care which has been given to the generic and sub-generic classification of that most difficult family the Helicidee. To a few details, such as the position assigned to Camptonyx and to the sub-genus Thysonota, I should be disposed to take exception, but I believe the greater part of the classification is sound. As a rule too, though not so often as would be desired, in each locality, the name of the province or district is given after that of obscure villages, streams or hills, a most important matter constantly neglected by compilers of catalogues, and which should be invariably attended to. The promised description by Mr. Moore of the new species in the late Mr. W. S. Atkinson’s large collection of Indian Lepidoptera will, it may be hoped, be in the hands of members of this Society before long. Mean¬ time it is satisfactory to see that numerous descriptions of Indian butter¬ flies and moths from the collections of Mr. Atkinson, Capt. Beavan, Col. Godwin-Austen and others have appeared within the past year in the Pro¬ ceedings of the Zoological Society. In the same Journal for the preceding year Mr. F. Moore gave a complete list of the known Lepidoptera of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, together with a table shewing the geogra¬ phical distribution of each species, a most important addition. Mr. Wood- Mason has continued his notices of certain orthopterous forms in the same periodical and elsewhere. During the past year, the arrangements for the description of the very varied collections made by the late Dr Stoliczka in the Punjab hills, Kashmir, Ladak, the Kuenlun, Eastern Turkestan, the Pamir, Wakhan &c., when accompanying the mission sent by the Government to Yarkand and Kashghar in 1873-74, have been completed by Mr. Wood-Mason, and a commencement of printing the various reports has been made. The follow¬ ing is a list of the naturalists engaged in working out the different groups of invertebrata. Mollusca, . Mr. G. Nevill. Coleoptera, . Messrs. D. Sharp, II. W. Bates and Dr. J. S. Baly. 1S79.] President's Address. 57 Hymenoptera, . Mr. F. Smith. Lepidoptera, . Mr. F. Moore. Neuroptera, . Mr It. McLachlan. Khynchota, . Mr. W. L. Distant. Spiders, . Rev. 0. P. Cambridge. Crustacea, j . Mr. J. Wood-Mason. Orthoptera, \ The birds have been worked out by Mr. Hume, the fishes by Dr. F. Day, and the mammalia (except the bats, which Mr. Dobson has examined) and reptiles by myself. I have also compiled the geological portion of the work, and I have already noticed that some very interesting fossils will be described by Professor Martin Duncan. The parts containing the fishes, Reptilia and Amphibia, Mollusca, Neuroptera, Hymenoptera and Geology are now ready for issue, and those on Spiders and Mammalia are in the press. With so much able assistance, it may be hoped that we shall suc¬ ceed in producing a worthy memorial of our late friend Dr. Stoliczka. The archaeological literature of India has been enriched by the publica¬ tion of two Volumes, VII and VIII, of Reports from the Archaeological Survey of India. Both these volumes are by Mr. Beglar. Of the “ Indian Antiquary,” certainly one of the most admirably edited periodicals ever published in India, parts have appeared monthly. The names of the writers in this Journal are sufficient to shew the value of the contributions, and it is manifest that the cessation from existence of those scientific periodicals in India that have attained Nirvana is due to other causes than want of raw material. Few subjects of enquiry in India have made so rapid an advance in the course of the last few years as Meteorology. The establishment, first of provincial reporters, and then of a central office for the whole of India, has been succeeded in the last twelve months by a plan of telegraphic reporting. From the commencement of the monsoon in 1878, reports have been received once daily by telegraph from 3 stations in Assam, 10 in Ben¬ gal, 3 in Burma, 8 in the North-West Provinces, 7 in the Punjab, 8 in Bombay and Berar, 3 in the Central Provinces, 6 in Madras and 1 in Ceylon, or 49 in all. These reports give readings of the barometer, wet and dry bulb thermometers, the wind direction and amount of cloud, all observed at 10 a. m., and the rainfall in the preceding 24 hours, together with remarks on the weather. The returns of each morning are received during the day at the head quarters of the Government, either at Simla or Calcutta, and printed off, with remarks, in time to be issued early on the following morn- 58 President's Address. [Feb. ing. In the remarks all the principal features of pressure, wind, rainfall &c., during the preceding 24 hours are noticed. The Government of India has now sanctioned the continuance of this system permanently, and has authorized the publication, with the daily reports, of lithographed weather charts for India, similar to those published for some years past in the United States and several European countries. This improvement will come into operation shortly. It is very satisfactory to find that the vast practical importance of extended.meteorological observations, and of quick and accurate information, has been so rapidly recognized throughout India as has been the case, and that the great advantage to commerce and agriculture to he derived from a careful study of the changes in the atmosphere has been appreciated, if not to the extent that it deserves, still sufficiently to convince thinking men. The time may come when a meteorological report will have to be posted at every thannah in the empire in order to warn farmers when to expect rain or fine weather for their crops, and there can he no reasonable doubt that either a continuance of dry weather or heavy rainfalls could, in India, as a general rule, be foretold several days beforehand even now. Just as the storms of Western Europe are outstripped by the telegraph in their race from the American coasts to the shores of Great Britain, so the singular cyclonic movements to which, as Mr. H. F. Blanford has shewn, the heavy rainfall of the year is mostly due, are now predicted in Northern India before the atmospheric disturbance itself has travelled beyond the shores of the Bay of Bengal. The publication of the ‘ Indian Meteorologist’s Vade-Mecum’ by Mr. II. F. Blanford in 1877 has furnished a record of the present state of Indian Meteorology. The work consists of two parts, the first containing Instructions to Observers, with a description of different meteorological in¬ struments, instructions as to their use, and of the precautions to be taken in observing them, and rules for the reductions necessary. The second part of the work consists of a description of the meteorology of India, and compri¬ ses chapters on the physical properties of air and vapour, the Physical Geo¬ graphy of India and its dependencies, Radiation and Temperature, Atmos¬ pheric pressure and Winds, Hygrometry, Cloud and Rainfall, Storms, and suggestions for future enquiry. At the end of the work are tables of annual and monthly mean barometric pressure, temperature, rainfall, &c., and an accompanying volume gives the necessary tables for the reduction of observations. The work is intended to be a Manual or Hand-book of Meteorology for India, and whilst shewing how much has been ascertained in the course of the last few years, it will serve as a mark from which to measure future progress. 1879.] President's Address. 59 During the past year besides the Annual ‘ Reports on the Meteorology of India’ for 1876, by Mr. H. F. Blanford, a large quarto work on the Meteorology of the Bombay Presidency, accompanied by a portfolio of beautifully engraved maps and diagrams, has been published in London by Mr. Charles Chambers, F. R. S., Principal of the Bombay Observa¬ tory. In this work a summary of the results derived from the obser¬ vatory at Bombay since 1841, and especially from 1860, and for the last 17 years at Karachi, Disa, Puna and Belgaum, is supplemented by observations made at other stations. A second number of Indian Meteoro¬ logical Memoirs has also been piublished in Calcutta, containing papers “ on storms in Bengal with increased atmospheric pressure” by Mr. Eliot; “ on the rainfall of Benares” by Mr. Hill; and “ on the diurnal variation in the barometer at Calcutta and Hazaribagh” by Mr. H. F. Blanford. The investigation of cyclonic storms has always been one of the first duties of the Indian Meteorological Department, and has become doubly important now when so large a portion of the rainfall has been shewn to depend on the same laws as the destructive gales of the Bay of Bengal. Mr. Eliot’s masterly report on the Yizagapatam and Backergunge Cyclones of October 1876 was published in 1877, and was a most important addition to previous knowledge. The Backergunge Cyclone is probably the most destructive of which any accurate information has been recorded, for it caused the death of more than 100,000 human beings, but it furnished rather more data than usual for an examination of the meteorological phenomena which preceded and accompanied it. The result of the exami¬ nation of these two cyclones was distinctly in favor of Mr. II. F. Blanford’s local depression theory of the causes of cyclones. I now learn from Mr. Eliot, who has officiated as Meteorological Reporter for the greater part of the past year, that an investigation of some of the recent cyclones has not only apparently confirmed the views held by Mr. H. F. Blanford and himself as to the origin of cyclonic storms, but has also shewn that the paths of the intense cyclones of May and October follow the lines (approximately if not exactly) of least relative atmospheric motion before the generation of the cyclone. The views referred to as to the origin of cyclones will be found described at length at p. 250 of the “ Mete¬ orologist’s Vade-Mecum,” already referred to, where it is shewn that the ante¬ cedent conditions are calm weather over the sea, with a barometric pressure equal or nearly equal around the coasts. Under these circumstances a large quantity of vapour is produced by the solar heat, and this vapour being unable to escape is again condensed and liberates a great amount of latent heat over the place of its production ; the replacement of cooler by warmer air induces a local diminution of atmospheric pressure, and this causes a CO President’s Address. [Feb. violent indraught of air. In this indraught, cyclonic circulation is caused by the earth’s rotation, according to known laws. Mr. Eliot has now determined that in all probability the path of the cyclone is due to the same antecedent causes as the origin of the cyclonic movement. But little reflection is needed in order to show the importance of these conclusions as to the laws which govern the origin and cause of cyclones. It simply means that, with a few additional opportunities of observation, such as telegraphic communication with the Andaman and Nicobar islands would afford, it would be possible, if the theories are correct, not only to tell when cyclones may be expected and when they cannot occur, but to trace out the approximate course they must follow when formed, and to give warning to threatened portions of the coast days in advance instead of hours. The importance of this for the protection of the shipping is easy to understand. But the injury done by these terrible gales to the shipping, fearful as it is, is really small compared with the destruction of life and property on shore ; it is probable that more lives were lost, and more property destroyed by the Backergunge Cyclone on land in a few hours, than by all the cyclones of the Bay of Bengal at sea in the course of the last century. It is not probable that the dangers of tropical gales can bo averted, but much may be done to diminish the destruction of life and property by timely warning, and this can only be given if the course of the storm can be foreseen. This most important object appears now within our reach. The progress of Indian Meteorology cannot but be satisfactory to the Asiatic Society, for it was in no small degree owing to the representations made to the Government of India by a Committee of the Society that the Meteorological Department, which has already achieved such important results, was established. Although the above is so far from an exhaustive account of scientific work in India during the year 1878, that I fear, except in geology and in some branches of zoology, it gives a most imperfect idea of what has been done, I trust it will serve to shew how much labour is being expended in India upon scientific enquiry of various kinds. Time does not serve me to attempt a review of all that is being done in other parts of Asia. Theie are, however, two works published during the year, each a record of scien¬ tific travel, and each deserving of notice. One is the account of Colonel Prejevalski’s journey to Lob-nor and the Altyn Tag, a range of mountains previously unknown, lying south of Lob-nor and forming the northern scarp of a plateau apparently connected with that of Tibet. The other is the first volume of Baron F. v. Eichtofen’s 1 China,’ containing a mass of .President’s Address. G1 information as to that country, and especially as to portions of it previously very imperfectly known. Indeed there can he no question that this woik, the results of its author’s long residence and extensive travels in the interior of the Chinese Empire, will be for a long time to come the great authority on the Celestial Kingdom. The present volume contains, amongst other matters, full details of v. Richtofeu’s investigations of the loess-like de¬ posits of China, deposits which he attributes to deposition from dust trans- ported by the atmosphere. To the same origin Dr. E. Tietze has attributed the deposits in the upland plains of Persia, and it is not unlikely that he may be correct in so doing, although I myself thought these formations due to a different mode of deposition. I had hoped in this address to enter upon at least one other subject, the distribution of the fauna of India, and to have reviewed the present state of our knowledge on the question. I had collected for this purpose some notes relating to the connection between India and some of the other zoological regions into which the earth’s surface is divided, but the time at my disposal has not been sufficient to enable me to treat the subject as thoroughly as I could desire, and I must therefore postpone all remarks upon it for another opportunity. The President added—In conclusion I have to propose a vote of thanks to the Honorary Secretaries for their labours on behalf of the Socie¬ ty. The amount of work, and hard work, done by them at all times is so We as to merit our hearty acknowledgements, and during the past two years, in consequence, in the first place, of the alterations in the Society’s house, secondly of the absence of the Natural History Secretary, who has for so many years edited Part II of the Journal, and thirdly of the resig¬ nation of the Assistant Secretary and his replacement by another, there has been more to do than usual, and by far the greater portion of this additional work has been done, and, I am sure you will agree with me, very well done by Captain Waterhouse, who has now filled the office of General Secretary for the long period of 6i years. We are also greatly indebted to several other gentlemen to Mr. Medlicott, who undertook the duties of General Secretary for four months, during Captain Waterhouse’s absence from Cal¬ cutta ; to Mr. Tawney, who very obligingly carried on the work of Philolo- gic a i Secretary, when the sudden death of Mr. Blochmann deprived us of his invaluable services, and to Dr. Hoernle, who has now accepted the Secretaryship ; to Mr. Gay, who was Treasurer until his departure from Calcutta in July, and to Mr. Beverley who has taken charge of our finances since. All of these gentlemen have given a large proportion of time, care and attention to the Society’s business, and we are greatly indebted to all G2 Elections of Officers and Council. [Feb. for their aid. I think too the Society is to be congratulated upon the cir¬ cumstance that so many members, all of them hardworked officers of Gov¬ ernment, or of Educational Institutions, have offered to undertake onerous labour, when, owing to the sad loss we have experienced by the death of Mr. Blochmann, and in consequence of the absence of some of our most hard-working members, there has been an unusual amount of difficulty in pro¬ viding for the current work of the Society. At the same time we have the more reason to be grateful to those upon whose exertions the progress and even the existence of the Society so largely depend, and I think the least we can do is to thank our Honorary Secretaries for the valuable work they have performed for us, and for the time and care they have devoted to our affairs. The vote was carried unanimously. The Peesfdent announced that the Scrutineers reported the result of the elections of Officers and Council as follows : W. T. Blanford, Esq., F. e. s. President. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, Rai Bahadur, c. t. E. H. B. Medlicott, Esq., m. a., f. e. s. T. S. Isaac, Esq., c. e. Capt. J. Waterhouse, b. s. c. Rev. A. F. R. Hoernle, ph. d. H. Beverley, Esq., c. s. W. T. Blanford, Esq., F. E. s. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, Rai Bahadur, c. I. E. Col. J. T. Walker, e. e., c. b., f. e. s. Captain J. Waterhouse, b. s. C. D. Waldie, Esq., f. g. s. S. B. Partridge, Esq., m. d. Bdbu Pratapa Chandra Ghosha, b. a. ,, , - „ , „ y Members of Council. A. W. Croft, Esq., m. a. H. B. Medlicott, Esq., h. a., f. e. s. T. S. Isaac, Esq., c. e. J. Anderson, Esq., M. d., f. c. s. C. H. Tawney, Esq., m. a. Rev. A. F. R. Hoernle, pii. d. H. Beverley, Esq., c. s. H. F. Blanford, Esq. Messrs. J. Westland and R. Lydekkcr were appointed to audit the annual accounts. 1879.] Ordinary Monthly Meeting. C3 The Meeting was then resolved into the Ordinary Monthly General Meeting. W. T. Blanford, Esq., F. B. S., President, in the Chair. The minutes o£ the last Meeting were read and confirmed. The following presentations were announced— 1. From Dr. Eajendralala Mitra, Eai Bahadur, C. I. E., Facsimiles of Inscriptions and Maps, described in his work on Budha Gya. 2. From M. L. Dames, Esq., Bloew’s Geographic Universellc, 1637, 12 Yols. 3. From T. W. H. Tolbort, Esq., Ea-binsau Kruso. 4. From Babu Adharlal Sen, B. A., Lalita Sundari and Kabitabuli. 5. From Baja Eama Yera, Prayaschitta bhaga, 2 parts, 4 Nos. 6. From Babu Damodara Sastri, Vidyarthi, 6 Nos. 7. From E. Sewell, Esq., M. C. S., copy of his report to Government on Antiquarian explorations and researches in the Kistna District. 8. From L. Schwendler, Esq., copy of Precis of Beport on Electric Light Experiments. The following gentlemen, duly proposed and seconded at the last meeting, were ballotted for and elected Ordinary Members— Lieut. C. E. MacGregor. Major J. Sconce. J. F. Duthie, Esq. The following are for ballot at the next meeting— C. E. Buckland, Esq., C. S., proposed by T. W. Gribble, Esq., C. S., seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. M. van Eetvelde, Consul General for Belgium, proposed by W. T. Blanford, Esq., seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. E. O’Brien, Esq., C. S., Settlement Officer, Mozuffergarh, proposed by Carr Stephen, Esq., seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. Major J. Biddulph, B. S. C., on special duty, Gilgit, Kashmir, pro¬ posed by Dr. J. Scully, seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. A. Levinge, Esq., C. S., Joint Secretary to Government of Bengal, D. P. W., proposed by W. T. Blanford, Esq., seconded by A. W. Croft, Esq. A. W. Garrett, Esq., M. A., Inspector of Schools, Presidency Circle, proposed by A. W. Croft, Esq., seconded by W. T. Blanford, Esq. Major IT. S. Jarrett, B. S. C., Secretary to the Board of Examiners, Fort William, proposed by Capt. J. Waterhouse, seconded by C. H. Tawney, Esq. S. Harraden, Esq., Calcutta, proposed by W. T. Blanford, Esq. seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. Capt. G. J. Van Someren, Forest Department, proposed by Major-Genl. J. T. Walker, E. E., C. B., seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. GJi Gold and Silver Sitdrami Coins. [Feb. Major J. Herschel, Survey of India, proposed by Major-Genl. J. T. Walker, R. E., C. 13., seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. A. Weekes, Esq., C. S., Collector of Champaran, proposed by the Hon, J. O’Kinealy, seconded by W. T. Blanford, Esq. R. Pawsey, Esq., C. S., Collector of Champaran, proposed by the Hon. J. O’Kinealy, seconded by W. T. Blanford, Esq. The Seceetaey exhibited some gold and silver coins received from Mr. H. Rivett-Carnac, C. I. E., and read the following note regarding them. Mr. Rivett-Carnac says : I submit for the inspection of the Society, three Hindu and three Muhammadan coins. Of the Hindu coins, two are gold, and one silver. They are of the class termed ‘ Sitdrami' by the villagers, the idea being that the fe ma le figure represented Situ, the male (?) figure on the obverse Ham. They are supposed to weigh seven masas each, and each to be worth seven Rupees, the village rhyme running— Sath Masa, Seven masas in weight, Sath dam, Seven Rujiees in value, Ek war S'ita, On one side S'ita, Ek war Ram, On the other Ram. They are obviously of the type figured in Thomas’ “ Prinsep,” Plates XXIX, XXX. But it is not impossible that the legends may be different from those of coins in the possession of the Society, and I am encouraged by the interest taken in the Sah (?) coin recently submitted through Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, C. I. E., to forward these also for inspection. I would enquire whether silver coins of the Kanauj series are com¬ mon ? I have several gold ones, but this is the first silver “ Sitdrami" I have seen, and Prinsep has, I think, generally figured gold coins of this series. As regards the Muhammadan coins, I cannot trace them in Thomas or Marsden. The gold coin is a Firuz Shah, but which Firuz ? And the two silver coins, are they common, or known ? The gold coin seems to be the same as No. 50, Plate II (silver coin of Firuz Shah Jalal-uddin Khilji). But Thomas mentioned no gold coin of that king. Note by Dr. JRajendralala Mitra. No. 1. A silver coin of Chandra Gupta. No. 2. A gold coin of Kumara Gupta, apparently a cast coin—a for¬ gery. 1879.] H. Rivett-Carnac— On preservation of Antiquarian Remains. 65 No. 3. A debased coin of Kumara Gupta. The metal is gold alloyed with about •§• of copper. There are some coins in which the gold and cop¬ per are in equal proportions—billon. Some such were found in Jessore thirty years ago, and noticed by me in the Journal, Yol. XXI, p. 401. No 4. A gold coin of Jalal-uddin Firuz Shah of Delhi—-apparently the counterpart of the unique gold coin in the British Museum, noticed by Mr. Thomas in his “ Pathan Coins,” page 144. The legend is the same as in the silver coin figured No. 50. No. 5. A silver coin of Nu^rat Shah, son of Husain Shah of Bengal, figured by Mr. Blochmann in the Journal, Vol. XL1I, plate IX, fig. 2. No. 6. A silver coin of Ghias-uddin Mahmud Shah, son of Husain Shah of Bengal and brother of Nufrat Shah. A rare coin, figured by Mr. J. W. Laidlay, in the Journal, Vol. XV, plate V, fig. 23. The Secretary read the following communication from Mr. H. Rivett-Carnac, c. I. E., on the subject of preservation of Archteological remains in India. Memorandum by H. Rivett Carrac, Esq., c. r. e., m. r. a. s., e. s. a., &c. on administrative Rules for the protection of Indian Antiquarian remains. I submit for the consideration of the Society, whether it would not be advisable that the Supreme Government should be addressed, with a view to the issue of some simple administrative rules for the better protection of the Antiquarian remains of the various Provinces of India. Recently when staying with Mr Grant-Duff in England, I met Sir J. Lubbock, whose interest in such matters is well known, and on the sub¬ ject being discussed, it was, I think, considered that some action was desirable. Mr. Grant-Duff, I understood, contemplated a representation being made to H. E. The Viceroy in favour of some such measure. But even if this has already been done, the subject is perhaps not undeserving of the attention of the Society. The difficulties which Sir J. Lubbock’s Bill for the United King¬ dom has encountered are well known. But they are not likely to present themselves in the same form or in the same degree in India, where even legislative action will perhaps hardly be necessary, and where the district officers might, it is to be hoped, carry out without objection, the instruc¬ tions approved by the Government. I am not unmindful that the Government of India has, of late years, evinced considerable interest in the subject ; that Archseology is one of the Departments under the Secretary to the Government of India for Revenue, Agriculture and Commerce ; that Archseology also now forms a heading in the Administration Reports of-all Governments and administrations ; that 66 H. Rivett-Carnac —On preservation of Antiquarian .'Remains. [Feb. « laths" are not used now-a-days as rollers on metalled roads ; that there is a prejudice against carved and inscribed stones being utilised as founda¬ tions for bridges and other building purposes ; and that the Hon’ble Sir J. Strachey has recorded a very effective protest against the demolition of architectural remains for the manufacture of temporary triumphal arches. In the Central Provinces, of which I have some knowledge, the object has received much attention, and doubtless in many other parts of India of which I have no knowledge, the same good work is going on. The inter¬ esting archaeological reports of General Cunningham shew that the examin¬ ation of the antiquarian remains is progressing slowly but surely on a well- considered plan. And in the North-West Provinces, the action of Sir J. Strachey and the department created under his rule is doing much to ensure the preservation of interesting monuments, which another ten years of neglect might have placed beyond repair. Still, with all this, it is desirable, I submit, that something more should be done to protect antiquarian treasures from demolition and spoliation. If it be held that heretofore the want of special measures has not been felt, it may fairly be answered that they are necessitated by the changes which India has undergone and is rapidly undergoing. The India of to-day is widely different from the India of Tod and of Prinsep. Those who are now employed in the country have less leisure for antiquarian en¬ quiry than their predecessors. The official of 1879 has much of his time taken up with returns and reports, of which Tod knew nothing. The daily telegrams from Europe, the weekly mails from home loaded with cheap literature, enabling all who care to do so to keep pace with European thought, distract the attention from, and restrict the leisure available for, subjects of purely Indian interest. In old days, whatever of antiquarian value was discovered, was beyond the reach of the many, and either re¬ mained undistributed or was worked up for local publication. With rapid and cheap steam communication and the aid of guide-books, a new element has recently been introduced into the country. Now-a-days many of the most important places of antiquarian interest, are, comparatively speaking, easy of access, are marked on the maps and noticed in the guide-books, with which every tourist is provided. And there is now hardly a traveller with any pretensions to intelligence or culture, who does not consider it necessary, before returning home, to master roughly, the difference between “ Buddha ” and “ Siva," and to carry back with him some proof of the re¬ sults of his studies. The rich vein of Indian antiquarian interest once opened, the brass trays of Benares hardly satisfy the cultivated mind, and a brisk demand springs up for genuine fragments from Sanchi or old sculp- turings from Sarnath. The danger is perhaps not so much from the tra- 1879.] H. Rivctt-Caraac —On preservation of Antiquarian Remains. 67 veller himself as from the Philistine class of guides and collectors whom the tourist creates. Hangers»on may now be found at many Indian hotels who devote a portion of the dull season to grubbing up the antiquarian relics of the neighbourhood and who during the tourist months display and descant on the value of their spoils in the verandah of Indian hotels. There is hardly anything too cumbrous in the shape of an inscription or figure for your cultivated tourist to collect, and to my certain knowledge, figures, inscriptions and bas-relief, whether of much real value, I cannot say, have been carried out and are being carried out of the country by tourists to¬ gether with Benares toys, brass trays, and Delhi jewellery. It may be held that the above view is somewhat exaggerated, and that if anything at all is really carried away, it is of little value and hardly worthy of objection. But admitting this, it will not be denied, there is some danger for the future, when the demand will most assuredly increase. From my own observation, I can state that there is little to prevent any one from digging at Sarnath and carrying off and placing to no remunera¬ tive use, what in the hands of General Cunningham might be of real value to antiquarian research. And what applies to Sarnath, may, so far as I know, hold good for many other parts of India, the antiquarian treasures of which are only now beginning to be explored. As regards coins, the recent Treasure Trove Act now provides for some chance of the preservation, examination and publication of coins of interest, many of which would otherwise go into the melting pot, or into the hands of so-called collectors, who, as I have myself seen, think little of piercing the legend in order to utilise the coin as an ornament. But what is there to prevent the new class of guides or their myrmidons, when they have once realised the market value of such relics, from collecting slabs and tablets of more or less interest, for sale to travellers who are not certain to be able to appreciate their worth ? And travellers are not the only of¬ fenders. Old carvings and sculpturings and inscribed tablets may some¬ times, I believe, be seen in the rockeries or ferneries of station gardens. At present there is nothing, so far as I know, to prevent me, or any one like myself who pretends to take an interest in antiquarian research, from digging up a tumulus or demolishing the ruined wall of a temple, and an¬ nexing and placing to no real remunerative use, the relics which in the hands of an expert might prove of no small value in the determination of vexed points in Indian history. The Hon’ble Mr. Egerton, C. S. I., the present Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab, when Commissioner of Nagpur, discovered in a field near liam- tik an inscribed slab which was found to contain a copy of Asoka s well- known edicts ; although the edicts had been discovered in many other parts 68 H. Rivett-Carnac —On preservation of Antiquarian Remains. [Feb. of India, their existence in the wild out-of-the-way Nagpur Province was unknown. This discovery, placed by Mr. Egerton in the hands of General Cunningham, has proved of real value, as shewn by his recently published volume on Indian Inscriptions. But one cannot depend upon such trea¬ sures always falling into the hands of men like Mr. Egerton. Others ignorant of its value, might think little of bricking such a tablet into a wall or of utilising it, as I myself have seen an inscription used, to replace the broken leg of a school form. What I urge is, that antiquarian remains, unless other well established interests exist, should be considered to be State property, and should be brought under the protection and management of the State, in the manner that Sir J. Lubbock’s Act suggests, or as is provided for in the French system of “ Administration des Monuments Nationaux.” And, save under permission from competent authority, I would not allow any one to dig, or demolish on any such ground, or to remove or place to his private use any specimen or relic that may be discovered. Investigations or excavations should he carried on upon an approved plan, the fortunate discoverer of any¬ thing of interest being obliged, as I believe is the rule in the Central Pro¬ vinces, to report the result of his investigation to the Collector or Deputy Commissioner. A full description of the discovery should then be for¬ warded to the Government, and to the Asiatic Society, and the specimens found should, if necessary, become the property of Government for pre¬ servation in the Indian Museum. I would not of course advocate that the finder should not have every encouragement to describe the result of his labours, or obtain full credit for his research. To do this, would be to remove what often is the chief incentive to work and to dig. But local antiquaries may not always be competent to test whether a discovery is really of value or not. My object is to insist on the result of all such in¬ vestigations being subjected to the test of efficient criticism, with a view to the publication of the results, where they are of value, and to prevent what may be of real interest being carried out of the country by those who may or may not appreciate its merits. The subject, I submit, is not unworthy of the attention of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, which has done so much to promote an interest in, and to secure a record of the progress of Indian antiquarian research. If supported by the weight of the recommendation of the Society, the idea would, I am sanguine, receive the attention of the supreme Govern¬ ment, many of whose members have evinced a valuable interest in the preservation of what still remains to us of the monuments of the Ancient History of India. In conclusion, I would desire again to call the attention of the Society 1879.] Library. (59 to the remarks contained in my Memorandum of January of last year, published in the Society’s Proceedings for February 1S77, regarding the neglected condition of the celebrated Buddhist Stupa at Sarnath. Until recently, at least, no attempt had been made to save this grand old relic from ruin. The trees are still applying the powerful levers of their roots to the masonry of the tower. The massive stones with their beautiful tracery are being gradually but surely displaced, and must fall if some measures are not promptly taken to clamp or support them. If they do fall, I am quite confident there are many enterprising tourists who will gladly bid for the fragments of one of the most remarkable monuments of its class in the world. Since this was written a notice has appeared of the discovery, as was to be expected, of valuable antiquarian remains in the country now oc¬ cupied by our troops in Afghanistan. If no action has yet been taken it would be desirable, I submit, that instructions should issue that excava¬ tions should be carried out on a well-considered plan, and under competent supervision, and that the relics found should be kept together, and not dis¬ tributed. The following paper was read. On the Operations for obtaining the Discharges of the large Divers in Upper Assam during 1877-1878 — By Lieut. J. H. Harman, R. E., in charge, Assam Valley Series, Survey of India. Communicated by Major-General J. T. Walker, R. E., C. B. This paper will be published in the Journal, Part II. The reading of the following paper was postponed. The Snalce Symbol in India, especially in connection ivitli the Worship of Siva.—By H. Rivett-Caenac, Esq., C. S., C. I. E., &c. JLibrary. The following additions have been made to the Library since the Meet¬ ing held in January last. Transactions T roceedings and ^Journals. presented by the respective Societies or Bditors. Benares. A New Hindustani-English Dictionary,—Part 18, November 1878. Bombay. The Indian Antiquary,—Vol. VII, Part 87, December, 1878. Vol. VIII, Part 88, January, 1879. 70 [Feb. Library. Pt. 87. Rev. G. Shirt. — Traces of a Dravidian Element in Sindhi.— H. Rivett- Carnac. —Masons’ marks from old buildings in the North West Provinces of India, _ g, s. Leonard. — Notes on the Kanphata Yogis.— J. F. Fleet.— San¬ skrit and Old Canarese Inscriptions, Nos. XLVIII and XLIX. Buenos Aires. Sociedad Cientifica Argentina,—Anales, Entrega V, Tome VI, Novembre 1878. Calcutta. The Indian Medical Gazette, — Vol. XIV, ho. 1, January, 1879. --. Geological Survey of India,— Records, Vol. XI, Part 4. Dr. W. Waagen.— On the Geographical Distribution of Fossil Organisms in India— G. E. Ormiston.— Submerged Forest on Bombay Island. --. Mahabharata, — No. 30. London. The Athenaeum,—Nos. 2668 to 2670, December, 1878, and No. 2671, January, 1879. -. The Geographical Magazine, — Vol. V, No. 12, December, 1878. - . Nature, — Vol. XIX, Nos. 476 to 478, December, 1878 and Vol. XIX, No. 479, January 1879. Palermo. Societa degli Spettroscopisti Italiani,—Memorie, Dispensa 10 to 11, 1878. Paris. La Societe de Geographie,—Bulletin, Septembre, 1878. Antoine d’Abtadie. — Instruments a employer en voyage. -. Journal Asiatique,—Tome XII, No. 1, Juillet, 1878. Philadelphia. Monthly Bulletin, April to May, 1877, and Vol. II, Nos. 7 to 11, July to November 1878. j3oOKS AND p 3 AM PH LETS. presented by the Authors. Adhabual Sen, B. A. Lalita Sundari and Ivabitabali, I Vol. Damoodae Sastei. Vidyarthi, 6 Nos. Raja Rama Veea. Prayaschitta bhaga,—Pts. I and II, 4 Nos. Tolbobt, T. W. II. Ra’Binsan Kru’So,—Vol. I. JVLiscellaneous Presentations. Blaeu. La Geographie Blaviane, 12 Vols. M. L. Dames. Buegess, J. Archaeological Survey of Western India, 1878. Gough, A. E. Papers relating to the collection and preservation of the Records of Ancient Sanskrit Literature in India. Hughes, Rev. T. P. Notes on Muhammadanism, 2nd Edition. Home Department. 71 * i 1879.] I. ibrnry. Cooke, Dr. M. C. Report on tlie Oil Seeds and Oils in the India Museum, 1876. Report on the Administration o£ the Customs Department in the Bengal Presidency for 1877-78. Report on the Revenue Survey Operations of the Lower Provinces from 1st October 1876 to 30th September, 1877. Report on the Administration of Bengal for 1877-78. Government op Bengal. Rice, L. Mysore and Coorg, Yol. III. Chief Commissioner’s Office, Coorg. Selected Extracts from the Minutes of the Trustees of the Indian Museum, April 1877 to March, 1878. Indian Museum. Overbeek, L. B. Bijdrage tot de Kennis der Weersgesteldheid ter Kuste van Atjeh, 1877. Director of the Observatory,—Batavia. Report on the Administration of the Punjab and its Dependencies 1878. Government, N. W. P. Report on Public Instruction in the Madras Presidency, 1876-77. Madras Government. Markham, C. R. A Memoir on the Indian Surveys, 2nd Edition. Periodicals Purchased, Bombay. The Vedarthayatna, or an attempt to interpret the Vedas, Book 2nd, No. 14. Bordeaux. Societe de Geographie Commerciale,—Bulletin, No. 24. Giessen. Jahresbericht iiber die Fortschritte der Chemie,—Zweites Heft, 1877. Gottingen. Gottingische gelehrte Anzeigen,—Stricken 49 to 52. -•. -. Nachrichten,—No. 16. Leipzig. Annalen der Physik und Chemie,—Band Y, Heft 4, 1878. H. Helmholtz— Telephon und Klangfarbe.— B. Nahrwotd .—TJeber die Luftelec- tricitat. H. Suhlmann.— Ableitung- der Formeln fur Messungen der Meeres- tiefen mit HiUfe dos Manometers.. -• -• -• Beiblatter,—Band II, Stuck 11, 12. London. The Academy,—Nos. 345-347, 1878. ■ The Annals and Magazine of Natural History,—Vol. II, No. 12, 1878. T. U orhman. Description of two new Species of Spiders from Rangoon (Plato XVIII, figs. I and 2). Library. 72 London. The Chemical News,— Vol. XXXVIII, Nos. 991 to 996, 1878. ■ -. The Entomologist,—Vol. XI, No. 1878, December, 1878. -. The Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine,—Vol. XV, No. 175, December, 1878. -. Society of Arts,-—Journal, Vol. XXVII, Nos. 1360 to 1362, December, 1878. No. 1360. H. Clarice .—Railways to India and Turkey. -. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science,—Vol. VI, No. 39. E. Edlund .—Researches on Unipolar Induction, Atmospheric Electricity, and the Aurora Borealis. 0. Heaviside. —On a test for Telegraph Lines. -. The Messenger of Mathematics,—No. 91, 1878. ———■. The Nineteenth Century,—No. 22, December, 1878. Maj. Oenl. Sir H. C. Rawlinson. —The Afghan Crisis. W. li. S. Ralston. — Beauty and the Beast. Sir E. Ferry .-—The Future of India. Paris. Eevue et Magasin de Zoologie,—3e Serie Tome 6, No. 4, 1878. M. Girard .—Recherches de 31. Dareste, sur la production artificielle des mons- truosites. -. Annales de Chemie et de Physique, T. 15, Octobre, 1878. M. Eerthelot .—Sur les melanges explosifs formes d’air et de poussieres combus- tibles. L. Foucault .—Du spectre solaire et de son influence sur la vision dans les instruments d’optique. ■ -. Comptes Eendus,—Tome 87, Nos. 23 to 26, 1878. No. 24. H. E. J. Haumene .—Sur la puissance d’absorption de l’eau par les bois. -. Journal des Savants,—Novembre, 1878. M. M. Barthelemy Saint-Hilaire .—Sept Suttas Palis, tires du Dig'ha-Nikaya. ■ -. Eevue des deux Mondes,—Tome 30, 3 e et 4e Livraisons, Decem- bre, 1878. -. Eevue Critique,—Nos. 49-52, Decembre, 1878. ■ -. Eevue Scientifique,—No. 16, Octobre, 1878 and Nos. 23, 24, 25, Decembre, 1878, and No. 27, Janvier 1878. No. 23. M. Rawlinson .—La Question Afghane. No. 24. Exposition Universelle .—Les voitures de chemins de fer—La verrerie et la cristallerie. No. 25. M. A. Angot .—Les Inventions d’Edison. No. 27. M Duclaux. —Charbon et Septicemia. > LIST OF BOOKS FOR SALE AT THE LIBRARY OB' THE Asiatic ^Society of |3engal, No. 57, PARK STREET, CALCUTTA, Aim OBTAINABLE EROM THE SOCIETY’S LONDON AGENTS, MESSRS. TRtTBNER & CO., 57 AND 59, L HE GATE HlLL, LONDON, E. C. BIBLIOTHECA INDICA. Sanskrit Series. Uttara Naishadha, 12 fasci...Bs. 7 8 Chaitanya-ehandrodaya, Nataka, 3 fasci. 1 14 S’rauta Sutra, As'valayana, 11 fasci. 6 14 .--— Latyayana, 9 fasci. 5 10 S'ankara Vijaya,'3 fasci. .. 1 14 Vaishes'ika Darsana, 5 fasci. 3 2 Dasa-rupa, 3 fasci......... 1 14 Kaushitaki Brahmanopanishad, 2 fasci. 1 4 Sankhya-sara, 1 fasci... 0 10 Brihat Sanhita, 7 fasci. 4 6 Lalita-vistara, 6 fasci. 3 12 Taittiriya Brahmana, 24 fasci. 15 0 Taittiriya Sanhita, 31 fasci. .. 19 6 Taittiriya Aranyaka, 11 fasci. 6 14 Maitri Upanishad, 3 fasci.... .... 1 14 As'valayana Grihya Sutra, 4 fasci. 2 8 Mimansa Darsana, 13 fasci.. 8 2 Tandya Brahmana, 19 fasci. .. 11 14 Gopatha Brahmana, 2 fasci. _.. 1 10 Atharvana Upanishads, 5 fasci....... 3 2 Agni Purana, 13 fasci... «.••••• .. .... 8 2 Sama Veda Saiihita, 37 fasci. ..23 2 Gopala Tapani, 1 fasci... 0 10 Nrisinha Tapani, 3 fasci. 1 14 Chaturvarga Chintamani, 30 fasci. 18 12 Gohhiliya Grihya Sutra, 9 fasci. 5 10 Pingala Chhandah Sutra, 3 fasci. 1 14 Taittiriya Pratis'akhiya, 3 fasci. 1 14 Prithiraj Basu, hy Chand Bardai, 3 fasci. 1 14 Kajatarangini, . 4 0 Mahahharata, vols. 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II. and III., complete in 15 fasci.. 9 g Wfs-o Ramin, 5 fasci. 2 3 Iqbalnamah-i-Jahangiri, complete in 3 fasci. 1 14 ’Alamgirnamah, 13 fasci., with index,. g 2 Padshahnamah, 19 fasci., with index, . H 14 Muntakhab-ul-Lubab, by Khafi Khan, 19 fasci., with index, . 12 12 Ain-i-Akbari, Persian text, 4to., 22 fasci. 27 S Ain-i-Akbari, English translation by H. Blochmann, M. A., vol. I, . 12 4 Farhang-i-Rashidi, 14 fasci., complete,. 17 g Nizami’s Khiradnamah-i-Iskandari, 2 fasci. complete, . 2 0 Akbarnamah, 13 fasci. with Index, . jg 9 Maasir-i-’ Alamgiri, by Muhammad Saqi, complete, 6 fasci., with index,. 3 12 Haft Asman, history of the Persian Masnawi,.■. 1 4 Tabaqat-i-Nagiri, English translation, by Rayerty, 8 fasci. 8 0 Tabaqat-i-Nagiri, Persian text, 5 fasci. 3 2 MISCELLANEOUS. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal from vols. XII to XVII, 1843-48 vols. XIX to XXI, 1850-52, to Subscribers at Re. 1 per number and to non-subscribers at Re. 1-8 per number; vols. XXVI, XXVTI, 1857-58, and vols. XXXIII to XLV, 1864-76, to Subscribers at 1-8 per number and to non¬ subscribers at Rs. 2 per number. Asiatic Researches, vols. VII. to XII. and vols. XVII. to XX. each, ,,,.Rs. 10 0 Do. Do. Index. g 0 Catalogue of Fossil Vertebrata,... 2 0 -- of Sanskrit Manuscripts, ..... 1 0 -- of Arabic and Persian Manuscripts,..... 1 0 Tibetan Dictionary, .. 10 0 -Grammar, . 8 0 Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts, 13 fasci. 13 0 Istilahat-i-Sufiyah. Edited by Dr. A. Spronger, 8vo. 1 0 Jawami’ ul-’ilm ir-riyazi, 168 pages with 17 plates, 4to. 2 0 Aborigines of India, by B. H. Hodgson, . 3 0 Examination and Analysis of the Mackenzie Manuscripts, by the Rev. W. Taylor, 2 0 Han Koong Tsew, or the Sorrows of Han, by J. Francis Davis, .. 1 8 ’Inayah, a Commentary on the Hidayah, Vols. II. IV. 16 0 Analysis of the Sher Chin, by Alexander Csoma de Koros, . 1 0 Khazanat-ul-’ilm. 4 0 Sharayat-ul-Islam, ... 4 0 Anis-ul-Musharrihin,. 3 0 Catalogue Raisonn5 of the Society’s Sanskrit MSS. Part I, Grammar,... 2 0 4 Uy» 4 188f PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL. EDITED BY 'j 'he JTonorary ^Secretaries. No. III. MARCH, 1879. The bounds of its investigation will be the geographical limits of Asm: and 7 , .-j.» inquiries will be extended to whatever is performea by -Sir William; Jones. within these limits its man or produced by nature. Annual Subscription, . ^ rupees. Price per Number .■. s annas. Postage in India, (Additional), . I anna. Price in England . ls ' -2S- The publications of the Society consist — of the Proceedings, one num- , ,„hwh is issued as soon as possible, after every monthly meeting, and of ?Lwtheannual volume of which is divided into two Parts: Part I being theJowno,, philology, &e., Part II to Natural Science; each part is devoted 1 ^ pr0T ided with a special index, and one number of each ^^^slfed quarter^ Single numbers for sale at the rates given on the last page of cover. , _ * * It is requested that communications for the Journal or Proceeding, may be sent under cover to the Honorary Secretaries, Asiatic Soc , to whom all orders for these works Ze to be addressed in India; or, in London, to the Society's Agents, Messrs. Trubner and Go., 57 Sf 59, Ludyate Hill. N B —In order to ensure papers being read at any monthly Meeting of the Society,' they should be in the hands of the Secretaries at least a week before the Meeting. ___£---~ CALCUTTA: PRINTED BY 0. H. ROUSE, BAPTIST MISSION PRESS, AND PUBLISHED AT THE ASIATIC SOCIETY’S ROOMS, 57, PARK STREET. 1879. CONTENTS. Page Ordinary Monthly Meeting in March, ... 73 Resignation of the Assistant Secretary, ... 74 Appointment of Committees, . ib. Extract from a letter from Major H. C. B. Tanner, to the Sur¬ veyor General, on the Kafir language, .. 75 Exhibition of gold Coins found by Mr. W. Simpson in the Ahin Posh Tope near Jelalabad, .. 77 Exhibition by Dr. Hoernle of a Prakrit Grammar of Vararuchi,... 79 Papers — The Snake Symbol in India, specially in connection with the Worship of Siva.—By H. Rivett-Carnac, C. I. E., &c.—(Abstract),... 80 Precis of a Report on Electric Light Experiments.—By L. Schwen- DLER,. 81 On new Species of the Genus Pliectopylis of the family Helieidee. — By Lieut.-Col. H. H. Godwin-Austen, P. It. G. S., &c. (Ab¬ stract),... 107 Hemiptera from Upper Tenasserim.—By J. W. L. Distant.—C om¬ municated by J. Wood-Mason.—(A bstract), . ib. Statement of Earthquakes that occurred during 1878, in the Pro¬ vince of Assam.—Communicated by the Chief Commissioner of Assam.—(T itle only),. ib. Addenda to further Notes on Kalidasa.—By Mr. A. Grierson, C. S.—(Abstract),. ib. On the Norwegian Taters, their language and its relation to Hindi.— By Dr. Sundbero, (Abstract.) . 108 Library. 109 In the Press and to appear in August next, THE ANTIQUITIES OF ORISSA. BY RA'JENDRALA'LA MITRA, LL. D. Volume II. *#* Containing detailed descriptions of the Temples of Bhuvaneswara, Puri and Canarac. It will extend to about 210 pages folio, and will be illustrated with sixty photographs and lithographs. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL j^oR JVLarch, 1879, The monthly General Meeting of the Asiatic Society of Bengal was held on Wednesday, the 5th instant, at 9 o’clock p. m. W. T. Blajjpoed, Esq., P. R. S., President, in the Chair. The minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. The receipt of the following presentations was announced— 1. Prom C. H. Dali, Esq. On the Remains of Later Pre-historic man obtained from the Caves in the Catherina Archipelago, Alaska Ter¬ ritory. 2. From Babu Ram Das Sen. Aitihasika Rahasya, Parts 1 and III. 3. Prom the author, Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, Rai Bahadur, c. 1 . E., Buddha Gya, the Hermitage of Sakya Muni. The following gentlemen, duly proposed and seconded at the last meeting, were balloted for and elected Ordinary Members :—• C. E. Buckland, Esq., c. s, M. von Eetvelde. E. O’Brien, Esq., c. s. Major J. Biddulph. Capt. G. J. von Someren. H. C. Levinge, Esq., c. E. A. W. Garrett, Esq. Major H. S. Jarrett, b. s. c. Major J. Herschel, b. e. A. Weekes, Esq., c. s. R. Pawsey, Esq., 0 . s. S. Harraden, Esq. The following are candidates for ballot at the next meeting : The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Calcutta, proposed by Capt. J. Waterhouse, seconded by Mr. W. T. Blanford. A. C. Lyall, Esq., c. s., for re-election, proposed by Mr. W. T. Blanford, seconded by Mr. C. H. Tawney. Babu Ram Saran Das, m. a., Makbulgunj, Lucknow, proposed by Dr. R. L. Mitra, Rai Bahadur, c. 1 . E., seconded by Capt. J. Waterhouse. 7-1 [Maech, Appointment of Committees. The Seceetaey announced that Mr. W. E. Bateman had tendered his resignation of the post of Assistant Secretary and Librarian to the Society, and that Mr. W. A. Bion had been appointed in his place on trial for 3 months. The Seceetaey read the names of the following gentlemen, appointed by the Council to serve on the several Committees during the ensuing year : Sub-Committee of Finance. H. Beverley, Esq., c. s. T. S. Isaac, Esq., c. E. II. B. Medlicott, Esq. Dr. J. Anderson. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, Rai Bahadur, c. i. e. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, c. x. e. Colonel J. E. Tennant, e. e. Colonel J. T. Walker, c. b., e. e. Dr. D. D. Cunningham. Babu Prannath Pundit, m. a. R. S. Brough, Esq. H. P. Blanford, Esq. Dr. 0. Feistmantel. John Eliot, Esq., m. a. A. M. Nash, Esq., h. a. Dr. J. Anderson. A. Pedler, Esq. Library. A. W. Croft, Esq., m. a. Dr. W. K. Waller. C. H. Tawney, Esq., m. a. The Hon. Whitley Stokes, c. s. i. II. H. Locke, Esq. R. Parry, Esq. H. B. Medlicott, Esq., h. a. H. Beverley, Esq., h. a., c. s. J. Crawfurd, Esq., m. a., c. s. Dr. Mohendralal Sircar. Babu Pratapia Chandra Ghosha. J. C. Douglas, Esq. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, c. I. C. II. Tawney, Esq., m. a. Major-Genl. A. Cunningham, J. Beames, Esq. F. S. Growse, Esq. Rev. K. M. Banerjea, x.l. d. Babu Gaur Das Bysack. Dr. Mohendralal Sircar. The Hon’ble J. O’Kinealy. Capt, Philology. e. Moulvie Abdul Latif Khan Bahadur. Moulvie Kabiruddin Ahmad Sahib, c. s. i. Babu Dijendranath Thakur. The Hon. Whitley Stokes, c. s. i. Babu Prannath Pundit, H. a. Dr. G. Thibaut. H. Rivett-Carnac, Esq., c. i. e. Babu Pratapa Chandra Ghosha. Dr. A. F. R. Hoernle. . H. W. Clarke, e. e. 1879.] Letter from Major JL. 0. JB. Tanner on the Kafir Language. 75 H. F. Blanford, Esq. H. B. Medlicott, Esq., M. A. Dr. 0. Feistmantel. D. Walclie, Esq. A. O. Hume, Esq., c. B. Dr. D. D. Cunningham. Dr. J. Armstrong. Dr. G. King. Natural History. S. E. Peal, Esq. W. E. Brooks, Esq., C. E. Dr. W. Scklich. 11. Lydekker, Esq. Capt. G. F. L. Marshall, R. E. Dr. J. Anderson. Lieutenant F. W. Jarrad, e. k. Dr. D. Brandis. L. Schwendler, Esq. Thysical Science. John Eliot, Esq., m. a. Colonel J. T. Walker, r. e., c. b. H. B Medlieott, Esq., m. a. H. F. Blanford, Esq. D. Waldie, Esq. A. Pedler, Esq. R. S. Brough, Esq. Dr. D. D. Cunningham. A. Cappel, Esq. A. W. Croft, Esq., m. a. C. II. Wood, Esq. T. S. Isaac, Esq., c. e. Colonel J. F. Tennant, R. E. Commander A. D. Taylor. Dr. O. Feistmantel. R. Lydekker, Esq. The Hon’ble J. O’Kinealy. A. M. Nash, Esq., m. a. J. C. Douglas, Esq. L. Schwendler, Esq. Colonel J. F. Tennant, r. e. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, c. i. e. Rev. M. A. Sherring. Coins. Major-Genl.A. Cunningham, c. s. i. Colonel F. W. Stubbs, r. a. H. Rivett-Carnac, Esq., c. i. E. The Secretary read the following extract from a demi-official letter, dated 21st February, 1879, from Major H. C. B. Tanner to Major-Genl. Walker, Surveyor General of India. “ I told you in a former letter that I had found a new language. I am steadily going on with it for it is closely allied to the language of the Ka¬ firs. My interpreter Hassain Khan, a resident of Kunar, teaches me; it is his mother-tongue, and he has brought to my aid one of the Sirdars of Ku¬ nar, Mir Ahmed Khan of Shewa (or Kel as the Kunar people call it). The Mir is very intelligent and has influence among all the tribes to his north, and I am quite confident that I require only his help to get me a footing in Kafiristan. He often comes to see me, and takes the greatest interest in my study of his language. He makes me read over what I have written down, for he says that I must learn the pronunciation of the upper and not of the lower classes. 76 Letter from Major II. C. B . Tanner on the Kafir Language . [March, “ Shewa is at the mouth of Dara Nur (Valley of Light ?) which runs into the Kund mountain. The villages up the valley are inhabited by Dehgans who are not Pathans, but descendants of the original people of this country (probably) ; and Mir Ahmad Khan has great influence among them. Beyond Dara Nur, there comes Mazar Dara which rises also in Kund, and flows S. E., falling into the Kunar River at Nurgal, and it is the inhabitants of this valley who are my stumbling-block. They are Pathans and S'afis and have never become subjects of the Amir ; and the other day, when the principal chief of the Kunar valley was coming in to tender his allegiance, they attacked him in force. Beyond Mazar Dara there flows Chauki Dara, also rising in Kund but having a course almost easterly (as I take it). The inhabitants are Safis and Momands and are not subjects of the Amir, and are therefore yaglii , or independent as they are termed. “ Now, beyond Chauki is Pech, a valley (or dara) also rising in Kund but flowing N. E. into the Kunar River. Of Pech I know little or no¬ thing ; but it is beyond Pech that the interesting and unknown tract of Kafiristan commences, and it is to introduce to you two of the inhabitants of the valley N. \Y. of Pech, that 1 have entered into this long and tedious preface. I had long heard of a tribe called Chuguni and I therefore sent the Subadar (Hussain Khan my interpreter) to bring some of them in to me. These Chugunis are the next door neighbours of the Kafirs and live in a valley, which as far as I can understand, flows from Kund northwards and then turning east empties itself into the Kunar near Chagar Sarai. “ They are a powerful clan, and can number 6000 fighting men, but are true wild men of the hills, and seldom come as far as Jelalabad ; and like all true and wild mountaineers, dislike to expose themselves to the unknown perils which may be experienced in travelling in an open plain. To sell their ghi , cheese and wood, the Chugunis cross the head waters of the val¬ leys I have named, and come down into the Dara Nur, at Amla (Indian name) ; and it was at that place that the Subadar found the two specimens which he brought to me. He had to give his nephew as a hostage and make many protestations of friendship before they would consent to come. "Wild ragged fellows they were, of pale complexions and thin features. Their legs were clothed with coarse goat’s hair socks, then an outer covering of goat’s hair and such curious untanned shoes tied on in a cunning fashion. One of them spoke nothing but his own language, but the other, who was described to me as being a great warrior, spoke Pushtu; so with the Subadar as an interpreter we got on very well together. I kept the men four days and during that time, when I had leisure, managed to elicit a good deal of information about them and their valleys. The “ warrior” in¬ formed me that he had been brought up amongst the Kafirs, and indeed I Coins from the Aliin Posh Tope near Jelalabdd. 77 1879.] found that his own language differed but little from that of the Kafirs which he appeared to know thoroughly. I learned—I cannot say with any amount of pleasure—that there are nearly as many languages in Kafiris- tan as there are tribes, hut of this I am pn-etty well sure, that the one which I have been learning from the Subadar, may he taken as typical of the whole. I asked the Chuguni the numbers in the Kafir tongue, and they almost exactly correspond with those given by Burns, hut the dialogue given by him differs as much from the Kafir language of my Chuguni, as the latter does from the Kunar language, which may be broadly called the Kunar dialect of the Kochis. “ My two wild men soon tired of this place and its novel and strange, sights, and went away assuring me that my life would be protected by them in their own valley, as they would protect their own heads. They have gone under a piromise to bring back two Lai Kafirs, and are to be here iu 8 days, and it is with the Chugunis that I must enter Kafiristan if I do it at all. They are half Kafir themselves, and though.pirofessed Mussal- mans they seem to have their sympathies more with the hereditary enemies of their co-religionists than with the Muhammadans.” Capit. Wateehoijse exhibited some gold and coppier coins and relics &c. found by Mr. W. Simpson in the Ahin Posh Tope near Jelalabad, and read the following letter from Mr. Simpson to Colonel Colley regarding them. “ Yesterday morning (10th February,) I penetrated to the centre of the Ahin Posh Tope, and found the cell. In it there lay about two or three handfuls of what I suppose to be ashes, 18 gold coins, and a golden relic-holder, for wearing by a cord round the neck. It is 3f inches long, and in it were 2 gold coins and a small dark-coloured substance which I suppose was a relic. All these objects I have delivered over to Major Cavagnari, who is sending them off to Calcutta for Lord Lytton. “ I write this to give a very slight account of the position of the cell and the finding of the objects, all of which will no doubt be of interest to His Excellency. The tope is about 80 feet diameter, but I had to begin the gallery from what remains of the square base, which gave me about 45 feet of digging; and judging from other topes with galleries which were made to get at the articles deposited, I guessed that it would be wisest to go on the level of the lowest bed of stones. When the gallery reached the centre, the cell was at my feet. “ It had been formed of slates and on the surface of the ground. We appffy the term “ Buddhist Masonry” to the kind we find here. It is of stones with a slate packing. The accompanying sketch will give its 78 Coins from, the Ahin Posh Tope near Jeldlabad. [Maucb, character. This peculiar kind of masonry may have had the earthquakes of this country in view. The Ahin Posh Tope is externally of this kind of building, but through the whole 45 feet of masonry within, there was nothing but large water-worn boulders embedded in mud, and it was very hard work to dig them out. So when the men at last unbared some slate, I knew that the centre had been found. I was anxious to know exactly how it was arranged, and caused the stones to be cut out till I had gotr beyond it, and felt that there was no more slate either on its offside or at either end. I then lifted up a large slate about 3 feet long—beneath this was another large slate—and on raising it the central cell was opened. It was about 15 inches on each of its sides, I think it was intended for a perfect cube, about 15 courses of slate—I rather think it was 14 courses— I hope to measure it more perfectly. The most conspicuous object was the golden relic-holder. I had expected a jar with the ashes in it, but they simply lay on the bottom of the cell. The bottom being also slate—I could see one coin among the ashes, and as I began to gather them, coin after coin was found, till at last I counted 18 of them in all. “ There are some Roman coins among them, and one is of the reign of Domitian. This is important, as giving at least an approximate date to the Tope. That Emperor died 9G A. D., so the Tope cannot be dated earlier than that. I believe it is some centuries later. “ I am not up in coins, and we have no one here at the moment who can tell us about them, hut you will no doubt be able to get them all explained when they reach Calcutta, and I should feel obliged for any account of them that may be made. “ I have also given Major Cavagnari some unimportant copper coins and other objects found in the excavation. “ Tlie final destination of the coins &c. is a matter for Lord Lytton to determine. I would say either the Lahore Museum or the Indian Museum at South Kensington. Kindly point out to Lord Lytton that it would be as well to consider also where all sculptures and other archaeological finds should be sent for presentation, and where they would be of use to Archaeologists. “ I am now told that the exploration of the many topes we see here already opened was the work of Masson. Why he left such a prominent tope as the Ahin Posh one untouched I do not know. There is another very large one, it is 100 feet diameter, known as the “ Ummer Kheyl tope,” which I think is untouched, I feel now a very strong desire to have it opened. About three-fourths of the topes hereabouts have been 1879 .] Prakrit Grammar of Vararuchi. 79 opened, but I know a good number which are still with their finds within them, but the Ummer Kheyl one ought to give us something: a message from you would get it done quickly. “ I am still going on bringing to light what remains of the architecture of the Ahin Posh Tope, and we have now visible some figures in plaster which remain on the square base. In a few days it will be so far advanced that a proper plan can be made.” Capt. Waterhouse said that of the 20 gold coins 3 were Eoman and the remainder Greek, one showing a good figure of the preaching Buddha with an inscription in Greek BOAAO. The relics and other articles con¬ sisted of a gold relic-holder inlaid with garnets and containing two gold coins and a piece of relic. A piece of clear white glass with dark blue raised bands. 2 pieces of shell. 11 copper coins. 1 piece of red stone. 1 small leaden bullet. 1 small glass (?) bead. 1 piece of fused glass. He had heard that these coins and relics had been received by the Viceroy, and thinking that they would be of interest to the Society, he had written to the Private Secretary for permission to exhibit them’ at the meeting. Dr. Hoernle and Mr. Tawney made some remarks on the coins. The President said that the Society was greatly indebted to His Excellency the Viceroy for an opportunity of seeing these interesting coins &c. As they had only been received that evening there had been no time to examine them thoroughly as yet.* Di. Hoernle exhibited a MS. of the well known Prakrit grammar of Vararuchi, edited by Professor Cowell. In many points its readings differ considerably from those of the published text. For example after viii. 37, there is an entirely new sutra : chhijjabUjjdv apy elce || clihijjai, Ihijjai || The phraseology of the commentary is generally different and very much more concise. The Sanskrit translations of the Prakrit exam¬ ples are, as a rule, omitted. Instead of 12 chapters there are only 10 ; the last one containing all the rules of the usual 10th, 11th, 12th chapters and dividing them merely by the remarks Hi paisacM after x, 14, and * Dr. Hoernle has succeeded in determining all the coins, among which he finds two unique ones. They will be described at the next meeting. Ed, 80 H. Rivett-Carnac — On the Snalce Symbol in India. [Mabch, iti may a din after x, 31 ( = xi, 17). The last rule x, 63 ( = xii, 32) has the following commentary added : mah&v(isht/rodbhavdm bhctsham visud- dham prakrtam viduh j ity ulctah ||. The whole ends with the form¬ ula iti Vararuchivirachitayam manoramayam vrttaio bhashavibhdshdvi- llidgo ndma dasamali parichhedah || samdpta cheyam manorama vrttih ||. The commentary accordingly is here ascribed to Vararuchi himself, and not, as usual, to Bhamaha j so also at the end of the 2nd chapter, iti vararuohilcrtdydm manor amdvrttau dvitiyah parichhedah ||. On the other hand at the end of the 1st chapter the formula is iti vararuchikrte pralcrtapraTcase prathamah parichhedah. In the remaining chapters no author is mentioned at all; the uniform formula being iti manoramayam vrttau, (tritiyah etc) parichhedah. The MS. bears no date ; hut its ap¬ pearance is old. The characters are Nagari; now and then rather indis¬ tinct from age ; in other places evidently re-drawn wrongly, sometimes by a later hand. It consists of 11 leaves (paper), of 18 lines each. It belongs to Pandit Ramadatta of Amritsar (Panjab). An accurate list of all its various readings has been made. The following papers were read : — 1. The Snalce Symbol in India, specially in connection with the Worship of Siva. By H. Rivett-Cabnac, Esq., C. I. E., M. R. A. S., F. S. A., &c. (Abstract.) The author begins by stating that the snake as a personal ornament or as a canopy surmounting the figure is not confined to representations of Siva, hut is to be seen overshadowing Vishnu, Garuda and others. The snake symbol also appears in the prehistoric cromlechs and menhirs of Europe, in which also traces of phallic worship may be traced. The author’s attention has been given to the subject chiefly in connection with the worship of Siva, with a view to ascertain whether the worship of the snake and that of Mahadeo or the phallus may he considered identical, and whether the presence of the serpent in the prehistoric remains of Europe can be shown to support his theory that the markings on the cromlechs and menhirs are indeed the traces of this form of worship, carried to Europe from the East by the tribes whose remains are buried in the tumuli. The author then describes a series of articles in brass, obtained in the Benares bazar, in which the snake is found in one form or another. These articles accompanied the paper, and were exhibited to the Meeting. The paper will be published in the Journal, Part I. T 4 i v r 1879.] Pratapa Chandra Gliosha —Remarks on Hr. Carnac's paper. 81 Since the meeting, Babu Pratapa Chandra Gihosha has kindly for¬ warded the following note on the articles exhibited by Mr. Carnac. It is interesting to observe how the ornamental and the artistic help in complicating the myths of the Hindu religion. The occurrence of the snake on several of the articles exhibited is ornamental in some and in¬ consistent with the Sastras in a few. The snake on the spoon or ladle is for ornamental purposes, and that on the bell is altogether out of place. The Sastras make no mention of the necessity of any such figures on the handles of spoons, sacrificial ladles or water-pots. In the case of the bell the only figure directed to be represented on a religious bell is that of Garuda, the bird-god. The Padma Purana has the following—“ He is not a Bhagavat (worshipper of Bhagavan) in this iron age who has not in his house a conch-shell or a bell surmounted by a Garuda or the bird-god. Such a bell as the above is used in the worship of Vasudeva (Vishnu). And although in the Sastras regarding the worship of Siva and Bama- chandra, it is nowhere provided that the bell used in such service should be adorned with figures of snake and Hanuman, (the monkey-god), the vahanas of the two gods respectively, yet the bell-maker in his devoutness has added these figures to the bell thinking that such a bell would serve the threefold worship of Siva, Vishnu and Ramachandra. The white paint of sandal-wood paste on the lingam in the form of a circle or a semicircle and a dot, is intended to represent the sacerdotal thread ( poita ) and the mark ( phontd) and, in the case of the semicircle, the half moon which is . said to adorn the forehead of Siva. In the paper on Tree and Serpent worship published in Part I, No. 3, J. A. S. B. for 1870, Ananta the serpent king is said to have a thousand heads and four arms. In the Briddha Baudhayana quoted by Hemadri, a Nag is ordinarily described to have five heads. frarsTJi T tr rTT T rraafrtNrf I In the Visvakarma Sastra, Ananta is said to have a hundred thousand heads, and the other secondary eight Nagas to have seven heads each. + + + + J + + + A Naga is said to have hoods and the body of a man, the lower extremities being like those of a reptile. A sarpa s or serpent is a reptile. The three-headed or the nine-headed snakes are imaginative figures, they have no foundation in the Sastras. The figures of snakes forming backs of 82 L. Schwendler — On Electric Light Measurements. [March, the shrines exhibited are evidently artistic and ornamental, they have no direct connection with serpent worship. Cup-marks occurring in the vicinity of sepulchral monuments suggest their origin in the Smritis, in which it is stated that after the cremation of the body, the son of the deceased is directed to offer water and milk and to the manes of the departed, and the water and milk are generally presented in unburnt clay cups, and it is not unoften that they are poured in little hollows made with the finger on the soft ground of the river side where the funeral ceremony is generally performed. May n it the -cup-marks on stone slabs represent these water and milk cups offered to the spirits of the departed ? The ant hill has been known to be a resort of snakes where these reptiles have been seen to coil themselves up for comfortable and warm lodging. The eggs of ants and the queens of the same are well known favourite food of snakes. 2. Precis of a Report on Electric Light Experiments.—Eg L. Schwendlek, Esq. Mr. ScnwENDLER said it would be impracticable to read the “ Precis of Report on Electric Light Experiments” in extenso, since it contained too many technicalities which could not easily be followed if the paper were read in the manner usual at these meetings, and that he therefore would prefer to give verbally a short account of his researches and the results obtained. He stated that the enquiry originated with General Strachey who, in April 1870, recommended to the Secretary of State that a trial of illuminating Indian Railway Stations by the electric light, should be made. In February 1877, Mr. Schwendler was requested to institute detailed enquiries which led him to propose that it would be advisable to first make some more experiments, before a practical trial at Indian Railway Stations should be attempted. The Board of Directors of the East Indian Railway Company agreed to this, and sanctioned the necessary outlay, whatever it might come to. The experiments made at the India Office Stores, London, terminated on the 1 st November, 1878. The report, however, could not be finished in time, before Mr. Schwendler left for India, and he therefore prepared a Precis—the paper before the meeting to-night. After pointing out the general results obtained, and explaining in a brief manner the three principal questions at issue, viz.— Economy of the electric light; practicability and efficiency of the electric light Jor certain illuminating purposes ; and best means of distri¬ bution of the electric light —Mr. Schwendler proceeded : 83 1879.] L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. You all have beard no doubt a great deal about tbe division of tbe electric light. During tbe last two years this question has been before tbe public almost permanently. This is not to be wondered at if we consider that on tbe solution of this problem it will ultimately depend whether tbe new mode of lighting becomes a successful and general rival to tbe illumina¬ tion by gas, or other combustive means. But before entering on tbe subject it will be best to formulate tbe question definitely, to avoid any misunder¬ standing with respect to tbe answer I am about to give. The question is : A given permanent current (C), no matter bow produced, does work in a closed single circuit of total resistance (R), of which a part (r), represents tbe resistance of one electric arc. This electric arc produces an electric light of measured intensity (I). Now if we introduce instead of one arc, two arcs of resistance r and r" and measured light intensities i' and i" respectively, and suppose tbe current to be the same as before—or the E. M. F. and total resistance in the single circuit the same, then a priori we should conclude that I = i' + i" for r = r' + r". Experiments, how¬ ever, show that this is not the case, i. e., tbe sum of the measured inten¬ sities of two small lights is perceptibly smaller than the measured intensity of one large light, and this difference becomes larger and larger as we increase the number of lights produced by the same current, i. e., by the same E. M. F. with the same total resistance in circuit. This appears at first sight an inconsistency with the known laws of cause and effect. How is it possible that the same current through the same resistance should produce more light in one point than in two points, although the total amount of work done by the given and constant current is exactly the same in one point as in tivo points ? That the measured intensity of one light, is invariably greater than the sum of the measured intensities of n lights, is an undoubted fact proved by my own experiments very conclusively. But we may well ask what has become of the energy which is expended and does not appear as light ? A careful analysis of all the physical facts connected with the subject will, however, show easily enough how this apparent loss^of energy is to be accounted for, without reverting to far-fetched explanations, and without the necessity of making such statements as : “ the division of the electric light is in contradiction to dynamic principles or “ the laws of nature must be reversed”—whatever that may mean ; or “ new laws have to be discovered first, before a solution of this important problem could be even attempted &c. &c., which I have read frequently in scientific or pro¬ fessional journals and newspapers. Statements of this kind appear very clever to the uninitiated, and they are exceedingly cheap to make, but they 84 L. Schwendler— On 'Electric Light Measurements. [March, ■will invariably do an enormous amount of barm towards the further pro¬ gress of an important application of the resources of nature. It will he seen from the foregoing that I have called the light inten¬ sity— measured intensity. For if we produce a light by any source, it will be at once perceived that not all the light produced by that source can be made available for illuminating purposes. A part of the total light will be lost for the special purpose of illumination, inasmuch as only a part of the total light is in a position to act on the Photometer, or which is the same, on the retina. Hence we may say, the total light produced by any means consists of two parts—the one is lost for illumina¬ ting purposes, and may he called internal light; the other acts on the retina, can be measured, and may be called external or measured light. For instance, of all the light produced in one electric arc, a considerable part is hidden by the electrodes between which the arc plays. Because the electrodes have a volume, and moreover the positive electrode is hollowed out like a dome, and it is the highest point of that dome, which con¬ tains the most intense light, which is mostly lost. How much this loss in each case will be, depends on a variety of circumstances. In the first place, all other conditions being the same, that loss will increase with the thickness of the electrodes. The loss of light -will further increase with a decrease of the length of the arc. By length of arc is to be understood the distance between the highest point of the hollow of the positive electrode and the apex of the negative electrode. Hence already in the case of one arc, although naturally we have here the longest arc, for the given current and the given electrodes, the light lost or the internal light may represent a considerable portion of the total light produced in the arc. If we produce tivo arcs, it will be seen at once that the sum of the losses must be greater than the loss in one arc. Hence the sum of the measured intensities of two lights must also be smaller than the measured intensity of one light. Suppose the length of one arc, when a given current passes, is 3 m.m., then the 'sum of the lengths of tivo arcs will not be 3 m.m., but much less, in order to have the same current passing through the two arcs as passed before through one. From this it follows that the loss of light must increase rapidly with the number of lights, and moreover that soon a limit to the possible practical division of the electric light is reached, leaving out the question of economy altogether. This constitutes one of the reasons why the division of the electric light becomes less and less economical with increase of the number of lights, and that soon a practical limit will be reached for the division. To express this result more definitely, we may say: 1879.] L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. 85 The consumption of power per unit of measured or external light is an increasing function with the number of lights produced by a given current in a single circuit. Supposing, of course, always that the sum of the resistances of n arcs is equal to the resistance of one arc, and that the other resistance in the circuit, in which no light is produced, has remained constant throughout. If we had a material infinitely conducting, of infinite strength, and with a melting point at least as high as that of carbon, then surely the division of the light would be perfectly economical, up to any limit, inas¬ much as we might then use linear electrodes. In practice we can only try to approach this limit. Up to the present time, there appears to be no better material for electrodes than carbon, either natural or artificial. But this is no reason why an effort should not be made to try to find a material for electrodes more accommodating to the division of the electric light than even carbon. The above, limited strength, limited electric conductivity and limited melting point of the material of electrodes, constitutes only one of the difficulties, which stand in the way of an unlimited economical division of the electric light. A second cause is for instance the fact that in each arc an E. M. F. is established in opposition to the original E. M. F. and by no means to bo neglected against it. This secondary E. M. F. established in each arc, appears to be a function of the current which passes the arc, most likely pro¬ portional to that current. Hence, if for a given current passing one arc this secondary E. M. F. be e, then the same current through n arcs, successively connected, would produce an E. M. F. equal to n e. This secondary E. M. F. n e is to be subtracted from the original E. M. F., and internal resistance of the original E. M. F. plus resistance of leading wires having remained constant, we necessarily have to decrease the total resistance of the n arcs in order to work with the same current as before. This merely means a decrease of the total length of the n arcs, or which is the same, an increase of internal light or decrease of the measured or external light. A parallel connection of the n arcs with reference to the poles of the given original E. M. F. would certainly produce only one secondary E. M. F. instead of n, arid for this reason it might be better to use the parallel circuit for the division of the electric light. But there are other very important objections to this solution. In the first case, as can be easily shewn, the variation of one arc has a far greater influence on the variation of the others, in parallel, than in successive circuit. Further, the length of each arc must be made very much smaller, in parallel circuit than in consecutive circuit. Another reason against an unlimited economical division of the elec- 86 L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. [March, trie light is constituted by the practical necessity that lamps, of what¬ ever construction they may be, have a resistance inherent to their nature in addition to the resistance of the arc. For instance, in an ordinary lamp with an electromagnet, the resistance of the lamp consists of the resistance of the electromagnet plus the resistance of the two electrodes when metal¬ lically closed. This resistance, although small, is by no means nil, and cannot be neglected against the resistance of the arc, especially when strong currents are used. In other words, when producing the electric light in n points instead of one point, we are unable to fulfil practically the condition, that the sum of the resistances of the n arcs is equal to the resistance of one arc to have the same current, i. e., the former must be made smaller than the latter on account of practical construction-reasons. We may therefore sum up as follows : The economical solution of the division of the electric light is theoretically quite possible, but practically difficult to obtain. The division can never become unlimited, but ingeni¬ ous inventors may nevertheless solve the problem practically. Any attempt by inventors to solve the question is therefore perfectly legitimate. If their attempt cannot lead to a perfect solution, they may nevertheless do so -approximately, and by it tend towards real progress in illumination, inasmuch as by their attempts the electric light may pro¬ bably become more and more a successful general rival to gas, which at present it certainly is not. Before I conclude, I must briefly advert to a paper on “ the Electric Light” by Mr. W. H. Preece, published in the Philosophical Magazine for January 1879, in which the author believes that he has demonstrated from dynamical considerations that the division of the electric light is impossible. This it certainly is under the conditions introduced by Mr. l’reece, viz., that the resistance of each voltaic arc, or each incandescent wire, is maintained constant. But it is unfair to the electric light to introduce this condition, especially as it does not at all represent the question at issue. When a number of lights are connected in series, the resistance of each must be diminished, and when a number of lights are joined parallel, the resistance of each must bo increased, in proportion to their number, so as to maintain the total external resistance constant. If Mr. Preece will introduce this condition into his equations he will find that theo¬ retically the division of the electric light is quite possible, i. e., that, theoretically, however the lights be arranged, the unit of light will always be produced by the same expenditure of energy. Inventors should not therefore be down-hearted. On the other hand, investors in gas need not hasten to get rid of their shares, for there are many questions involving 1879.] 87 L. Schwendler —On Electric Light Measurements. practical difficulties which still remain to be solved ; but, at the same time, gas companies should be aware that they have a formidable rival in the field, and bestir themselves to maintain the lead they hold by improving their own means of illumination and extending its application. Precis of the Report on the results obtained by the Electric Light Experi¬ ments instituted on behalf of the Board of Directors of the East Indian Railway Company.—By Louis Schwendlee, Superintendent Electrician of Government Telegraphs in India (on special duty in England), dated lsi November, 1878. Results obtained .—The questions which I set myself to answer by direct experiment were :— I.—Quantity op Light pee unit op powee, unit op speed, AND UNIT OP MONEY (PIEST OUTLAY). To solve this question I have tried four different Dynamo-electric Machines producing the electric current in one direction, viz.— A Medium size, 13 Small, Dynamo-electric Machines as supplied by Messrs. Siemens, Brothers, of London (construction :—Sie¬ mens ; system :—Hefner von Alteneck). Dynamo-electric Machine C, workshop pattern, as supplied by Messrs. Soutter & Lemonnier, of Paris (construction :—Gramme). Dynamo-electric Machine D, with two sets of brushes, as supplied by the British Telegraph Manufactory (construction :—Gramme). Careful, severe, and long-extended trials, during the time of my ex¬ periments, have established that these four machines are all sufficiently practical for the production of the electric light, but that, as a rule, the statements of their actual efficiency were not found to be in conformity with the results obtained from my own experiments. The quantity of light produced by these dynamo-electric machines had been overrated, and the amount of power consumed underrated. This discrepancy between my results and those of others is probably to be explained by the difficulties which stand in the way of executing trustworthy photometric measurements. But, notwithstanding this, I find that the unit of light as produced in the electric arc ( disintegration ) by any of the four dynamo-electric ma¬ chines is at least fifty times cheaper than the unit of light as produced by combustion, considering the expenditure of power only. This represents an enormous engineering margin in favour of the electric light. 88 L. Schwendler— On 'Electric Light Measurements. [March> It is, however, necessary to state that this relation only holds good as long as one dynamo-electric machine produces one electric light. The three dynamo-electric machines B, C, and D I found practically equal, i. e., they produce the same quantity of light by the same expendi¬ ture of power. Any difference which may be found is entirely within the limits of observation and other errors. But the dynamo-electric machine A gives a much stronger light for a comparatively smaller expenditure of power. In round numbers it may be said that dynamo-electric machine A gives about double the quantity of light given by any of the other three machines, and that only about half as much power is expended to produce the unit of light. This favourable result is principally due to the comparatively small internal resistance of A, and its low speed. With reference to mechanical construction and regular working, dynamo-electric machine C is highly efficient. My experiments necessarily have suggested alterations and improve¬ ments of the dynamo-electric machines, with which, however, I shall not deal in this precis .of the Report. II.— Constancy and Regularity or the Electric Light. This appears to be still the weak point, and many improvements in this respect are possible and desirable. Although it is not in the nature of dynamo-electric machines to produce a perfectly steady current, like, for instance, galvanic batteries, the irregularity of the light resulting from this source can be entirely neglected against those produced by the lamp itself. I have tried two different lamps :— (а) The Serrin Lamp, as supplied by Messrs. Soutter & Lemonnier, of Paris, and the British Telegraph Manufactory. (б) The, Siemens Lamp , as supplied by Messrs. Siemens, Brothers. The Serrin lamp, for any given adjustment, regulates the length of the arc only in one direction, i. e., it diminishes that length. The actual consumption of the carbon points regulates the length of the arc in the other direction, i. e., increases it. In the Siemens lamp the decrease of the length of the arc is effected exactly in the same manner as in the Serrin lamp, but the increase in the length of the arc is not only left to the consumption of the carbon points —a comparatively slow process—but is accelerated by the addition of a make and break arrangement, which separates the carbon points. Hence, from a theoretical point of view, the Siemens lamp is un¬ doubtedly superior, since the length of the arc is rapidly adjusted in both 89 1879.] L Schwendler —On Electric Light JSLecisuvemcnts. directions, and consequently the working currents can increase to a very considerable degree without spoiling the dynamo-electric machine. But practically I find the Siemens Lamp somewhat difficult to man¬ age, and although, when once well adjusted, it burns as regularly as the Serrin Lamp, it is far more difficult to arrive at this adjustment. For practical use I prefer, therefore, the Serrin Lamp, with those alterations and constructional improvements which my own experiments have suggested. X shall not refer to these improvements here. A second cause of the irregularity of the electric light is the still imperfect state of the carbon points. They sometimes split, break off, burst, and crumble. Under these, circumstances, not even the most perfect lamp will produce a steady light. Of late some great improvements have been made in the manufacture of artificial carbons, but much more is required ; and this point deserves the closest attention. In my final Report I shall treat this subject in detail. With the improvements which I have been able to introduce in reference to lamps, position, form, and nature of the carbons, the electric light (emanating in a line passing through the centre of the arc, and being normal to the axis of the arc) is still exceedingly variable (ranging in intensity during short intervals of time between 1 and 3). It is true that these variations in the light are flashes lasting for a moment only ; but they are nevertheless there, the eye perceives them, and they are disagreeable. To make the electric light more steady should be considered one of the most important questions to be solved. HI. —How TO PUT UP T1IE LlGIIT—POSITION AND MECHANICAL Details. To solve this question is of the greatest practical importance. Two essentially different methods are available :— Division of the Electric Light, i. e., to produce by the same electro¬ motor a number of lights at different points of a given space. This method, besides being scarcely solved, appears to be impractica¬ ble from an engineering point of view. Such divisions of the electric light can only be effected by a large sacrifice of total and external light, and moreover this loss increases rapidly with the number of lights burned in the same circuit. It appears that the electric light can alone compete with light pro¬ duced by combustion, when produced of great intensity in one point by one dynamo-electric machine. 90 L. Schwendler —On Electric Light Measurements. [March, Endeavours to cut up the electric light into a large number of small lights, although of great interest, must, I think, invariably result in en¬ gineering failure, as nobody could afford to pay for the luxury received. I have succeeded in working three Serrin Lamps connected up succes¬ sively in the same circuit of a dynamo-electric machine, but found the loss of light very great. Having satisfied myself of the difficulty and impracticability of the division of the electric light, I tried :— Diffusion, i. e., a few large lights (each light produced by one machine), are placed at different points of the space, and by optical means the light is diffused over a large area. This method I find perfectly practicable. There is naturally also a large amount of light lost (by absorption), but this loss will bear a constant ratio to the total light produced, nay probably may decrease with the intensity. The actual plan by which I propose to do it, and have done it during the trial, is to construct a Silver ed-glass reflector in which a power¬ ful electric light burns, throwing direct and reflected rays uj) to a white ceiling or any other convenient white surface. A number of such arrange¬ ments is to be put up .in the most convenient places, and where they have the greatest effect. The form and size of each reflector will depend on the locality where it is to he used. In future constructions of railway stations the lighting up by the electric light should he taken into account. IV.— WnAT REPAIRS ARE REQUIRED IN COURSE OP TIME, AND ARE THEY OP SUCH A NATURE THAT AN ORDINARY MECHANIC CAN EXECUTE THEM ? Any repairs which during this extended trial had to be made were entirely limited to the commutator, and the brushes of the dynamo- electric machines. These repairs were exceedingly simple, and any native mechanic would be able to execute them. I consider the Commutator or Dynamo-Electric Machines A and B the best. Practice will however answer this question much more effectively than any experimental trial can do. The commutators are to be often cleaned, and the brushes are to be well set. Although the electric lamps look rather formidable, they are never¬ theless very simple apparatus, not easily getting out of order if well adjusted. 91 1879.] L. Schwendler— On Electric Liyht Measurements. V.— Routine ; difficulty of manipulation and superintendence. Only one man is actually required in eacli station, to take charge of the steam engine, dynamo-electric machine, lamps and reflectors. This man should be of a rather high intelligence to be able to under¬ stand the working of the system, the adjustment of the dynamo-electric machines and lamps. He should be a skilled mechanic in order to he able to execute the necessary repairs. A simple Test-Galvanoscope is to be used to gauge from time to time the efficiency of the dynamo-electric machine in producing a current through an external resistance equal to one unit. APPENDIX I. General Specification of a Dynamo-Electric Machine required for use in India . (East Indian Railway). The dynamo-electric machine to be of the same size and pattern as the one manufactured by Messrs. Siemens, Brothers, of London, under the name, “ Medium sized,” and which in my report has been called A. The following alterations of the present construction are to be made : 1. The induction-cylinder to be wound with twelve separate sections of wire, instead of with six, as at present. 2. The commutator, therefore, to consist of twenty-four copper plates, instead of twelve, as at present. 3. The diameter of the commutator to he increased in the propor¬ tion of 3 to 4 at least. In all other respects to be, however, of exactly the same construction as the present one, which from a construction point of view is perfect. 4. Number of brushes, four, as at present, with the difference that they should consist of several layers of finer wire instead of one layer of thick wire as is the case at present. 12 sets of brushes are to be issued with the machine in question. 5. The present adjustment of these brushes (with reference to pressure on the commutator, and relative position to the poles of the electro-magnet) wants some improvements. It is required for a safe and regular working of a dynamo-electric machine that the adjustment of the pressure of the brushes against the commutator should not only he more handy, but also finer, and that the adjustment for finding approximately the neutral line of the commutator should be made more convenient and finer. The proper practical fulfilment of these two conditions is of paramount importance, and if the present 92 L. Schwendler —On Electric Light Measurements. [Mabch, construction should not allow of such improvements, it is worth while to alter that construction somewhat. Further, the insulating material be¬ tween the brush-holders and moveable collar should be made much thicker. 6. The driving pulley of the dynamo-electric machine should keep its present diameter, but should be made broader in order to he able to use a wider strap for driving. A loose pulley should run on the axis of the in¬ duction cylinder. 7. An iron plate must form the separate base of the dynamo-elec¬ tric machine, and when putting up the dynamo-electric machine this iron plate is fixed either to abeam or to masonry. Along this iron plate the actual bottom plate of the dynamo-electric machine is to slide in grooves, so that it may be fixed in any one position by four strong screws with nuts. 8. The magnetic field in which the induction cylinder moves, should he a uniform one. In the present construction this is not the case. The magnetism at the ends is much stronger than in the middle, but it is probable that ma¬ king the poles of a solid piece of iron would alter this. This should be tried, and if it answers should be introduced in the present specified dynamo-electric machine. 9. The terminal screws of the dynamo-electric machine should not be hand screws as at present, hut strong hexagonal-headed screws with lock-nuts, and the outside wires connecting electro-magnets with brushes and induction cylinder should he insulated like the rest of the wire used in the electro-magnets. 10. When the above dynamo-electric machine is delivered, the following statements must be given :— Total weight, including everything. Weight of iron used in the electro-magnet. Weight of iron used in the induction cylinder (not including the axis). Weight of copper used in the electro-magnet, and Diameter of wire in millimetres. Weight of copper used in the induction cylinder, and Diameter of wire. Total internal resistance of the dynamo-electric machine, as found by direct measurement through the brushes. ltesistance of the separate coils of the electro-magnet. Total resistance of the induction cylinder, as found by direct measure¬ ment. ltesistance of each separate section. 93 1879.] E. Schwendler —On 'Electric Light Measurements. All resistances to "be expressed in S. U. and the temperature to he sta¬ ted at which the measured resistances are right. As these resistances are all very small, they should he given to 3rd decimal; hence a special bridge for testing must be used. 11. The speed of driving is to be between 700 and 750 revolutions per minute, and at this speed through a known external resistance, the current produced should not he less than that given by the following formula :— where C is the current in Webers. W l the power required per second to produce that current. w 1 the power per second to drive the dynamo-electric machine empty (external resistance infinite, i. e., circuit open). Both W 1 and w 1 are expressed in Meg Ergs* per second. 1 Meg Erg = 1,000,000 Ergs. i ; . m is the internal resistance of the- dynamo-electric machine, i. e., resistance of electro-magnet plus resistance of induction cylinder plus contact resistance in the commutator as found by direct measurement when all brushes are on. r is the external resistance ; both m and r expressed in S.U. When gauging the dynamo-electric machine by the above formula it is best to make r = 1 S.U. about. If the dynamo-electric machine produces less current (say more than 10 per cent, less) then there is something wrong either in the machine or with the measurements. If it is in the machine it may be due to the following causes :— Brushes make bad contact and do not approach sufficiently near to the neutral line ; try therefore a better adjustment; or there is a shunt in the machine which can best be found by driving the machine empty ; or the iron is bad, &c., &c., &c. The actual measurements are to he forwarded with the dynamo- electric machine. Mote. — The above formula has been calculated from the experimental fact that at the production of currents above 20 Webers, the loss of power in making current is about 12 per cent. If all the. force used for pro¬ ducing current were represented in the external circuit by that current flowing through a known resistance, then the formula would be : * _ 7460'6 Meg Ergs per second, equal one Watt’s H.P. per second, i. e., 550 foot¬ pounds per second in London. 01 . L. Schwendler— On Eleetric Light Measurements. [March, C = 0-33 yW 1 — w 1 J m + r therefore the observed current never can be higher than this value, and this fact gives a criterion for trustworthy observation. General Specifications of an Electric Lamp required for use in India (East Indian Railway). The lamp to be constructed on the Serrin principle , with the following alterations :— 1. All parts of the lamp, including clockwork, &c., &c., to he made of gun-metal. No steel or iron is to be used except in the electro-magnet and its armature. Even the axles of the wheels and the fly-escapement must be made of gun-metal. 2. The carbons to be used in this lamp may be of any shape—round, triangular, or square. The carbon-holders should be sufficiently large to hold a round carbon of 18 mm. diameter; and should be constructed in such a manner that they can hold carbons of a much smaller diameter, and also that by the expansion due to heating, the carbons should not become loose in their clamps. The construction of the carbon-holders in the Siemens lamp appears to be good, and should be adopted in this lamp. With 18 mm. carbons the lamp should bum 8 hours. 3. The screw for regulating the tension of the spring or springs which act in opposition to the magnetism of the electro-magnet should move 1 mm. by one whole turn. In order to know the adjustment at any one time, and to be able to make the same adjustment again, a millimeter scale is to be attached, by which the movements of the screw can be read. The circumference of the head of the screw is to he divided into ten equal parts. Hence by this arrangement the comparative tensions of the spring or springs can be read up to 0T mm. This micrometer screw, after the lamp has been regulated for any given current varying within two known limits, is to be fixed by a clamp and screw to keep that adjustment constant. 4. The distance between the electro-magnet and its armature is also to be made adjustable by a micrometer screw, provided again with millimeter scale like the above, and with a clamp and screw, for makino- any best adjustment constant. 95 1879.] L. Schwendler —On Electric Light Measurements. 5. The clockwork and all regulating parts of the lamp to be entirely covered by a strong metal case, which is to be constructed in such a manner that it can be taken off or put on without interfering in any way with the adjustment of the lamp. The best, I think, would be to make that case cylindrical, opening like a door in two halves on hinges, and with a key for closing it. There is no limit to the actual size of the case, since the lamp is intended for lighting up by the method of “ diffusion” with an opaque reflector, which is placed and begins alove the cover. None of the adjustable parts of the lamp are to protrude, as it is intended not to touch the lamp after its proper adjustment, which is done in the laboratory only. It is quite a mistake to give people easy regulating means. That will never answer in practice. People, as a rule, will turn anything in the opposite direction they ought to do; then they get excited, and the failure is attributed to the lamp instead of to the people. Each lamp has only one best adjustment for any given current varying between two known limits, and the best adjustment is made constant by fixing everything. The case or cover is then closed, and. the lamp put up for use. 6. The electro-magnet which pulls the arc should offer no more resistance than 0 - 02 S.U. It is to be shunted by another Electro-Magnet which offers exactly the same resistance (002 S.U.) Hence, one half of the current passes through the electro-magnet of the lamp, and is made use of for pulling the arc. The amount of iron used in the electro-magnet, and the number of convolutions should be such, that at the mean distance of the electro-magnet from its armature, the magnetic force is strong enough to produce an arc of 2 5 mm. against the mean tension of the spring or springs when employing a current of about 25 Webers. The magnetic action of the shunt for the same current should be about double that of the electro-magnet of the lamp, in order to leave a margin for a finer adjustment, i. e., equalization of the magnetic action of the two. In the foregoing it has been supposed that the shunt does not act on the armature. But it can be easily conceived that the free magnetism of that shunt may be made to assist the electro-magnet for regulating the I consider it, however, better not to do this, especially when the currents produced are sufficiently strong, above 30 Webers, which will be the case when using a dynamo-electric machine, as described in the first part of this Appendix. 9G L. Sehwendler —On Electric Eight Measurements. March, The two electro-magnets, each forming a shunt to the other, are adjusted in such a manner, that the extra currents they produce, when the primary current varies, are equal, and therefore, as they are invariably opposite to each other, they neutralize one another entirely, which will have the desired effect of a quicker regulation of the lamp for any varia¬ tion of current. The iron used in the shunt should have double the weight of the iron in the electro-magnet. The section of the wire for filling the shunt should be double the section of the wire filling the electro-magnet. Coil on so many convolutions on to the shunt until its resistance becomes equal to the resistance of the electro-magnet. For adjusting the equality of the extra currents the following method should be adopted :— Form a Wheatstone bridge two sides of which are formed by a mercury-rheostat, each side offering about 002 S.U. resistance. The third side of the bridge is formed by the electro-magnet of the lamp, the fourth side by the shunt. In one diagonal place a dynamo-electric machine and about one unit resistance, together with a convenient make- and-break contact, best done by a mercury cup. In the other diagonal, place a Bell-telephone, of lowest possible resistance. One end of this diagonal can bo moved along the mercury-rheostat. Start the dynamo- electric machine, listen to the telephone and alter the ratio of the mercury-branches of the bridge, by shifting along the contact until the telephone is perfectly silent. I hen if, at commencing and stopping the current a strong click is heard, we know it is due to the two extra currents not being equal, and as we further know that the shunt produces the greatest extra current, we make this extra current smaller, by shifting along the two poles of’the shunt, an iron wedge until the telephone is quiet, when starting and stopping the current. The iron wedge is then fixed in its position. This shunt is also to be inside the metal cover of the lamp. 7. The two terminals of the lamp are to be of exactly the same pattern and size as those used in the dynamo-electric machine described in the commencement of this Appendix. They must not be terminals with hand screws. APPENDIX III. On some of tiie Scientific Results obtained by Experiment. System of Units adopted In my investigations I have adopted the Centimetre- Gramme-Second system of units. 97 1879.] L. Schwendler— 'Electric Light Measurements. (Illustration of the Centimetre-Gramme-Second (C.G.S.) system of units, by J. D. Everett.) In Appendix I.* attached to the Eeport, all the required data are given for easy reference. Means oe Measurement : The Tangent Galvanometer which is described in Appendix (II) of the Eeport. By means of this instrument, constructed in special manner to suit the particular purpose, all the currents between 1'6 to 38 wehers could be measured very accurately. The currents, in absolute measure, may be taken as correct within 3 per cent, at least. The Astronomer Eoyal most kindly gave me the value of the horizontal component of the earth’s magnetism at Greenwich. The Photometer described in Appendix III. The comparison of two lights by means of this instrument rests on the following principle :— Two surfaces, equal in size and nature, are placed side by side, quite close together, and in the same plane. One surface is illuminated by one light, the other surface by the other light. This is best done by using two equal flint-glass prisms. The surfaces towards the eye are covered with tracing paper, the top half of each paper being divided by fine pencil lines into small squares. The equalization of the intensities of the two lights under comparison is done by keeping the distance between the two lights constant, and moving the two illuminated surfaces within that, constant distance. This Photometer is particularly well 'adapted for comparing the in¬ tensities of two differently coloured lights. An experienced eye can easily distinguish the relative distinction between the pencil line and the back ground of each surface, and if this relative distinction is the same in both surfaces, the two surfaces have equal intensity, no matter what the colour of each light may he. However, as a rule, the comparison of any two lights was made by observing the two surfaces through a red glass. This glass, after trying a great variety of glasses, was found to have the convenient quality of making the colours of the electric light and of the standard light equal. It was ascertained that this red glass absorbs all the violet, blue, and green rays, letting through only some yellow, more orange and all the red. * All the Appendices referred to in the following belong' to the actual Report, of which the present paper is a Precis only. 98 L. Sehwendler— On 'Electric Light Measurements. [Makch, Hence if the two lights under comparison contain the different co¬ loured rajs in different proportions, it may be said that by adjusting balance by means of the red glass, the ratio must become erroneous. However, actual experiments proved that this is practically not the case. If there is a difference it is quite within the limits of errors caused by the considerable variation in the intensity of electric lights. Two electric lights compared with eacli other by means of the red glass and without it, gave practically the same ratio. Further, the same electric lights compared each with a standard light (either a standard-candle or a platinum-light standard, to be de¬ scribed further on), and by adjusting balance through the red glass gave a ratio sufficiently close to the one found by direct comparison of the two electric lights. I can therefore recommend this photometer for practical use. The Dynamometer, described in Appendix (IV). When transmitting force by means of a strap from a driving pulley to a driven pulley, it w T ill be noticed that that side of the strap which runs towards the driving pulley has always a greater tension than the other side of the strap which runs from the driving pulley. This difference of tension in the two sides of the same strap is pro¬ portional to the force transmitted, a well and long recognised fact. The difference of tension is measured either by a graduated spring or weight, and hence the force can be calculated if the constant of the dynamometer is known. From this and the speed the power consumed per second can be calcu¬ lated. Dr. C. W. Siemens called my attention to this very simple, con¬ venient, and accurate method of measuring force transmitted and power consumed. It is a method not to be found in any text-book, and was first suggested and employed by Mr. Hefner von Alteneck, of Berlin. A drawing to scale of the dynamometer, as actually made, is attached to Appendix IV. The measurement of speed. See Appendix V. In this investigation, where almost all results depend on the speed of the induction cylinder, it becomes a matter of importance to select the proper apparatus for measuring that speed accurately. I have employed three essentially different instruments :— The Pocket-Counter —an instrument well known and extensively used. The Mercury Speed Indicator by J. M. Hapier. The speed is mea¬ sured by a column of mercury, which increases its length when the speed increases. It is a most convenient instrument. The Cycloscope, this is another very ingenious instrument for mea- 99 1879.] L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. suring the speed continuously, and is an invention of Lieut, G. S. Clarke, B. E., and Professor McLeod. The principle of the cycloscope consists in employing a tuning fork or reed as the standard by which to measure velocities of rotation. The instrument is described in the Proceedings of the Eoyal Society, 1877, Yol. XXVI. Resistance measurements. See Appendix VI. An ordinary Wheatstone bridge with S.U. has been employed. By careful comparison I find, 1 B.A.U. = 1 0509 S.U. The resistance measurements are all correct within 0 - 01 S.U. Standards of Light employed. See Appendix VII. The Standard Candle. The Metropolitan Gas Act of .1800 defines the Standard Candle as follows :— “ Sperm candles of six to the pound, each burning 120 grains an hour. To keep the flame of a candle at exactly the same position in the photometer, a condition required for accurate photometric measurements, I qilaee the candle in a closely fitting tube against the top rim of which a spring pn’esses the burning candle. The Platinum Light Standard ( P.L.S.) The unit of light is defined, as the light emitted from a pnece of pmre platinum weighing (x'j grammes and having the most convenient shape and size, when a constant current of (y) webers passes through it. The current can be easily kept constant by a convenient battery, and by inserting in the circuit a galvanoscopie and adjustable mercuiy-iheostat. The deflecting wire of the galvanoscope should consist of one thick coppier wire only. On the galvanoscope the point is marked off which eorrespiouds to a current of (y) webers. This Standard piroduces a light of perfect constancy, so long as the current is kept constant, and further allows a correction to be made if the ■variation of the current is known. It is further a standard which can be reproduced very accurately anywhere, and its magnitude may be altered to any extent to suit certain practical purposes, by simply varying the elements of the weight, shape and size of the pilatinum, or the strength of the current passing through it. It does not alter in itself. Hence the Platinum Light Standard fulfils all the conditions of a good standard, and I therefore propose it should be used in future as the standard of light in England, in lieu of the standard candle. 100 L. Schwendler— On Electric Light measurements. [March, Results. Economy of Electric Eight. The energy of the standard candle was ascertained by direct experi¬ ment. See Appendix VIII. It was found that the standard candle, in order to produce the unit of light, does work at the rate of 610 meg-ergs per second, at the least. In fact it is highly probable that the standard candle, in order to produce the unit of light, works up to more than double that amount (1965 meg-ergs per second). Further, by direct experiment, it was ascertained that the unit of light, as produced in an electric arc, by any one of the dynamo-electric machines under trial, and through a leading wire offering not more than 0-1 S.U. resistance, is produced at the rate of not more than 20 meg-ergs per second, including all the work transmitted , and the light measured in a line which passes through the centre of the arc, and stands normal to its axis. Hence the probable engineering margin in favour of the electric light is between 30 to 70, or equal to a mean of 50. Dynamo-electric machine A produces the unit of light at a rate of not more than 10 meg-ergs per second. Hence it may be safely asserted that the electric light produced by dynamo-electric machines is as an average 50 times cheaper than light by combustion. This is, however, true only as long as the light is produced in one arc. If more than one light is produced in the same circuit by the same cun ent the external or available light becomes rapidly dearer with increase of the number of lights produced. I oi this leason already, if not for many others, the division of light must result in an engineering failure. It is in the nature of the electric light that it should be used in great intensity in one point, instead of small intensities in many points. 1 or the experimental details and complete information on this in¬ teresting point. See Appendix IX. Current produced by Dynamo-Electric Machines. See Appendix XI. These currents, as the insertion of a bell-telephone (used as a shunt) will easily prove, are not steady. The dynamo-electric machine with the greatest number of sections in the induction cylinder gives the steadiest current. Twelve sections I find necessary and sufficient. Influence of Speed. See Appendix X. The current produced by any dynamo-electric machine through a given constant total resistance in circuit increases permanently with the speed of the induction cylinder. 1879.] L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. 10 L This increase of current for low speeds is more than proportional to the speed; afterwards it becomes proportional; and for high speeds the increase of current is less than proportional to the speed. The current has, however, no maximum for any speed, but reaches its greatest value at an infinite speed. This same law, as the total resistance in circuit is supposed to be constant, of course holds good also for the electro-motive of the dynamo- electric machine. Influence of External resistance. See Appendix XII. Keeping the speed constant, the electro-motive force of any dynamo- electric machine decreases rapidly with increase of external resistance. This decrease is more rapid, the smaller the internal resistance of the dynamo-electric machine is made. Hence the currents must decrease much more rapidly than propor¬ tional to the total resistance in circuit. As in the case of speed, the electro-motive force has no maximum for a certain external resistance, but approaches permanently its greatest value for an external resistance equal ‘Nil.’ It appears that the function which connects E. M. F. and speed, is the same as that which connects E. M. F. and external resistance. We have only to substitute for speed the inverse of resistance and vice versa. Maximum worlc ly a current in the resistance K. As the current decreases much more rapidly than the total resistance in circuit increases, this resistance R should invariably be made smaller than the remaining resistance of the circuit, i. e., smaller than the internal resistance of dynamo-electric machines plus resistance of leading wires. See Appendix XI and the special proof attached. The Electro-motive force of a Eynamo-Electric Machine as a function of the resistance and speed. It appears that the following two formulre are most probably correct for all Dynamo-Electric Machines, if the loss of current by transmission is taken into account:— E the E. M. F. m the internal resistance, and r the external resistance, including resistance of leading wire. 102 L. Schwendler —On Electric Light Measurements. [March, k and a arc independent of m and r, and are functions of the speed of the induction cylinder, and contain also the construction co¬ efficients. e is the basis of the natural logarithm. Further:— E' the E. M. F., and v the speed of the induction cylinder. k and a! are independent of v, and are functions of m and r only. These two functions, E and E', correspond to all the characteristics of the curves found by experiment, and they also fulfil the limit conditions. In Appendices IX and X, the question has been gone into fully. Resistance and.Electro-motive force of the Electric arc. There appears to be no doubt that an appreciable E. M. F. in the arc is established which acts in opposite direction to the electro-motive force of the dynamo-electric machine. This E. M. F. of the arc increases with the current, passing through the arc. The resistance of the arc for constant length is also a function of the current passing through it, i. e., the resistance of the arc decreases with the current, see the following table :— Current in Webers. Resistance of the Arc in S.U. E.M.F. of the Arc in Y olts. 28-81 0-91 2 02 23-87 1-72 191 16-27 1-97 1-86 See Appendix XI. The E.M.F. in an electric arc, opposite to the electro¬ motive force of the dynamo-electric machine, constitutes another reason against the unlimited divisibility of the electric light. Regularity of the production of Currents by Dynamo-Electric Ma¬ chines at different periods .—If the brushes are well set, and if they are placed as nearly as possible in the neutral line of the commutator, the production of current is perfectly regular, and measurements taken through the same external resistance at the most distant periods agree most per¬ fectly with each other, supposing the correction for variation in speed and internal resistance are applied. Disregarding the heating of the dynamo-electric machine by the current, the time required to arrive at dynamic equilibrium, i. e., when 1879.] L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. 103 force transmitted, current and magnetism received are constant, is very short indeed, especially for the strong currents, which alone are made use of for lighting. Formula, for controlling the Test-results. —As the power which is represented by the measured current working through a given resistance can never exceed the original power transmitted to the machine, we can, from current, resistance, and force measurements, frame a formula which checks the probability of the results. This formula is :— 0 0-33 J W—•w' r + m W' is the total power consumed by any dynamo-electric machine when producing the observed current -C in a circuit of resistance r + m. w' is the power consumed by the dynamo-electric machine when producing no current (i. e., driven empty; circuit open ; external resistance infinite). r is the external resistance, and m the internal resistance. In the above formula C is in webers, W' and w' in meg-ergs per second, and r and m in S.U. Of late, exaggerated statements of the performance of dynamo- electric machines have been made, the absurdity of which would have become evident at once if the above formula had been applied as a check to the results. Co-efficient of transmission. —If all the work (W 7 —w') were trans¬ formed into available current in the external circuit then:— ^ = unity, where W is the total work performed by the observed current in the circuit of known resistance. In practice it will be found however that W'—w' W -7 1 (for many reasons). This expression, W'—w' W ’ I have called :— The co-efficient of Transmission and designated it by the letter k. k is different for the different dynamo-electric machines, which have been tried, and decreases with increase of current. Producing currents above 24 webers, the following average values of k have been obtained:— 104 L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. [MAECnj Name of Dynamo- Electric Machines. K Average Current in webers. c 1-01 310 A and B 1-12 310 D 1-28 27-9 Co-efficient of Efficiency. w - -; w is the useful work done in the circuit by the current. W —w J As the resistance of dynamo-electric machines and leading wires can¬ not he made “nil,” this co-eflicient must be always smaller than unity. For currents above 24 webers we have :— Name of Dynamo- Electric Machine. € Average Current. A 0-62 29-5 B 0-53 310 0 0-47 32 6 D 030 27-9 Hence the dynamo-electric machine A converts 62 ojo of the total energy transmitted into useful work, while 38 ojo is lost ill heating the machine. Dynamo-electric machine D converts 30 ojo of the total energy transmitted into useful work, and loses 70 ojo in heating its own wires. Practical Mechanical Equivalent of the currents 'produced by Dynamo- Electric Machines. _W'—w' ^ j] where C is the current in webers. Above 24 webers, the different dynamo-electric machines produce the weber at the following consumption of power :— Dynamo-electric machines A and B produce one weber at 6S6'5 meg- ergs per second. Dynamo-electric machine C produces' one weber at 736 meg-ergs per second. 1 1879.] L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. 105 Dynamo-Electric Machine D produces owe weber at 920 meg-ergs per second. N. B.—Through certain external resistances which are sufficiently small to get currents above 24 webers. Regularity of the Electric Light — If the resistance external to the dynamo-electric machine is repre¬ sented by the resistance of the arc only, i. e., resistance of leading wires equal “ Nil,” then although the light is naturally the most powerful, it is the least steady, since any variation of the resistance of the arc has then evidently the largest influence on the current and on the light. By connecting across the electro-magnet of an electric lamp, another electro-magnet which acts as a shunt, and adjusting the two electro¬ magnets in such a manner that they produce equal extra currents when variations in the primary current take place, the regularity of the working of the lamp is greatly enhanced. (See Specification of Lamp, Appendix I, of Precis of Report.) An electro-static shunt will have a similar effect. For strong lights or strong currents, the electro-magnetic shunt is best ; for weak lights or weak currents the electro-static shunt is best. The lamp should be constructed mechanically so well and delicately that the carbon points run together with a minimum tension of the spring of the lamp. Then the lamp will be a balance with small weights. When making photometric measurements, to get more trustworthy results, it is best to use a flat carbon (2 to 3 thick) as the positive electrode, and a carbon of the usual form as the negative electrode. The light is to be observed in a line normal to the flat surface of upper carbon, and passing through the centre of the arc. In this manner the largest quantity of total light produced is measured, and, moreover, the ratio between total and external light is more constant. The lower carbon should be invariably of less section than the upper carbon. Further, when producing the light by a short arc, which it is always advisable to do, the lower carbon should be natural carbon. Coppering the carbon is advisable under all circumstances. Artificial as well as natural carbons appear to be very little hygroscopic, a great fortune for damp climates like India during the monsoons. When the arc is long, the flame by combustion of the carbons is large. This appears to be due to the fact that for a long arc the vacuum formed round the carbon points by expansion of the air by beat is less complete than in an arc of shorter length. 106 L. Schwendler— On Electric Light Measurements. [Mabch, The consumption of the carbon points is clue more to combustion than to disintegration. The incandescent part of the carbon points has so much more intensity of light than the flame that the latter causes a shadow. The hissing noise produced by the electric arc is, I believe, clue to the formation of a vacuum round the incandescent carbon points. The noise is much stronger in a short than in a long arc. It may also be due in part to the disintegration of the carbon points. The noise of the electric light in a quiet room is simply unbearable. This speaks only against the use of the electric light for domestic purposes. There can be no doubt that one length of arc is best under given circumstances, considering both the intensity and regularity of the light. The light permanently decreases with length of arc, hence the arc should be made as short as possible. This would, however, be bad for the constancy of the light, and may also spoil the dynamo-electric machine. Hence adjust the commutator by turning the brushes in the direction of the rotation until only small sparks are observed. If this is impossible make the arc longer by lessening the tension of the spring. In this manner the best length of arc can be exjjcrimentally found. This would give the best tension of the spring at the starting point. Now let the dynamo-electric machine run for several hours, and make the same experiments, when the best tension of the spring will be found somewhat less. Take the mean of the two tensions and fix the micrometer screw. Proportionality of light and current — Although the light produced in the arc must be very nearly propor¬ tional to the total energy consumed in the arc (minus the energy expended in giving the disintegrated carbon particles velocity), the resistance of the arc decreasing with increase of current, it follows that the light cannot be proportional to the square of the current. If we make the highly probable supposition that the resistance of an arc of constant length is inversely proportional to the current which passes through, then the light produced would be proportional to the current. This appears to be the case. The conduction of the arc appears to be due to two causes, rarefied air and carbon particles flying in both directions. Both causes would point towards an inverse proportionality between current and resistance of arc. There are many other novel points of great interest to be discussed, and many more practical and scientific results, I have no doubt could be 107 1879.] H. H. Godwin-Austen— New Species of Plectopylis. elucidated from my experiments, but unfortunately, I must conclude liere, since I have to start for India in a few days. The completion of the results shall, however, be given in my final report which is in preparation. 3 —On new species of the Genus Plectopylis of the family Ilelicidse. By Lieut.-Col. H. H. Godwin-Austen, F. B, G. S., F. Z. S. (Abstract.) In this paper the author describes three new species: one (ILclix ( Plectopylis ) hr achy discus') from Tenasserim among a collection of shells made by Mr. O. Limborg, of which a list is being prepared ; the other two (Helix (Plectopylis) Oglei and Helix (Plectopylis) brahma) from Eastern Assam. The paper will be published in the Journal, Part II, with a plate. 4. —Hemiptera/bom Upper Tenasserim.—By W. L. Distant. Com¬ municated by J. Wood-Mason. (Abstract.) The author in this paper enumerates and describes the Hemiptera, collected by Mr. Ossian Limborg in the district east of Moulmein, le- nasserim, and placed in his hands for determination by Mr. Wood-Mason. Among the insects described, the following are new species, Sminthus marginellus, Platyplema insignis, and Huecliys thoracica. The paper will be published, with plate, in the Journal, Part II. 5. — Statement of Earthquakes that occurred during 1878, in the Pro¬ vince of Assam.— Communicated by the Ciiief Commissioner of Assam. This paper has been received from Mr. H. P. Blanford in continua¬ tion of former lists, and will be published in the Journal, Part II. G.— Addenda to further notes on Kalidasa.—By M. A. Grierson, C. S. (Abstract.) This paper consists of extracts freely translated from the Bhoja Prabandlia, a work which contains various anecdotes concerning the couit of King Bhoja, related by one Vallala. The work has been edited by Pandit Jibananda Yidyasagara of Calcutta. Only three of the most interesting anecdotes are given in the paper. The first narrates how Kalidasa intro¬ duced himself to the king’s notice by an ingenious explanation of an appa¬ rently unreasonable act of liberality on the part of the king. The king once presented a certain poet Sankara with 12 lakhs of Kupees, which roused the jealousy of the other courtiers ; but Kalidasa pacified them by the 108 M. A. Grierson— Farther notes on Kalidasa. [March, remark that of the twelve lakhs only one was given to the poets, but the eleven others to the 11 Rudras, who are the visible forms of the god Sankara or Siva. On another occasion when some pandits who were skilled in the Vedas, but no adepts in verse-making, were at their wit’s end to complete a couplet, with which they wished to ingratiate themselves with the king, Kalidasa supplied the rest. The third anecdote illustrates the great as¬ cendancy which the poet Kalidasa had gained over the king’s mind; so that the king did not dare to remove him from his court, although he was greatly dissatisfied with his dissolute mode of life, wherein he was supported by his queen, and although his courtiers contrived by an intrigue to get Kalidasa turned away, the king remained inconsolable, until he had suc¬ ceeded in re-discovering and bringing hack Kalidasa, who henceforth stood higher than before in the king’s favour. 7- On the Norwegian Taters, their language and its relation to Hindi. —By Dr. Sundberg. (Abstract.) The Taters are the gipsies of Norway. An account of them has been published by Mr. Eilert Sundt in his work “ Beretniug om Fante-eller Landstrygerfolket i Norge.” “ The notices of them in the present paper are principally taken from it. The name “ Tater” has been identified with latar «TT are of one 4. Ditto H. 940. „ 174 grs. ditto ) type. 5. Ditto H. 948. „ 175 grs. ditto 6 , Ditto, double-line square area. wgt. 171 grs. Now. 7. Ditto, single-line square area. H. 914 „ 167 grs. New. 8 . Ditto, single-line circular area. H. 949, „ 168 grs. 9. Ditto ditto ditto. Ii. 950. „ 168 grs. 10 . Ditto ditto ditto. II. 951. „ 170 grs. Figured in T. P. Coins, 348a. 11 . Ditto, double-line circular area, small size, II. 949. wgt. 169. grs. 12 . Ditto, single-line square area H. 946. „ 170 grs. -n „ . 13. Ditto ditto ditto H. 948. „ 170 grs. 14. Ditto ditto ditto H. 949. „ 173 grs. US 15. Ditto ditto ditto II. 951. „ 171 grs. 16. Ditto ditto ditto H. 947. „ 170 grs., new. 17. Ditto ditto ditto 11. 948. „ 169 grs., new. 18. Ditto ditto ditto H. 951. „ 170 grs , new. 19. Ditto ditto ditto II. 952. „ 170 grs., new. 20 . Islam Shah, son of Sher Shah, small size H. 951. 21 . Ditto ditto ditto II. 952, 22 . Ditto ditto ditto H. 953. 23. Ditto ditto ditto H. 954. 24. Ditto ditto ditto II. 955. 25. Ditto ditto ditto II. 956. 26. Ditto ditto ditto H. 957. 27. Ditto ditto ditto H. 959. 28. Ditto ditto ditto H. 960. 29. Ditto ditto large size II. 954. [Apbii, 120 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. E. Mitra -—Coins of Pathan Kings of Delhi. Islam Shah, son of Sher Shah, large size, H. 955. Dit to ditto ditto H. 956. Ditto ditto ditto H. 958. Ditto ditto ditto H. 959. Ditto ditto ditto H. 960. 35. Muhammad Shdh, with name in Nagari, no date, new. 36. Sultan Jalal-uddin Muhammad Shah, no Nagari, no date. 3/. Bahadur Shah, son of Muhammad Shah, with name in Nagari. 38. Ditto ditto ditto. “No. 20 is worthy of special note, as it contains a date which can¬ not be reconciled with the history of Islam Shah. The Tarikh Daudi, quoting the Tarikh AJcbar Shahi, says, “ when Sher Shah rendered up his life to the angel of death in Kalinjar, Jalal Khan, his youngest son, was in the town of Rewan, in the province of Bhata, and his eldest son ’ A'dil Khan, the heir-apparent, in the fort of Ranthor (Ranthambhor). The nobles per¬ ceived that Adil Khan would be unable to arrive with speed, and as the State required a head, they despatched a person to summon Jalal Khan, who was nearer. He reached Kalinjar in live days, and, by the assistance of T'sa Dajjab and other grandees, was raised to the throne near the fort of Ka¬ linjar, on the 15th of the month Rabi-ul-awwal, 952 A. H. (25th May, 1515, A. D.) He assumed the title of Islam Shah, and this verse was en¬ graved on his seal: Ihe world through the favour of the Almig'hty, has heon rendered happy, Since Islam Shah, the son of Sher Shah, has become king.”* If this record be right, Islam must be accepted to have succeeded Sher Shah in the middle of 952, immediately after the death of his father. How comes it that we have coins bearing date 951, and describing him as a Sultan, son of Sher Shah ? In Mr. Thomas’ excellent monograph of the Pathan Kings of Delhi, mention is made of a coin of Islam Shah bearing date Ranthambar 951 H., and the typo of that coin is the same with that of the above list, but the inconsistency in the date has not been noticed. It is impossible that the father and the son could reign at the same time, unless a levolt of some kind be admitted, and such a revolt or rivalry for the empire between the father and the son has nowhere been mentioned by Mu¬ hammadan writers. The son, acting in subordination to the father, would have struck the rupees in his father’s, and not in his own, name. Moreover he was not the rightful heir, and could not succeed except by superseding his eldest brother. My own reading of No. 20 I accept with diffidence, but Mr. Thomas’ unrivalled knowledge of Indian numismatics and Semitic palaeography leaves no room for doubt that the reading is cor- * Aj>ud Elliot’s Muhammadan Historians, IY, p, 478, 121 1879.] Prof, fle Goeje’s Annals of Talari. rect, and tlie only solution that I can offer of the difficulty is that the second son was striving for the empire even from before the death of his father, and was not only in open revolt, but had gone the length of proclaim- . ing himself the Sultan, and of putting in circulation coins bearing his name a year before his father’s death, and that the Muhammadan historians have glossed over this part of his career. The only objection to this solution would be the tender age of the youth, but that would be removed if it be assumed that he had been set up by some disaffected grandees of his father’s court.” The Secretary reported that, with the consent of the Subscribers, the sum of Bs. 273-7-0, balance of the Stoliczka Memorial Fund, had been transferred to the Asiatic Society’s Servants’ Pension Fund. The Secbetaey road the following letter from Prof. J. de Goeje, dated 20th January, 1879, requesting help in obtaining subscribers for the publication of the Great Arabic Annals of Tabari, and said that he would be glad to receive the names of members who had already subscribed or wished to subscribe. “ Permit me to explain why I take the liberty of addressing you. In 1875 a consortium of Orientalists resolved to undertake the publication of the great Arabic annals of Tabari. Though there was not known a single manuscript of the whole work, still several libraries possessed parts of it, from which it would be possible to restore the text. To get these volumes copied or collated, a relatively considerable sum of money was required, and a good number of subscribers was thought necessary to cover the costs of printing. I addressed myself for support to many promoters of science and had not bad luck. I had great expectations from India and was not dis¬ appointed. Dr. Blochmann wrote to me that it would be easy for him to procure me 60 subscribers, and Dr. Eajendralala Mitra told Prof. Sprenger in a letter of earlier date, that Dr. Blochmann had already a dozen names on his list, and that he himself had a few more. Now by the illness and subsequent death of Dr. Blochmann, this most promising correspondence has been broken off, and I never received the list of subscribers, which Dr. Blochmann had given himself so much trouble to collect. I was at a loss to whom I might address myself for information, when Mr. A. Grote emboldened me to appeal to your kindness. So now I venture to recom¬ mend to you the interests of our undertaking, and to ask for your help in promoting them.” “ The first half volume of Tabari is nearly printed and will be published within two months.” 122 A. F. E. Hoernle— Gold Coins from Jalalabad. [Apeie, I)r. Hoeenxe exhibited facsimiles of three inscriptions and a statuette sent by Mr. Eivett-Carnac, and read a note by Dr. E. Mitra on the same. The inscriptions are incomplete and of not much value. They are intended for Sanskrit, but both the language and orthography are corrupt. The first, of seven lines, is from Bhojpur, near Fatehgurh. It is now built into a wall, face inwards ; but this is not its original place ; for it was put up to record the making of the approaches to a bridge, in some locality not named. According to the record, this was done during the reign of Sultan Sikandar, son of Behlal Lodi, by one Buddhana, son of Bajbal Euradi, of the race of Bahlim. It also mentions one, Khan Dag- dan. The names cannot be identified. The date is Samvat 1518 (A. D. 1491). The second, of two lines, in Kutila characters, partly illegible, contains the names Vdsava Ddmuda/ca ("for Damodctra ?). It is from a stone at Kanauj, apparently the top of a pillar ; without date. The third, from the remains of a sandstone figure, containing only ten Sanskrit letters and a monogram, is illegible. Date Samvat 1580 (A. D. 1523). The statuette is a small black sitting figure. The pose according to Dr. Mitra is that of Buddha in ecstacy, and is well known. Mr. Eivett-Carnac takes it to be a Jain figure. The symbol of the hooded snake engraved on the base, and the black colour of the figure, perhaps, indicate it to represent Parsvanatha. There is an inscription in modern Nagari all round the base, of which, however, only the date Samvat 1548 (A. D. 1491), the 6th of the waxing moon in the month of Yaisakha, and the words pranamati sadgurum, i. e., “ he salutes the true guru” can be made out. Dr. IIoeenxe read the following description of the gold coins found by Mr. W. Simpson in the Ahin Posh Tope at Jalalabad, exhibited at the last meeting. There are altogether 20 coins, two (Nos. IX and XIII) contained in a small gold reliquary, the other 18 loose. They are all of gold, of small size, about f inch wide, and about 2 drams in weight. They are of two different classes, 3 are Eoman, the other 17 Indo-scythian. The latter are of three different reigns, of Kadphises, Kanerki and Hverki. See Plates II and III.* I. Indo-scythian Coins. A. Coins of Kadphises. There are altogether ten of these ; they are of two sorts ; (1) such as bear the bust of king Kadphises on the obverse, and a standing human figure on the reverse ; (2) such as have the same obverse as the former, but on the reverse bear a human figure standing by the side of a standing bull. (1.) These again are of two kinds, in some ( $ 8 : V> 3 T3 - r O ' -2, .s >" ’%/ ccJ «' ® 3 «5 s n5 nS 1, bO Si TT^ r^: o S' a 3 r+ ■”+* .« & e. e >. s r r~ «, J u o> ) S ^ r c3 CO § 3 ma s cV> cV 3 § A 2- l a J- r s s >•* V-'' ^ CM • 3 a r v-^ 1 05 !** CM C s. s J* Previously smoked in a candle flame, is attached by a little wax to the slide, and a tuning-fork giving a known note (i. e., givin-r a known number of vibrations per second,) with a bristle attached to one * On this scale the earth’s disk would bo about 1 inch in diameter. 140 H. F. Blanford— M. Janssen's Photographs of the Sun. [Apeeg, of its prongs, is set vibrating transversely to the path of the slide. The slide being then released, a waved line is engraved on the smoked surf ace ; and supposing that the fork vibrates 500 times in the second, the length oi each wave represents the distance traversed in ^ of a second. It then the width of the slit be adjusted to one-sixth of a wave length, the duration of the exposure afforded will be -3 oV o a secon( ^- • In conclusion, Mr. Blanford remarked on the wide field for the study of solar phenomena which is opened up by M. Janssen’s discovery. The sun is still passing through a prolonged period of minimum activity, indi¬ cated hy the absence of spots, faculai and hydrogen flames. It is now in a state of comparative quiescence. Mr. Norman Lockyer has particularly remarked the reduced size of the corona, the absence of hydrogen flames and the predominance of the characteristic lines of magnesium* m the chromosphere of the late eclipse. It will be especially interesting to ob¬ serve the changes presented when the sun approaches another period of maximum activity, since facute always accompany sun-spots. It may be safely predicted tfiat the brilliant faculse and hydrogen flames (the same phenomenon seen from two different points of view) will increase at least to the same extent as the spots, and thus will probably be explained the apparent paradox which results from measurements (such as we have) of the solar radiation, viz., that the sun is hottest when the spots are most numerous. It is a common popular idea, that the reverse is the case. Igno¬ ring direct observation and reasoning a priori , it is inferred that the spots being cooler than the luminous disk, the sun must emit less heat when these are most numerous. It is with the character of the sun’s sur¬ face as with that of men. The eye seizes quickly on the blots, but ignores and takes no note of the brilliant faculai which accompany them, and out¬ shine the general surface. Capt. Waterhouse observed, with reference to Mr. Blanford’s state¬ ment that the photographs of the sun previous to those done by M. Janssen were quite blank and showed no traces of structure beyond the spots, that when exhibiting one of M. Janssen’s photographs at the Meeting in May last, he had mentioned that some of the small photographs taken with the photoheliograph by Colonel Tennant at Koorkee after the Transit of \ enus showed very distinct traces of structure over the solar disc, and though of course they were wanting in the fine details of the granular structure, the outlines of what he believed M. Janssen called the polygons of his network were easily distinguishable. These photographs had been very carefully * Mr. Loclryer’s view as is well known is that the greater intensity of the solar heat at the timo of maximum sun-spots, causes a dissociation of the magnesium molo- culi, resolving it into hydrogen. 141 1879.] Ij. Schwendler —On a new Standard of Light. taken by Colonel Tennant and developed with pyrogallic acid. Some of the photographs taken in Calcutta with the same instrument on dry plates by Sapper Meins, who was sent out by the Secretary of State to take photographs of sun-spots, also showed the same structure. Owing to want of the proper appliances none of these photographs had been enlarged, and they were too small to give anything like such satisfactory results as those obtained by M. Janssen because the size of the disc was only 4 inches instead of 12 inches. The following papers were read r— 1. On a neio Standard of Light.—By L. Schwendleb, Esq. (Abstract.) The author illustrated his paper by exhibiting an actual standard. The new standard of light consists of a piece of pure sheet platinum of an U shape, cut accurately to fixed dimensions. When a sufficiently stiong electric current is made to pass through the platinum, it becomes white- hot and emits a brilliant light. He showed experimentally how the intensity of this light could be varied, i. e., the magnitude of the standard altered,_by varying the current, and that when the current was kept constant, the light was rigorously constant also. Mr. Schwendler defines the new unit of light as : The quantity of light emitted from apiece of pure platinum iveighing (ce) grm. and having the most convenient shape and size, ivlien a constant current of (y) webers per second passes through it. The advantages of the new standard are : The Light is perfectly constant if the current is kept constant; it allows a correction to be made for the variation of the current when this variation is known ; it can be reproduced very accurately anywhere ; its magnitude can be altered to any extent to suit certain practical purposes by simply varying the elements of weight, shape and size of the plati¬ num, or the strength of the current passing through it; it does not alter of itself, either in intensity, size, or position, and therefore most accurate photometric measurements can be made with it; the standard can be easi¬ ly made to fit into any adopted system of absolute units. Hence the new standard fulfils all the recognised conditions of a perfect and rational stan¬ dard, and Mr. Schwendler therefore proposes it should be adopted in future in England and India in lieu of the Standard Candle. Mr. Schwendler concluded by saying that there would be no practical difficulties met with in the introduction of the new standard for technical purposes. Gas Companies and other Corporations that may in time be formed to supply that necessary commodity “ light,” to the goneral public would find it quite easy and highly satisfactory to themselves to 142 S. E. Peal— The Old Burmese Houle over Patfcoi. [Apete, use such a reliable standard for measuring the light they sell, and the pub¬ lic on the other hand, would then know correctly the quantity of light they receive, and for what they have to pay. The paper, written at the beginning of 1878, and originally intended to form an appendix to Mr. Sehwendler’s report “ on the Electric Light experiments,” will be printed in the Journal, Part II. 2. Notes on the Old Burmese route over Patlcoi via Nongyang.—By S. E. Peal, Esq. (Abstract.) In this paper the author shows the advantages to be gained by opening out a trade route between India, Burma and China over the Patkoi range, and recounts the various explorations that have been made with this object. The paper will be published, with maps, in the Journal, Part II. 3. On some experiments made at II. M's Mint in Calcutta on coining. Silver into Bupees.-—By Col. J. E. Tehnant, e. e.,. c. i. e., e. e. s., &c.. Master of the Mint. (Abstract.) This paper contains an account of some experiments made by the author to ascertain the cause and extent of the apparent refining that takes place when an alligation containing fine silver and copper is melted and of the further changes in the alloy during the processes of coining. The author also places on record some interesting information as to the general working of the Mint. The paper will be published in the Journal, Part II. 4. Observations on some Chandel Antiquities.—By P. C. Black, c. e., and Y. A. Smith, b. a., c. s. (Abstract.) This paper is intended to be supplementary to the accounts of Mahoba and Khajuraho given in General Cunningham’s Archajological Reports. The present position of the Chandel clan is briefly noticed, and the rumoured existence of an unpublished inscription at Khajuraho is men¬ tioned. The writers suggest that the ‘ magic square’ cut on the right jamb of the door of the Jinanath temple may not be ancient, and urge the necessity for careful editing of the known Chandel inscriptions. The dis¬ covery of two short inscriptions near Mahoba, and of a sixth life-size ele- pliant statue in the Madan Sugar is announced. Some remarks on the construction and decoration of the Khajuraho temples are offered, and stress is laid on the proofs of the extent to which restorations have been effected. 143 1879.] V- A. Smith —A Chandel Inscription dated 1240 S. The questions as to the age and destination of the Ganthai temple are discussed at length, with the result that in the writer’s belief this temple is not nearly so ancient as has been supposed by General Cunningham and Mr. Fergusson, but is on the contrary a comparatively modern unfinished restoration, composed possibly of ancient materials. This temple probably belonged to the Jains, and not to the Buddhists. The concluding section of the paper is devoted to a description of three hitherto undescribed temples. These buildings are rectangular in plan and seem to have been Jain. The writers hope in another paper to describe certain other remarkable buildings. The paper will be published in the Journal, Part I. 5. A Chandel Inscription dated 1240 S. By V. A. Smith, b. a., c. s. (Abstract.) The inscription from Mahoba of which I send a rubbing and hand- copy appears to me worth publishing, for although it is unfortunately very imperfect; it contains several names not mentioned in the Chandel inscrip¬ tions which have been published. The record is engraved in very distinct Kutila characters on a laige^ black slab, which was discovered by General Cunningham in 1843, built into the northern wall of the building known popularly as Raja Parmal’s fort. In his account of Mahoba (Arch. Report, Yol. II), General Cunning¬ ham speaks of this inscription as one of Parmal’s or Paramarddi’s, but in a private letter to me he explains that he “ did not mean to attribute it to “ Paramarddi himself, but only to the period of Ins reign.” The inscription does not contain the name of the reigning Raja, but there can be little doubt that the year 1210 S. was included in the reign of Parmal. . I cannot venture on a translation of what is left of this curious record, but perhaps some more learned member of the Society may be induced to take the trouble of making a translation so far as is possible. No personal name appears in the first ten lines, which are occupied with the praises of some one whose name is lost. The whole inscription consists of sixteen lines, at the eleventh of which the first complete verse is found. The record then goes on to,state that « i n the great family of Vatsavya was born Sulnla son of Hallan.” , Refer¬ ence is made to somebody named Jayapala, and the names of Namka the founder of the Chandel dynasty, of Lakshmana, Kalala, and Madhava occur. Devaja the son of Somaraja is mentioned near the end as a skilled work¬ man, and the inscription appears to be intended to commemorate the erec¬ tion of an edifice, probably a temple, with a “lofty steeple” (s'ikhara). * The inscription as it now stands measures 27" x It'. 144 H. Rivett-Carnac— Memo, on Seals from Sanlcesur. [Apbii, Nothing is known as to the original locality of this inscribed slab. Mr. F. C. Black has preserved it from further injury by fixing it carefully in the wall of the road bungalow near Mahoba. This paper will be published in the Journal, Part I. 6 . Memo, on Seals etc., found at Sanlcesur, Eatehgarh District. _ Dy H. Riyett-Caenac, Esq., c. s„ c. i. e., f. s. a., m. e. a. s., &o. (Abstract.) This paper describes discs and seals of baked clay, which were found by Mr. Bivett-Carnac in large quantities in the ruins near Sankesur and Behar (see General Cunningham, Arch. Survey, Vol. I, p. 371 ) and of which he forwarded a few specimens. The discs are small, from 1 to 2 inches wide, and about i inch thick. They are mostly quite plain, a few are more or less ornamented ; one of them bore a well defined Maltese cross; some of them are pierced in the centre. There were also some discs of marble, crystal or other polished stone, and of various sizes (the smallest about * inch wide) ; only one of these (apparently of granite) showed the central hole. Mr. Carnac suggests that these discs were votive offerings at the Buddhist shrines of Sankesur; those of clay beino- the gifts of the poorer classes, the others those of the rich, and the perforated ones perhaps signifying that the prayer had been granted. The clay seals also, are small, from 1 to 1* inches wide. Most of them bear an inscrip’ tion, generally in the Kutila characters, but one in Gupta ; containing the Buddhist creed : ye dharmmd hetupralhavd hetum tesMm tathdganto hyava- dattesham cha yonirodhah evam vadi mahdsrdmanah. In a note, contribu¬ ted by Dr. Mitra, he says that these seals are well known. They were first noticed by Mr. Thomas in his paper on the ruins of Sarnath; then by General Cunningham in his “ Bhilsa Topes.” They have been also noticed by Dr Mitra himself in his “ Buddha Gaya,” p. 119 ,ff. Two, however, of Mr. Rivett-Carnac s seals are new. One of them has the word vrRPfr « o£ every cay” on it. The other has four letters, which, two being very doubt¬ ful, cannot be read ; there are two deer on it which show that it is Bud Library, • , fOl i Win i g , ad ? ti0nS 1UVe b6en made t0 tlle library since the Meet¬ ing held in March last. J meu:- JRANSACTIONS, fROCEEDINGS AND jJou R NALS, presented by the respective Societies or Editors. B bn y, T)ie ^ n i^V re T SOhe Akademie <*er Wissenschaften zu Ber- bn, Monatsbencht, November, 1878. Library. 145 1879.] Bombay. The Indian Antiquary,—Vol.‘VIII, Part 90. Eirtane, N. J.— Hammira Mahak&vya of Nayachandra Suri. Sewell, It. —Two Eastern Chalukya eopper-plate grants. Tope, G. XT.— Notes on tho Dravidian or South Indian Family of Languages. Bordeaux. Socidte de Geographic Commerciale de Bordeaux,—Bulletin, Nos. 3, 4 and 5 of 1879. No. 5. Comte Meyners d’ JEstrey, —Lo golfe Persique et son commerce. Calcutta. The Geological Survey of India,—Memoirs, Palaiontologia Indi- ca, Series IV, Vol. I, Pt. 3. LydelcTcer, It. —Fossil JReptilia and Bratrachia. ■ -. -. Records,—Vol. XI, Pt. 4, 1878, and Vol. XII, Pt. 1, 1879. Vol. XI, Pt. 1. Waagen, XV. —On the Geographical Distribution of fossil organisms in India. Ormiston, G. II. —Submerged Forest on Bombay Island. Vol. XII, Pt. 1. Annual Report of the Geological Survey of India, and of the Geological Museum, Calcutta ; for the year 1878. lydeklcer, JR. —Geology of Kashmir.—Further notices of Siwalik Mammalia.—Notes on some Siwalik Birds. McMahon, Col. C. A.— Notes of a tour through Hangrang and Spiti. Mallet, F. R. —Note on a recent mud eruption in Ramri Island (Arakan)..—On Braunite, with Rhodonite, from near Nagpur, Central Provinces. Feistnian- tel, 0 .—Palaeontological notes from the Satpura Coal-basin. Hughes, Theo. XV. JBJ. —Statistics of Coal importations into India. Calcutta. The Indian Forester,—Vol. IV, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. No. 1. Brandis, JD. —Sulpiz Kurz. No. 2. Influence exercised by trees on the Climate and Productiveness of the • Peninsula of India. Cooke, M. C. —Some Fungi on living Plants in tho N. W. Himalaya. No. 3. Brandis, D.—Memorandum on the Bate of Growth of Teak. King, G .— Sketch of the Flora of Rajputana. -. The Mahabharata. Dresden. Jahresbericht des Vereins fiir Erdkunde,—Nos. 13, 14 and 15. Leipzig. Deutsche Morgenlaudiscke Gesellsckaft,—Zeitsckrift, Band XXXII, Heft 4. London. Athenaeum,—Nos. 267G to 2680. --. Institution of Mechanical Engineers,—Proceedings, No. 4, Octo¬ ber, 1878. Galton, JD. —On the effect of Brakes upon Railway Trains. •-. Nature,—Vol. XIX, Nos. 484 to 488. -. Royal Astronomical Society,—Monthly Notices, Vol. XXXIX, No. 2, December, 1878. Ziveing, E. H. —On a portable Star Finder for Altitude and Azimuth Telescopes. -. Royal Geographical Society,—Proceedings, Vol. I, No. 2, Febru¬ ary, 1879. 14(5 Library. [April, Markham, C. If.—The upper basin of tho Kabul river. Palermo. Societa degli Spettroseopisti Italiani,—Memorie, Yol. VII Disp. 1 . Tacchini, P.— Osservazioni dirette e spettroscopiche solari fatte a Palermo nel terzo trimestre del 1878. Paris. Soeiete de Geograpliie,—Bulletin, Tome XVI, No. 31 December 1878. Versteeg, Col-.— La mission scientifiquc Neerlandaisc a Sumatra. Pome. R. Accademia dei Lincei,—Atti, Vol. Ill, Fasc. 1 and 2, Decern- ber 1878 and January 1879. Roorkee. Professional Papers on Indian Engineering,—See. Ser., Vol. VIII No. 31. ’ ‘ ’ Medley, J. G. —Indian Kailway Traffic. Cremell, E. IT.—Experiments made at Narora, Lower Ganges Canal, on the strength of different thickness of Mortar joint's. Cunningham, A.—Essay on the Theory of Running Water. Sehaffliausen. Schweizeriscke Entomologiscke Gesellschaft,—Mitthei- lungen, Vol. V, Heft 7, November, 1878. Turin. II. Accademia delle Seienze di Torino,—Atti, Vol. XIV, Disp. 1 . •-. Society Toscana di Seienze Natui-ali,—Processi Verbali No XXXIX. Yokohama. Asiatic Society of Japan,—Transactions, Vol. VII Part 1 February, 1879. Milne, J .—Journey across Europe and Asia. j3oOKS AND j-’AMPHLETS, presented by the respective Authors. Conybeare, H. and Atkinson, E. T. Statistical, Descriptive and His- toncalaccount of the Bijnor District. 8 vo., 1878. Sciiwendlee, L. and Beough, R. S. Instructions for testing lines bat- tenes and instruments ; and guide to the technical arrangement of Tele- graph Offices in India. 8 vo., 1878, Vol. II. Thomas, E. On the Position of Women in the East in Olden Time. 8 vo. 1879. ^Miscellaneous Presentations. Mite a, R. L. Buddha Gaya, the Hermitage of Sakya Muni, cutta, 1878. A List of the Objects of Antiquarian Interest in the Lower of Bengal. 8 vo., Cal- Proviiices Report on the Administration of tho Salt Department for 1877-78. Bengal Government. library. 147 A J Codices Indici Bibliothecae Regiae Havniensis. India Office Library. Hand-list of Mollusca in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, Part I, Gastro¬ poda. Trustees of the Indian Museum. The Indian Antiquary, Yol. VIII, Part 89, February, 1879. Cust, R. N. A Sketch of the Modern Languages of the East Indies. Fallon, S. W. A new Hindustani-English Dictionary, Part 20, Febru¬ ary, 1879. Report on the Administration of the Meteorological Department of the Government of India, 1877-78. Report on the Meteorology of India in 1877. Government of India. Home Department. Index to sixty-two MS. Volumes, deposited in the Government Orien¬ tal MS. Library. Government of Madras. Reports concerning the Arch Ecological Remains in the Kurachee, Hy¬ derabad and Shikarpur Collectorates, in Sindh. No. 8. Archeological Survey of Western India. Report on the Chandernagore Poostakagar. Chandernagore Poostakagar. Report of the Free Public Libraries and Museums Committee, 18/7- 78. The Committee. Report on the Judicial Administration (Civil) of the Central Provin¬ ces for 1878. Chief Commissioner, Central Provinces. Report on Public Instruction in the Madras Presidency for 187G-77. Madras Government. Namur, A. Tables des Logarithmes a 12 decimales. Royal Society of Belgium. The Walsall Free Library Report, 1877-78. Walsall Free Library. j- , ERIODICALS j^URCHASED. Benares. A new Hindustani-English Dictionary, February, 18/9, Pait XX. Bombay. The Vedarthayatna, — Part II, No. 30. Calcutta. The Indian Medical Gazette, — Vol. XIV, No. 3, March, 18/9. Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Review, — Vol. CXLIX, No. 305, January 1879. 148 Library. [Amir,, Gottingen. Gottingische Gelehrte Anzeigen,—Stiicke 4 to 9. Stuck 6. Bergaigne, A.— La religion vedique d’ apres les hymnes duRig-Veda. Stiick 8. Bezzenberger, A.— Beitrage zur Kunde der indogermanischenSprachen, herausgegeben &c. - ■ . Nackrichten,—Nos. 3 and 4. No. 3. Benfey. — Das sanskritische Suffix ina, insbesondere im Rigveda. Leipzig. Annalen der Physik und Chemie,—Band VI, Heft 2. Oberbeck, A. —TJntersuchungen iiber schnell weehselnde electrische Strbme. Schonn, Z. Z.— Ueber die Absorption des Lichtes durch Fliissigkeiten. —-. -. Beiblatter,—Band III, Stiick 2. London. The Academy,—Nos. 353 to 357. -. The Chemical News, Yol. XXXIX, Nos. 1002 to 1006. No. 1004. Smith, B,. A. — Absorption of Gases by Charcoal. No. 1005. Decomposition—Products of Quinine and the Allied Alkaloids. No. 1006. Kern, S . — Note on Steel welding. Williams, G .—On the new sub¬ stitute for Litmus. -. The Entomologist,—Vol. XII, No. 189, February 1879. -. The Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine,—Yol. XV, No. 177, February 1879. -. The Ibis, Vol. Ill, No. 9, January 1879. Seebohm, H . — Remarks on Messrs. Blackiston and Pryer’s Catalogue of the Birds of Japan. Meyer, A. B. — Field-notes on the Birds of Celebes. --. The London, Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, — Vol. VII, No. 41, February 1879. Schuster, A. —An easy Method for Adjusting the Collimator of a Spectroscope. Jacqttes, W. W. — Elfect of the Motion of the Air within an Auditorium upon its Acoustic Qualities. Berry, J. and Ayrton, W. E. —On the Music of Colour and Visible Motion. .-. The Messenger of Mathematics,—Vol. VIII, No. 92, December 1878. Lewis, T. C .—On Centres of Pressure, Motacentres, &c. --■. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History,—Vol. Ill, No. 14, February 1879. Distant, W. L.—Eemiptera from the North-Eastern Frontier of India. Legge, W. V .—On two Races or Subspecies of Indian Birds inhabiting Ceylon. -. The Nineteenth Century, No. 24, February 1879. Frof. Fawcett. — The Financial Condition of India. Wallace, A. R. —Animals and their Native Countries, lockyer, J. IV.—The Chemical Elements. •-. The Numismatic Chronicle,—Vol. XVIII, No. 72, Part IV of 1878. —. The Quarterly Review,—Vol. CXLVII, No. 293, January 1879. Russia and the Indian Frontier. 1879.] Library. 149 London. The Monthly Journal of Science,—Vol. I, No. 62, February 1879. Williams, W. M. —A Contribution to the History of Electric Lighting. Ayrton, W. E .—Electric Lighting by Incandescence. Thomas. E. and Houston, E. J. —On the Transmission of Power by means of Electricity. --. Society of Arts,—Journal, Vol. XXVII, Nos. 1363, 1364 and Nos. 1368 to 1372. No. 1364. J Blakely, E. T. —The Silk Industry of Northern Italy. No. 1368. Wallace, W. —Gas Illumination. Birdwood, G. —The Quest and Early European Settlement of India. No. 1370. Hollway, J .—On a New Application of Rapid Oxidation, by which Sulphides are utilised for Fuel. -. The Westminster Eeview,—New Series, Vol. LV, No. 1, January 1879. Afghanistan—India and our Colonial Empire. Paris. Annales do Chimie et de Physique,—Tome XV, December 1878. Govi, G. —De la mosure du grossissement dans les instruments d’ optique. 1 — - . . Comptes Eendus,—Tome LXXXVIII, Nos. 4 to 8. No. 4. Marcano, V. and Muntz, A .—Sur la composition de la banane, et sur des essais d’utilisation do co fruit. Thollon, M. L ,—Deplacement do raics spoctralos, du au mouvement do rotation du Soleil. No. 5. Halarce, M. de. —Extension du systeme metrique dos poids et mesures; developpement de systemes monetaires conformes ou concordant dans les divers etats du mondo. No. 6. Chatin, M. A. —Sur 1’existence d’un apparoil prehenseur ou complemon- taire d’adherence dans les plantes parasites. No. 7. Marey, E. J. —Nouvolles recherches sur les poissons electriques ; carac- teres de la dechargo du Gymnote ; effets d'une decharge do Torpille, lancee dans un telephone. No. 8. Cros, Ch. —De l’aetion des differentes lumiercs colorees sur une couche de bromuro d’argent impregnee do diverses matieres colorantos organiques. -. Eevue Critique cl’histoire et de litterature, Nos. 5 to 8. -. Eevue des Deux Mondes, Tome XXXI, Livraisons 3 and 4, and Tome XXXII, Livraison 1. -. Eevue Scientifique, Tome XVI, Nos. 31 to 35. No. 33. Bertillon, J. —Les celibataires, les veufs et les divorces, au point de vue du mariage. No. 34. Joly, N .—Origine des animaux domestiques. No. 35. Salet, G. —La decomposition des corps simples, d’apres les recents travaux de M. N. Lockyer. Thoulet,J ,—Le nickel, ses gisements, sa metal- lurgie et ses usages. Fontpertius, Ad. F. de. —L’emigration Chinoise. ——. Journal des Savants,—January 1879. Saint-Hilaire, B .—Sept Suttas palis, tires du Dighd-Nikaya. J300K j^URCHASED. Fonseca, J. N. Historical and Archaeological Sketch of Goa, with map, plan and lithographic plates. 8vo., Bombay, 1878. . ■ ■ LIST OF BOOKS FOR SALE AT THE LIBRARY OF THE y^siATic JSociety of ^Bengal, No. 57, PARK STREET, CALCUTTA, AND OBTAINABLE FROM THE SOCIETY’S LONDON AGENTS, MESSES. TEDBNEE & CO. } 67 and 69, Ludgate Hill, London, E. C. BIBLIOTHECA INDICA. Sanskrit Series. Uttara Naishadha, 12 fasci.....R S- 7 8 Chaitanya-chandrodaya, Nataka, 3 fasci. I 14 S'rauta Sutra, As'valayana, 11 fasci... 6 14 -Latyayana, 9 fasci. 5 10 S'ankara Yijaya, 3 fasci... 1 14 Vaishes'ika Darsana, 0 fasci. 3 2 Dasa-rupa, 3 fasci. 1 14 Kaushitaki Brahmanopanishad, 2 fasci. 1 4 Sankhya-sara, 1 fasci. 0 10 Brihat Sanhita, 7 fasci. .. 4 6 Lalita-vistara, 6 fasci. 3 12 Taittiriya Brahmana, 24 fasci. 15 0 Taittiriya Sanhita, 31 fasci. ... 19 6 Taittiriya Aranyaka, 11 fasci. 6 14 Maitri ijpanishad, 3 fasci..... 1 14 As'valayana Grihya Sutra, 4 fasci. 2 8 Himansa Darsana, 13 fasci... 8 2 Tandya Brahmana, 19 fasci... H 14 Gopatha Brahmana, 2 fasci. 1 10 Atkarvana Hpamshads, 0 fasci. 3 2 Agni Purana, 13 fasci. 8 2 Sama Yeda Sanhita, 37 fasci. 23 2 Gopala Tapani, 1 fasci... 0 10 Nrisinha Tapani, 3 fasci. 1 14 Chaturvarga Chintamani, 30 fasci.. 18 12 Gobhiliya Grihya Sutra, 9 fasci. 5 10 Pingala CKhandah Sutra, 3 fasci. 1 14 Taittiriya Pratis'akhiya, 3 fasci. 1 14 Pritliirij Rasu, by Chand Bardai, 3 fasci. 1 14 Rajatarangini, ..... 4 0 Mahabharata, vols. III. and IV., . 40 0 Purana Sangraha, ... 1 0 Pali Grammar, 2 fasci. 1 4 Aitareya Aranyaka of the Rig Veda, 5 fasci. 3 2 Chhandogya IJpanishad, English, 2 fasci.. 1 4 Taittiriya, &c., Upanishads, English, 2 fasci.... 1 4 Sahkhya Aphorisms, English, 2 fasci. .. 1 4 Sahitya Darpana, English, 4 fasci.... 2 8 Brahma Sutra, English, . 1 0 Katantra, 4 fasci..... 4 0 Kamandakiya Nitisara, 4 fasci. (Fasci. 1, out of stock.) .. 2 8 Bhamati, 6 fasci.... 3 12 Aphorisms of Sandalya, English, Fasci. 1., .... 0 10 Aralio ty Persian Series. Dictionary of Arabic Technical Terms, 20 fasci., complete,. Risalah-i-Shamsiyah, (Appendix to Do. Do.), . Fihrist Tusi, 4 fasci. .... Nukhbat-ul-Fikr,... Futuh-ul-Sham, Waqidi, 9 fasci... Futuh-ul-Sham, Azadi, 4 fasci. Maghazi of Waqidi, 5 fasci. Isabah, 28 fasci., with supplement, .. Tarfkh-i-Firuz Shahi, 7 fasci... Tarikh-i-Baihaqi, complete in 9 fasci. Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh, vols. I. II. and III., complete in 15 fasci. .. Wis o Ramin, 5 fasci. Iqbalnamah-i-Jahangiri, complete in 3 fasci. ’Alamgimamah, 13 fasci., with index,. Padshahnamah, 19 fasci., with index, . Muntakhab-ul-Lubab, by Khafi Khan, 19 fasci., with index, .. Ain-i-Akbari, Persian text, 4to., 22 fasci.. Ain-i-Akbari, English translation by H. Blochmann, M. A., vol. I, .. Farhang-i-Rashidi, 14 fasci., complete,. Nizami’s Khiradnamah-i-Iskandari, 2 fasci. complete. Akbarnamah, 13 fasci. with Index, ...... Ma&sir-i-’Alamgiri, by Muhammad Saqi, complete, 6 fasci., with index, Haft Asman, history of the Persian Masnawi,.. Tabaqat-i-Naqiri, English translation, by Raverty, 8 fasci. Tabaq&t-i-Naqiri, Persian text, 5 fasci. Rs. 25 0 ... 14 ... 3 0 ... 0 10 ... 5 10 ... 2 8 ... 3 2 . .. 20 14 ... 4 6 .... 5 10 . .. 9 6 .... 2 3 .... 1 14 ... 8 2 .... 11 14 ... 12 12 ...27 8 ... 12 4 .. .. 17 S .... 2 0 ....15 0 .... 3 12 .... I 4 .... 8 0 .... 3 2 MISCELLANEOUS. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal from vols. XII to XVII, 1843-48, vols. XIX to XXI, 1850-52, to Subscribers at Re. 1 per number and to non-subscribers at Re. 1-8 per number ; vols. XXVI, XXVII, 1857-58, and vols. XXXIII to XLV, 1864-76, to Subscribers at 1-8 per number and to non- subscribers at Rs, 2 per number. Asiatic Researches, vols. VII. to XII. and vols. XVII. to XX. each.Rs. 10 Do. Do. Index, . " Catalogue of Fossil Vertobrata,. “ -- of Sanskrit Manuscripts, ..... . J - of Arabic and Persian Manuscripts,. 1 Tibetan Dictionary, .. -Grammar, ... ° Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts, 13 fasci. Istilahat-i-Sufiyah. Edited by Dr. A. Sprenger, 8vo. 1 Jawami’ ul-’ilm ir-riyazi, 168 pages with 17 plates, 4to. 2 Aborigines of India, by B. H. Hodgson, .....: V ‘ i"A." A" "w 'rf ’ ’ U ‘ « Examination and Analysis of the Mackenzie Manuscripts, by the Rev. W. laylor, 2 Han Koong Tsew, or the Sorrows of Han, by J. Francis Davis. 1 ’Inayah, a Commentary on the Hidayah, Vols. II. IV., . 16 Analysis of the Sher Chin, by Alexander Csoma de Kciros, . 1 Khazanat-ul-’ilm, . I 9harayat-ul-Islam, . * Anis-ul-Musharrihin,. 3 Catalogue Raisonne of the Society’s Sanskrit MSS. Part I, Grammar. 2 0 0 0 6 o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 0 0 0 0 0 0 t PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL. EDITED BY HE jiONORARY jSECRETARIES. No. V. MAY, 1879. « Tij e bounds of its investigation will be the geographical limits of Asia: and within these limits its inquiries will be extended to whatever is performed by man or produoed by nature.”— Sib William Jones. 4 rupees. 8 annas. 1 anna. Is. Annual Subscription, Tl n