Walker observed that the Archdeacon had thus rendered a second service to the survey by demonstrating the presence of an additional, but beneficial source of disturbance, tending to counteract the errors which the Himalayas acting above, would introduce into the astronomical arcs.

A vote of thanks was accorded to Major Walker for his valuable communication.

Archdeacon Pratt, who was present, said that it was gratifying to him to learn from so high an authority as the Superintendent of the Great Trigonometrical Survey himself that his investigations were considered useful. His connection with this subject had arisen from the accidental circumstance of his visiting Budraj near Dehra, ten years ago when on a tour of official duty, on which occasion Sir Andrew Waugh called his attention to the discrepancy which his predecessor had found to exist between the measured and observed lengths of the northern portions of the great are of meridian, and asked him to turn his thoughts to the subject. The investigation is so difficult and abstruse that those only who had read his papers through would enter into it. To this he would attribute the impression which had gone abroad in some places that in his fourth and last paper in the Royal Society's Transactions he had in a measure receded from a position he had taken up in an earlier stage of the investigation; which was not at all the case. There could be no question that the deflection caused by the Himalayas at the northern extremity of the great arc is very great, about five times as great as that caused at Col. Lambton's station, which was rejected in consequence of the amount, as Major Walker has stated; and that there is a considerable deflection also at the southern extremity of the arc, arising from a cause which had never before been thought of, viz., the deficiency of attracting matter in the occan, and amounting, there was little doubt, to as much as four times the error at the rejected station. At intermediate places on the arc the effects were intermediate also. The tendency of the two causes taken together was, therefore, as Major Walker had stated to a certain degree to equalize the total error throughout the arc, that is in fact to conceal it, because the Survey brings to light only relative errors of deflection. His last paper had demonstrated by means of the theorem to which Major Walker had referred, that (inappreciably small quantities being

neglected) the distances between places determined by the survey are free from the effects of these errors of local attraction, and that a comparison of these measured distances with the latitudes found by observations of the heavens gave the correct amount by which the total local attraction (arising from whatever causes, mountains, ocean, or variations of density in the strata below) differed in passing from one place to another. It was to his having arrived at his satisfactory conclusion, that he attributed the impression which had existed in some quarters, that he had receded from some former position he had taken up. But he would add, that this result, which was so satisfactory as regarded the survey, could not have been anticipated, and could be known only by demonstration, when once the existence of the great disturbing causes he has alluded to had been brought to light. The total error by which the whole map was out of place on the terrestrial spheroid was still an unknown quantity, and was very probably as much as half a mile. The exact amount would always remain unknown, since although the effect of the Himalayas and of the ocean might be estimated in the way his papers had set forth, the effect of unknown variations of density in the strata below could not be ascertained. The Librarian then submitted the usual monthly report.

LIBRARY.

The following is a list of the additions made to the Library since the last meeting.

Presented.

The Chronicles of Oonao, a district in Oudh, By C. A. Elliott, Esq.-BY THE AUTHOR.

Indische Studien, Vol. 5, Parts 2 and 3.-BY DR. WEBER.

Annals of Indian Administration, Vol. VI. Part 3 for September 1862.-BY THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT.

Bij dragen Tot de Taal-Land en Velkenkunde van Nederlandsch Indie, Part 4.-BY THE AMSTERDAM INSTITUTION.

Calcutta Christian Observer for October and November 1862.-Br THE EDITORS.

Paspati, A. G. Memoir on the language of the Gypsies.-BY THE AUTHOR.

General Report on Public Instruction in the Lower Provinces of

the Bengal Presidency for 1860-61.—BY THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.

Journal of the Statistical Society of London, Vol. XX. V. Part 3 for September 1862.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Ditto Asiatique, Tome XIX. Nos. 75, 76 and 77 for June and July 1862.-BY THE PARIS ASIATIC SOCIETY.

Ditto of the Chemical Society, Vol. XV. Nos. 7 to 9 for July to September 1862.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Ditto of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India, Vol. XII. Part 3.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Ditto of the Sacred Literature and Biblical Record, Vol. II. No. 3 for October 1862.-BY THE EDITORS.

Ditto of the Royal Geographical Society, Vol. XXXI.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India, Palæontologia Indica, Vol. II. Part 3.-BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SURVEY.

Oriental Baptist, for August and September 1862.-BY THE EDITOR.

Oriental Christian Spectator for July and August.-BY THE EDITOR. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, Vol. VI. Nos. 3 and 4.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Ditto of the Royal Society of London, Vol. XII. Nos. 50 and 51.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, Vol. XVII. No. 71 for August 1862.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Annual Report on the Administration of the Coorg Districts for 1861-62.-BY THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT.

Annual Report on the Administration of British Burmah for 186162.-BY THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT.

Annual Report on the Administration of Mysore for 1861-62.-Bx THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT.

Report on the Administration of the Madras Presidency for 186162.-BY THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT.

Selections from the records of the Bombay Government, No. 65.-FROM PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

Veni Samhara, a drama by Bhatta Nárayana.-BY MUKTARAMA VIDYABÁGIS A.-BY BABOO P. C. TAGORE.

Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, Vol. XVI. Part 4.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Prayer of St. Niersis Clayensis, translated into Bengali and Sanscrit.-BY BABU RAJENDRALALA MITRA.

Exchanged.

Athenæum for July, August and September.

The Philosophical Magazine, Vol. XXIV. Nos. 159, 160 and 161.

Purchased.

The Annals and Magazine of Natural History for August, September and October, 1862.

Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes-Katha Sarit Sâgara, Vol. II. Part 5.

Abhandlungen für die Kunde de Morgenlandes Die grammatischen Schulen der Araber, Vol. II. No. 4.

Hewitson's Exotic Butterflies, being illustrations of new species, Part 44, 1862.

Journal des Savants for July, August and September, 1862.
Markham's Life of Donalonsq de Guzman.

Major on the Discovery of Australia by the Portuguese in 1601. Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Numismatic Society for September, No. 7 of New Series.

Parthenon, Vol. I. Nos. 12 to 24, 1862.

Schleicher compendum der Vergleichenden grammatic der Indogermanischen Sprachen, Part 2.

Sprenger das Leben und die Lehie des Mohammad, Part 2.
Tornberg Symbolæ ad Rem Numariam Mohammedanorum, Part 4.
Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Nos. 6, 7 and 8.

Revue des Deux Mondes, from July to October, 1862.
Westminster Review for October, 1862.

Weils Geschichte, Vol. II.

Comptes Rendus, Vol. LV. Nos. 1 to 11, 1862.

Natural History Review for October, 1862.

Zenker Dictionnaire Turc-Arabe Persan.

Benfey's Orient und occident, Vol II. Part 1.
Scheref Namah, Vol. II.

Wright's Arabic Grammar, Vol. II.

FOR DECEMBER, 1862.

The Monthly General Meeting of the Asiatic Society was held on the 3rd instant.

A. Grote, Esq., President, in the chair.

The proceedings of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Presentations were received

1. From the Secretary of the Government of India, Military Department, a set of photographs and notes descriptive of the tribes of Berar.

2. From the Under-Secretary to the Government of Bengal, a complete set of photographs prepared under orders of the Bengal Government for the London Exhibition.

3. From Dr. A. G. Paspati of Constantinople, through M. J. P. Sagrandi, a copy of his work containing a "Memoir on the Language of the Gypsies."

4. From Baboo Prosunno Coomar Tagore a copy of Pundit Muktaráma Vidyábagísa's edition of the Vení Samhára Nátak.

The Council reported that they had appointed Dr. T. C. Jerdon and Mr. J. Obbard members of their body in the place of Dr. W. Crozier and Hon'ble W. Grey.

A letter from Capt. H. L. de la Chaumette, intimating his desire to withdraw from the Society, was recorded.

S. Lobb, Esq., M. A. proposed at the last meeting, was balloted for and duly elected an ordinary member.

The following gentlemen were named for ballot as ordinary members at the next meeting.

F. Fedden, Esq., Geological Survey, proposed by Mr. W. Theobald, seconded by Mr. J. G. Medlicott.

Hon'ble J. P. Norman, proposed by the President, and seconded by Lieutenant-Colonel Thuillier.

Hon'ble H. S. Maine, M. A. proposed by the President and seconded by Mr. Cowell.

M. S. Howell, Esq., C. S., proposed by E. C. Bayley, Esq., seconded by J. W. S. Wyllie, Esq.

R. A. Sterndale, Esq., proposed by Dr. T. C. Jerdon and seconded by Hon'ble C. Beadon.