TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"Memoranda of a Voyage on the Ganges," and "Notes of the Journal of an Old Bengalee on the Continent of Europe," in our next.

Review of the Letters of the Abbé Dubois "on the State of Christianity in India," in our next.

We again take the liberty of inviting contributions to the QUARTERLY, from our literary friends throughout India. We shall strive to render the work a worthy receptacle for their favours; and we hope they will embrace the opportunity of increasing our stock of knowledge of the History, Manners, Religion, and Statistics of our Eastern Empire.

THE

CALCUTTA QUARTERLY,

&c. &c. &c.

ORIENTAL LITERATURE.

Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay. 3 Vols. 4to. London. 1819-1822.

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THE Asiatic Society of Paris has recently denominated itself the younger sister of the Society of Bengal, and the senior of that of London-an order of relationship to the former not quite correct, as the Literary Society of Bombay is an Asiatic association of inuch earlier a date than either. It was instituted in November 1804, under the Presidency of Sir James Mackintosh, and has since continued, if we may judge from the appearance of the third volume of its Transactions, just published, to possess that support and prosperity, which every member of the British Anglo-Indian community, who feels an interest in the reputation of his native country, or the welfare of his adoptive soil, must wish all similar associations to enjoy.

The first volume of the Bombay Transactions appears to have been prepared for the press in 1815, but was not published till 1819. The interval between this and the foundation of the Society, however, was not unprofitably spent, as, besides the collection of the communications, which were to form the volume, a library and museum were successfully commenced, and the translation of the Lilawati, by Dr. Taylor, published at the Society's charge. Since the date of the first volume, however, the publication of the Bombay Transactions has gone briskly forward; and the third volume, a goodly quarto of 550 pages, has issued from the press in 1823.

The investigations of learned and able men in the west of India have a number of claims on the attention of the residents of these provinces. They must be directed to many things, which have much in common with those offered to our

a

view, and are thus calculated to extend the field of our observation. They must also exhibit, even in what is common, many local varieties and modifications, which it is necessary to know, before any general deduction can be drawn with safety. And they must be addressed to a variety of subjects wholly unfamiliar to research in Gangetic Hindostan, of which, of course, their novelty is a sufficient recommendation. In what is old, therefore, as well as in what is new, the proceedings of the Bombay Society may be expected to afford both instruction and gratification, to those minds that love to meditate on what India has been, is, or may become.

We are of opinion, that these expectations have been very reasonably answered, and that with such allowances, as all collections of this miscellaneous character demand, the publications of the Literary Society of Bombay reflect credit on the association, by which they are given to the world, and on all those connected with them by identity of origin, situation, and service. Notwithstanding the merits of the work, however, we are rather apprehensive it is less known in Bengal than it deserves, and propose to bring it to the more particular notice of our readers, by presenting them with a general sketch of its contents.

The accumulation of three volumes, each containing a number of articles, renders it most convenient to take a collective survey of them, by classifying the papers they contain according to the subjects of which they treat, in imitation of the plan, which was adopted by Von Hammer with great success, in his analysis of the twelve volumes of the Asiatic Researches, published in the Jahrbucher of Vienna, and was indeed the only method left him, by which to dispose of such a formidable task, as he had to encounter. Our undertaking is of less alarming maguitude; and as we are aware, that we have not Teutonic patience to deal with, we shall not pretend to imitate the great Orientalist we have named, in the minuteness of our examination.

Man and nature were the objects of enquiry proposed by Sir William Jones to the parent Society; and the same comprehensive topics are those, to which the Bombay Society address their researches. For these two great divisions we may substitute Literature and Science, and under one or other of these all the papers will be comprehended.

ANTIQUITIES.-Antiquity is the character attached to the East, by all the traditions of past ages; and although it may be doubted, whether any vestiges can be traced of the condition of India in highly remote periods, yet remains of an imposing character do exist, which belong to other and uncertain days. These consequently attract notice, and excite speculation. They demand investigation, whether the result be to confirm or efface our early impressions; and they necessarily lead the liberal mind in India to antiquarian research. The peninsula of India is singularly rich in the means it affords, to stimulate such propensities; and it is impossible to contemplate, even on paper, the caves of Elephanta and Ellora, without a feeling of veneration for their seeming antiquity, and without an anxions curiosity to ascertain their origin and purpose. It was, therefore, the natural course presented to the members of the Bombay Society, and we find that the examination of these monuments occupies a very considerable portion of their researches.

The first communication on this subject is from the pen and pencil of Mr. Salt, and describes the caves on the Island of Salsette. These excavations are in four different situations, termed by Mr. Salt, the Jogheyseer, (Jogiswara,) or Ambakee, Magatanie, Montpezir, and Keneri. The great cave at the former is 120 feet square, and it appears to be dedicated to the worship of Siva. Reference is made in the text to a ground plan, but it seems to have been omitted in the publication; and throughout the paper there is a singular and perplexing want of coincidence, between the text and the illustrations. This confusion, from the absence of the numbers of the latter, to which the former refers, is probably one of the advantages of publishing in England. The figures over the first door-way are supposed by Mr. Salt to allude to the story of the Ramayana; but we are not aware of the grounds, on which he forms this opinion, and should object to it, without consulting the figures, as incompatible with the appropriation of the temple to the Saiva worship. The figures themselves afford no support to his conjecture; and those which he fancies to be Rama and Sita, are more probably Siva and Parvati. The figures in this cave appear to be rude and