Moon's Cal

Mya-
age. cutta. poor.

A Tide Table between Calcutta and False Point, prepared by Mr. P. G. Sinclair.

change 3..0

VIII.-Proceedings of the Asiatic Society.

Wednesday Evening, the 3rd September, 1834.

The Reverend W. H. MILL, D. D. Vice-President, in the Chair.

Read the Proceedings of last Meeting.

Read a letter from Mr. M. M. MANUK, intimating his desire to withdraw from the Society.

Read a letter from H. HARKNESS, Esq. Secretary to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, expressing the thanks of that Society for the 17th volume of the Asiatic Researches.

The Secretary apprized the Society, of the arrival per Ship Edmonstone, of the twenty copies of the ancient Canarese Alphabet adverted to on the Meeting of 28th May, 1834, as presented by WALTER ELLIOT, Esq. through the Bombay Branch Asiatic Society.

It was resolved that copies of the Alphabet should be sent to the Bishop's College, the Education Committee, the Sanscrit College at Benares, and to such persons as may be engaged in decyphering ancient inscriptions.

Library.

Read a letter from Dr. N. WALLICH, presenting on the part of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries at Copenhagen, the following works with complimentary expressions:

A circular accompanied, explaining the objects of the association, and soliciting the co-operation of those, especially of the English nation, who may be able to assist in developing the early history of Northern Europe. [A copy of the prospectus is printed on the cover of the present number.]

1. E. RASK'S Commentatio de pleno systemate decem sibilantium in linguis montanis, item de methodo Ibericam et Armenicam linguam litteris Europæis exprimendo. Hafniæ, 1832, 4to.

2. Ditto, Singalesisk Skriftlærr, (Cingalese Grammar,) Colombo, 1821, 8vo. 3. Ditto, Vejledning, or Introduction to the Akra language of the Coast of Guinea, with an Appendix on the Akvambu language.

4. Ditto, Lapponic Grammar.

5. Ditto, Italian Grammar? 1827.

6. Ditto, on Ancient Egyptian Chronology. Copenhagen, 1817, 4to.

7. Ditto, on Ancient Hebrew Chronology, 1828, 8vo.

8. Old Northern Saga's (Tales). Edited by the R. S. of North Antiquities, 11th vol. 1833.

9. Færeyinga Saga, or A History of the Inhabitants of the Islands called the Færoes. The original Icelandic text, with translations into Færoe, Danish, and German, 1829.

10. 11. Tidsskrift, Journal of the Northern Antiquities, by ditto.

12. Nordisk Tidsskrift, Northern Journal of Antiquities. Edited by the Royal Society of Northern Antiquities, 1826-9.

13. Paradisa Missir, (Paradise Lost,) translated into Icelandic, by Joe Thor laksson.

14-15. Scripta Historica Islandorum, vols. iv. and v. Hafniæ, 1833.

16-17. Lögbók Islandinga, Codex Juris Islandorum Antiquissimus, I. and II. 1829. 18. L. Giesebrecht. The R. S. of N. Antiquities at Copenhagen.

Read a letter from M. RICHY, Judge of Chandernagore, presenting on the part of M. GARCIN DE TASSY, a copy of his

Notice sur les fêtes populaires des Hindous d' apres les ouvrages Hindoustani. The following works were also presented:

Commentaire sur Le Yaçna, L'un des Livres Religieux des Parsis, by Eugene Burnouf, vol. I.-by the author.

Origin of the Sikh Power in the Punjab, and Political Life of Muba Raja RUNJEET SINGH, &c. compiled by H. T. PRINSEP-by the compiler.

Journal Asiatique, Nos. 71, 72 and 74—by the Asiatic Society of Paris. Transactions of the Society of Arts, &c. vol. xlix, I and II parts—by the Society. Proceedings of the Geological Society, Nov. 6, 1833, Dec. 4*.

Illustrations of the Botany, and Natural History of the Himalayan Mountains, &c. Part II.-by F. J. Royle, Esq. F. L. S. and G. S. M., R. A. S. Meteorological Register for July, 1834-by the Surveyor General. The India Journal of Medical Science for September-by the Editors. The following Books were received from the Book-sellers. Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopedia, History of Natural Philosophy,

Stebbing's History of the Church, 2nd vol,
Antiquities.

A native drawing of a compartment of one of the sculptured slabs of a building near Bhilsa, was presented by Dr. G. S. SPILSBURY.

This appears to be the very building whence Mr. HODGSON took the facsimile of his inscription, presented at a former meeting: the sculpture represents the erection or consecration of a Bauddha temple or Chaitya. It was visited in 1817 or 18 by Captain FELL, who described the inscriptions on the walls in one of the news-papers of the day.

Read a letter from Mr. TREGEAR of Jaunpur, descriptive of two gold coins of the Canouj group, recently discovered in digging on the site of an old fort called Jaichand's koth near Jaunpur.

[We shall have pleasure in inserting this paper when we have collected suffici ent of the Canouj coins to make a plate. The inscriptions on the present coins are very distinct, in the character No. 2, Allahabad column, and the names are new.] Further observations on the Hindu coins by Major STACY, were also submitted.

A note from Mr. SPIERS, of Allahabad, forwarded 4 coins dug up lately near that place.

They belong to what has been called the Behat group.

A paper by Col. BURNEY, Resident at Ava, was read, giving a translation and copious commentary in illustration of the Burmese inscription at Buddha Gaya: of which the original facsimile taken by his brother Captain GEORGE BURNEY, on the spot, accompanied.

This will be published at length; the principal discrepancy between Col. BURNEY'S translation and that made by RATNA PAULA is in the date, which the former carries back two hundred years, namely, to 468 Burman era, (A. D. 1106.) The first figure is rather indistinct in the inscription, and may be read either as

*This day's proceedings contains a notice of Lieut. BURNES' Memoir on the Geology of the banks of the Indus, the Indian Caucasus and the plains of Tartary.

a 4 or a 6. The facsimile must be lithographed to place the data before those who wish to decide the point. Col. BURNEY's interesting paper terminated with a highly curious extract-translation from the journal of the junior Burmese envoy, describing the visit of the mission to "Buddha's holy tree" at Gaya, and the ceremonies performed there in honor of the King of Ava.

Physical.

The Secretary exhibited to the members present the head of a mummy, and two mummied preparations of the ibis or sacred bird of Egypt, brought round by Lieutenant ARCHBOLD, being a part of his present alluded to at the last meeting.

The effect of damp air had already begun to be perceptible on the exposed parts of the head; nothing of the under jaw remaining but the bare bone, tinged of a dark brown colour from the bituminous matter of the wrapper. By keeping it in a glass case hermetically closed, and containing some lumps of muriate of lime, it is hoped that the specimens may be preserved for any length of time in the museum. A letter was read from Lieut. W. FOLEY, dated Khyouk Phyoo, Ramree, 12th August, forwarding some specimens of fossil shells recently met with by himself in the interior of the island; also some coal from a new site. The following extract explains the particulars of this new discovery:

"On my return to Arracan I made inquiries respecting the fossil marine shells that were at one time brought to me, and I have been so fortunate as to obtain them. They were found on a hill, in the neighbourhood of " Chambo" (a village in the interior of Rambree island), imbedded in a grey sandstone, which is very hard and gritty. The height of the hill may be as much as 100 feet above the plain. The weather has been so wet and boisterous that I have not been able to visit the spot, so that my information has been derived from the Mughs whom I had sent out to the place. They brought me in the shells, as also pieces of the sandstone. In the latter some remains of the shells are distinctly visible. The natives of Arracan attach much value to the shells on account of their supposed medicinal properties; the shells are pounded up, made into a kind of paste, and applied, as a salve, to sore eyes. Along with these shells I have also dispatched to you a specimen of coal discovered in Rambree island, near the village of 66 Kyong-Towng" in the "Ladong" circle; it was found resting on a bed of clay, near the surface, and did not appear to be very abundant. For the reason above mentioned I was not able to visit the spot, so sent a man out for the coal. Coal, I have no doubt, exists in abundance throughout Arracan; and of that hitherto discovered, I expect the Syne-Kyoung coal, if worked, would prove the best. I believe it contains no iron pyrites, as is the case with the "Oogadong" and 'Phooringooé' coal. The coal I now sent is highly bituminous, and very much resembles the "Kalabadong" coal. I observe an error in the sketch of the site of the Oogadong coal published in your 2nd volume of the Journal As. Soc. plate 19, for November, 1833; instead of "Syne-Kyoung" creek, it should have been "Oodagong" creek. The former word should also have been Syne-Kyoung, not" Syneg-Kyoung."

"I have also dispatched to you a specimen of cotton obtained from some Bourbon cotton seed sown by Captain WILLIAMS in the Government Garden at Rambree town in November, 1833, and gathered in March, 1834. The soil was a stiff clay and I believe, too cold and damp to favour the cultivation of the plant. It would however thrive well on the hills, where the soil is light."

Three of the shells are small univalves of 4 whorls, resembling the genus turbo : one is a species of turritella; the matrix is grey sandstone, containing the debris of trap rocks, and effervescing in acids slightly.

The coal is a lignite, leaving only 1-8 per cent. of ash on incineration. Read the following extracts of a letter from the Reverend R. EVEREST regarding the fall of an aerolite at Hissar.

"Having seen in the possession of Mrs. METCALFE of Delhi a fragment of meteoric stone, which she informed me had lately fallen near Hissar, I wrote to Capt. PARSONS, Supt. H. C. Stud there, for particulars, and have now the pleasure of sending his answer to you. The fragment I have seen bears the usual external characters of meteoric stone, has the same specific gravity, viz. 3.6, and affects the magnet. There can therefore be no doubt of the fact.

ROB. EVEREST.

Extract of a letter from Captain Parsons, dated Hissar, 2nd August, 1834. "I hasten to give you all the information I possess relative to the meteoric stone. It fell on the 8th of June, (as far as I could ascertain) at Charwallas, a village 23 coss west of this; about 8 o'clock in the morning the sky was cloudy and the weather gusty, or approaching to a north-wester, but no rain; very loud thunder, similar to constant discharges of heavy artillery, was heard for about half an hour before it fell, and in the direction with the wind to a great distance; when the stone fell it was accompanied by a trembling noise similar to a running fire of guns. It fell in the jungle close to a palee (or herdsman), who was out with his cattle. The original weight of the stone was 12 seers; but before my man reached the place, it had been broken and pieces taken away to Bikaneer, Puttialah, &c. the piece I have is upwards of 4 seers, and if you would like to send it to Calcutta, you are most welcome to it, and I will send it to you, should you wish for it."

Further specimens of the Jumna fossil bones belonging to Serjeant E. DEAN, were exhibited, and a paper on the subject by the same party was read. [This will be given at length hereafter.]

IX.-Miscellaneous.

Mr. Trevelyan's Defence of Sir William Jones' System of Oriental Orthography. The Hurkaru newspaper of the 29th August, contains a reply to the article in our June number (p. 281), on the Adaptation of the Roman Alphabet to the Orthography of Oriental Languages, by the gentleman who has come forward with such vigour to revive the scientific system, as a necessary concomitant of his more extensive scheme of publishing Oriental books altogether in Roman characters. We have not space to insert the whole of his observations, but to such as bear upon the point at issue, we feel bound to give a place, being more satisfied, the more we reflect on the subject, that it is essential and imperative in the present widely diffused cultivation of the learned languages of India, to adhere to that notation which can alone command general acquiescence throughout Europe, and which is in fact the system followed in the great majority of the Dictionaries, Grammars, and transcribed works not only of our learned societies, but even of our colleges and schools.

The fundamental maxim of Sir WILLIAM JONES was, that each original sound and its appropriate symbol in the Déva Nágarí or Arabic should have its representative in the Roman, "with due regard to the primitive power of the latter alphabet."