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Nietner, J. Esq., Colombo, Ceylon.

Haug, Dr. M., Poonah.

Bleeker, Dr. P., Batavia.

Frederick, Dr. H., Batavia.

Baker, Rev. H., Alipi, East Malabar.

Swinhoe, R. Esq., H. M. Consulate, Amoy.
Gosche, Dr. R., Berlin.

LIST OF ASSOCIATE MEMBERS.

Blyth, E. Esq., Calcutta.

Karámut Ali, Saiyid, Matawalli, Húgli.

Long, Rev. J., Calcutta.

MacGowan, Rev. J., Europe.

Stephenson, J. Esq., Europe.

FEBRUARY, 1862.

The monthly general meeting of the Asiatic Society was held on the 5th instant.

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

Presentations were received

1. From the National Museum at Melbourne, a considerable collection of Australian birds and mammals.

2. From Mr. W. T. Blanford, some specimens of birds and fishes from Burmah.

3. From Captain W. A. Ross, a model of a tin stamping machine in use in Cornwall.

4. From the Surveyor General, several copies of a panoramic view of Kashmir, prepared by Captain T. G. Montgomerie.

5. From the Superintendent, Geological Survey of India, a copy of the memoirs of the Survey, containing the first part of "Palæontologia Indica."

6. From the widow of the late Mr. G. H. Freeling, through Captain Davidson, Vols. 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 19, of the Journal of the Asiatic Society.

7. From the Superintendent of the Barrackpore Park Menagerie, a dead Giraffe.

8. From M. Biot, through Reverend J. Carbonel, copies of his work on Indian Astronomy and his Review of Reverend Mr. Burgess' translation of the Surya Siddhanta.

9. From the Bombay Royal Asiatic Society, a copy of the Journal, Vol. VI. No. 21 of the Society.

10. From Mr. W. Matthews, through Capt. J. R. Pollock, a small collection of coins.

11. From Nawab Mehdee Ali Khan Bahadoor, a copy of Diwan Nazim, by His Highness Mohammed Yusoof Ali Khan of Rampore, K. S. I.

From the Bombay Government, a copy of the Magnetical and Meteorological Observations made at the Bombay Observatory in 1860. 13. From the Syndicate of the Cambridge Observatory, a copy of Astronomical observations made at the Cambridge Observatory for the years 1852, 1853, and 1854.

Rev. J. Long exhibited an image of Buddha found in some railway excavations near Monghyr.

N

The following gentlemen, duly proposed at the last meeting, were balloted for and elected ordinary members ::

Col. H. Torrens, Capt. E. Smyth, Baboo Gour Doss Bysack, and Col. C. S. Guthrie.

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

:

Dr. F. N. Macnamara, professor of Chemistry, Medical College, proposed by Mr. Atkinson, seconded by the President.

Lieut. J. Johnstone, Asst. Commissioner, Punjab, proposed by Mr. Bayley, seconded by the President.

Capt. D. G. Robinson, Bengal Engineers, proposed by Major Walker, seconded by Mr. Atkinson.

Capt. de la Chaumette, Royal Artillery, proposed by Mr. Atkinson, seconded by the President.

The Council proposed A. Murray, Esq., Secretary, Royal Horticultural Society of London, as a corresponding member.

The Council submitted the following report:

"The Council beg to recommend that the Sutras of Jaimini should be published in the Bibl. Indica with Sabara's commentary. Pundit Moheshchunder Nya Ratna has undertaken to edit it; the work will occupy not more than seven Fasciculi. During the past year we have published an edition of the Vais'eshika Sutras, and the present work will supply anothar desideratum in the ancient philosophy of India. The Purva Mimánsa has hitherto remained almost untouched by European scholarship, and we are sure that the publication of Jaimini's Sutras will be welcomed in Europe as well as in India.” The report was adopted.

The Council reported that they had appointed the following SubCommittees for 1862.

FINANCE.

Babu Rajendralal Mitra and Dr. W. Crozier.

PHILOLOGY.

Babu Rajendralal Mitra; Capt. W. N. Lees; F. E. Hall, Esq.; E. C. Bayley, Esq.; Hon'ble C. J. Erskine and R. T. H. Griffith, Esq.

LIBRARY.

Babus Rajendralal Mitra and Ramaprasad Roy; Capt. W. N. Lees; Dr. J. Fayrer; R. Jones, Esq.; and Dr. T. Anderson.

NATURAL HISTORY.

T. Oldham, Esq.; Dr. W. Crozier; Dr. T. Anderson; Dr. A. C. Macrae; W. Theobald, Esq., Jr.; J. G. Medlicott, Esq.; and Dr. J. Fayrer.

METEOROLOGY AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

The Ven'ble J. H. Pratt; Lieut.-Col. H. L. Thuillier; Babu Radha Nath Sikdar; T. Oldham, Esq.; Dr. H. Halleur; and J. Obbard, Esq.

COIN COMMITTEE.

Babu Rajendralal Mitra; E C. Bayley, Esq.; and Capt. W. N Lees,

Communications were received

1. From Major J. T. Walker, a paper on the Trigonometrical Survey of India.

2. From Babu Radha Nath Sikdar, Abstracts of Meteorological Observations taken at the Surveyor General's Office in July and August last.

Major Walker read a paper on recent additions to our geographical knowledge of districts bordering on the British frontier Trans-Indus.

He pointed out that there is a large tract of country west of the Soolimani range, and south of the Soofaid Koh, which lies beyond the reach of the topographical surveys of the Trans-Indus frontier and the route surveys between Khelat and Kabul, and is shown on all extant maps of the Punjab and Affghanistan as a terra incognita. It extends over 5° of latitude, and averages 2o in longitude, including an area of 50,000 square miles, which is nearly equal to that of England. The inhabitants are various tribes of Pathans and Beloochies, who are particularly suspicious of Europeans and jealous of admitting them into their country.

In 1840 Lieut. Broadfoot of the Engineers marched from Ghizni to Dera Ismail Khan, by the route along the course of the Gomul river. But it is believed that he travelled in disguise with a Kafila of Powin Das, or native merchants, and could not obtain more information of the country than an itinerary, which was necessarily meagre, because executed without instruments, and dependant only on estimated bearings and distances.

During the sixteen subsequent years no opportunity appears to have offered of obtaining additional information of these countries

from actual survey. But towards the end of 1856, it became necessary for the Punjab force, commanded by General Chamberlain, to proceed into the Koorum valley, in order to effect the restitution of property stolen by its inhabitants from British subjects. This valley lies on the direct road from Kohat to Ghizni, at the foot of the southern slopes of Soofaid Koh range. The inhabitants are chiefly Tooree Pathans, who are subject to the ruler of Kabul, and pay him revenue when he can send a force strong enough to collect it. His agents accompanied the expeditionary force, and are believed to have availed themselves of the opportunity to collect their master's dues under threats that they would otherwise turn the British troops against the recusants. The whole valley was peaceably surveyed as far west as the Paiwar pass immediately below the Seekaram mountain, the culminating point of the Soofaid Koh range, where it rises to an elevation of 15,640 feet above the sea. The pass is not on the watershed of the range, but is merely where the road crosses a large spur which can be avoided altogether by a circuitous route, through the Chum Kanni district to the south. It is about 7000 feet high, and derives its importance more from the populous and wealthy town of Paiwar at its foot than from its elevation. The Koorum river rises about 60 miles farther west among the Zoormut valleys, where the Soolimani range abuts at right angles against the Soofaid Koh.

In the spring of 1857, Col. Lumsden, his brother, and Dr. Bellew, started on their memorable expedition to Kandahar. Crossing the Paiwar Spur, they descended into the Kurryab valley occupied by Pathan Tribes of Jajis and Munguls until they reached the Hazardarakht Nuddi; or stream of the thousand trees, one of the principal confluents of the Koorum river. Following this to its source, they arrived at length at the Shooturgurdan or camel neck pass at a height of 11,400 feet, on the watershed which parts Jellalabad, Kabul and Ghizni from Kohat, Koorum and Wuzeeristan.

From this elevation they descended westwards through the valleys of the Sooliman Khel Ghilzies into the plains at the head of the Logur valley, south of Kabul, whence it is but four marches to Shekhabad and Saidabad on the main road between Kabul and Ghizni.

In the autumn of 1859, and again in the spring of the following year, the Punjab force under the command of General Chamberlain, was required to operate against the Wuzeeries to check their propen

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