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Vols.... 47

(Signed)

B. H. HODGSON.

Dorjiling, in Sikim, 20th Oct. 1847.

[Mr. Hodgson's communication was confided to the management of the Council of the Society who were requested to carry his wishes into effect.]

From M. P. Edgeworth, Esq., Umballah, forwarding a paper entitled, "Two hours' Herborization at Aden."

Banda, October 25th, 1847.

MY DEAR SIR, -I have the pleasure to enclose a paper for the Journal upon the Aden Flora, such asI saw in a couple of hours scramble among the rocks there—although the flowers were not numerous yet their forms are curious, and as far as I am aware no notice has been published of the Aden Flora. M. Botta's collections may very likely have included some of what I suppose to be new, but as I have not any thing but the beginning of his -work and no part of Boissy or Ancher on Oriental plants, I cannot be as sure of my ground as I could wish-still I do not think a possibility of that sort is a sufficient reason for my not giving to the public my observations for as much as they may be worth.

I am meditating an account of the Botanical results of an ascent of Parusnath, the high hill near the trunk road in the Behar or Ramgurh rangesbut I have but little time for such things—and have not all the works I require for the purpose, to do it as I should wish.

Your's very truly,

M. P. EDGEWORTH.

From Mr. Piddington, forwarding letters from Major Jenkins and Capt. S. Reynolds, with a description and drawing of the sculptured brass vessels used as a medium of exchange among the Garrow tribes.

MY DEAR PIDDINGTON,-I am not Archæologist enough to know if this account of the Garrow Korahs is of any interest, but the name itself may be new to you. A Korah or Corah is a brass basin, of which the enclosed paper gives you the depth and circumference.

It is rather a curious thing that these Corahs are the current coin of the Garrows, and here is paid fines and tributes in Corahs. We sell them at auction, and the Bengalis take them back again in the way of trade and so I suppose, they hover over these hills for ages. I did not know what Capt. Reynolds says that they were in demand on account of the value of the Brass, but this value perhaps attaches only to the Corahs of the days of old. At present new ones are I believe made in the Mymensing and Rungpore zillahs, and I suppose the brass is as bad as it can be.

The old Corahs must also be of Bengali manufacture, for the Garrows do not work in brass and not even in iron.

I enclose another bead in great demand amongst the Nagas. Is it Cornelian or glass? Can you tell me if such are procurable in Calcutta, and at what cost per 100.

October 16th, 1847.

Your's sincerely,

J. JENKINS.

Goalpara, August 22nd, 1847.

MY DEAR SIR,-I enclose a sketch made by Mr. Leslie, of the embossed figures and ornaments on a Garrow Korah or dish, which was brought in in a case of theft the other day, and as it appeared to me curious how these people have got hold of such things, I got Mr. Leslie to sketch it in order to send it you in hopes you would be able to procure information on this head.

The Garrows themselves do not know how their ancestors became possessed of these dishes, and state that they are heirlooms in their families, and are only used on grand occasions. The omlahs and others who I have spoken to say that they are of Bengalee manufacture, and that the Garrows in the first instance obtained these from them. If so what is the reason of the Bengalees anxiety to purchase these Garrow Korahs, as they can obtain, it may be supposed, as good in Bengal, but they are willing to give any price here for the Korahs to sell in Bengal.

The metal being pure and good the art must have become extinct amongs them and the purchase merely for the profit on the sale of the metal, « else the Korahs are the manufacture of other countries; my reason for sup posing they are not Bengali is because the dishes are of an entirely different shape from those used by Bengalis, and when they repurchase them from the Garrows they do so merely for the profit on the metal. I am not acquainted sufficiently with the heathen mythology to know what the figures of the accompanying sketch denote, but they are beastly enough to belong to the Hindus. Are they Hieroglyphical? The dish from which this sketch was taken was of the circumference of the paper, and the figures are of the exact size each figure was in relief, rising above the side of the dish about half an inch.

My dear Sir,
Your's very sincerely,

S. REYNOLDS.

[A further notice on this subject will appear in a future number.] From Capt. Kittoe, submitting copy and translation of inscription on the ruined temple of Oomga.

Note from Mr. Hodgson enclosing remarks on the Serica Regio of the ancient geographers.

Dorjiling, 31st August, 1847.

MY DEAR SIR, The enclosed may perhaps appear to the Society of some little interest with reference to Messrs. Taylor's and Cunningham's recent remarks on the Serica Regio, or, at all events will serve to apprise the Society that I have not been neglectful of its wishes with regard to the Mission to Tibet, though I regret much that too late a notice and want of books, have prevented my doing so much as I would otherwise gladly have done.

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MY DEAR WAUGH,-Many thanks for the perusal of Lieut. Strachey's letter. I am sure he will answer your expectations from him. As you say, conjectural and historical geography, are poor things, after all; for geography is pre-eminently a matter of facts, and 'tis futile and wearisome to a degree to follow the philosophers who so dashingly substitute theory and conjecture in this field for things more solid, and alone admissible in our day of actual universal contact with those things. Nevertheless conjectural geography may be of high service in sharpening and

guiding the attention of him who has to traverse the regions speculated upon; and, from the perusal of Humboldt, Klaproth, Grosier, Remusat, Prichard, and from comparison of what they say with De Coros, Gerard and Moorcroft, I have now filled my head with matter for questioning, and much regret that I had not sufficient warning, so that what I wrote for you, six weeks ago, was the mere crumbs of memory. Still however I want Klaproth's Carte de l'Asie Centrale (Berlin, 1835) and Ritter and Mahlman's maps of yet later date, and therefore, though with every wish to be useful, I will write no more at present lest I should iterate, merely and clumsily, what Lt. Strachey will find in those, the last and best, guides, and because also one evil of this conjectural system of facts is that there is no getting one's say into moderate compass! I hope Lt. Strachey will be able to penetrate into central and eastern Tibet. If he could get in that direction, as far as Siling, and thence trace the boundary of China, and of Kham, as far as Assam, he might solve a world of most interesting geographic and ethnographic problems. Siling, I am sure, is the Serica regio of the Classics, said region including Tangut, Sifan, Kham, Shensi, Setchuen, in reality, and in the vague apprehension of that day extending to all the proximate parts which either furnished any portion of the things in commerce or lay in any of the routes of the traders, so that the sub-Himalayas on one side (including Assam), and Indo-China on the other, and Bishbalig on a third hand, all came to be comprised in the Serica vel Sinica regio, the nucleus of which certainly was Siling, though it might and did extend thence westward over little Bucharia. It would be a grand thing for geography (and ethnography) to make out the alleged differences and identities in regard to Tangut, Sifan and Kham; and to mark off their boundary towards China proper and little Bucharia and Mongolia; and to test the fact of a great transverse snowy range (Yun-ling, Pe-ling) answering on the east to the Beluttagh on the west, and forming, if it exist, the eastern term of High Asia, as Belut does the western; and to find out how it is that with such a meridional or vertical range forthcoming between these Chinese and Tibetan countries, nevertheless so many and such large rivers flow off from the latter, east and south, into China, and Indo-China, &c. &c. &c. Then again, in ethnography, the power of testing the meaning of the Tibetan "Hor-Sok," precisely and accurately, by means of language and physical attributes,* and, by the same means, of marking off distinctly the Tibetan fixed and nomade races from the Chinese, and from the Scythic races (Turk, Mongol, Tongus) is a rare chance for this Mission,

Sogdiana doubtless included the Bishbalig as well as Anderjan, Tashkand, Khajand, &c. et intra Imaum (adarcton) the towns on either side having always been, and being still, inseparably blinded.

which I hope it will not neglect; nor yet forget the immense interest attacking to the ubi et quid of the classic Sace and Indian Sákas, whose headquarters were, I am sure, the Sogdiana of the Classics, and whose existene there as a great people, so long ago as the 5th Century, B. C., is attested by their King's visit to Sakya at Cattuck, as is their contemporaneous existence as a great people throughout Northern India or the N. W. provinces, by al the records and events of Sákya's life, he having been himself of their blood and breed, and the Sákas and Sichivis, all his fellow-clansmen of the race of the Sace of Sogdiana, whose very name seems to survive in the Sok (pronounced Sog) of Tibet at this day, and also in the Soch or Yakuts of the Lena, a far-dissevered but true limb of the same mighty body which was famous ages before the Tartars and Mongols were heard of, and which has an intimate connexion with Indo-germanic History in the West and the East. Could we recover the clue to this race, it would be a brave event indeed. Your's ever,

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From Capt. Kittoe, offering his services to the Society as their Honorary agent at Benares; advising the issue of a circular to Political officers, seeking information regarding the festivals held near their stations; also an application to Government for free transit of sculptures in the river Steamers.

To the Secretaries, Asiatic Society.

Banares, 29th August, 1847. DEAR GENTLEMEN,-I have the pleasure to forward a paper on the travels of Chi Fa Hian in the province of Behar with a description of the localities I lately had an opportunity of visiting, attempting to follow this clever and truthful Chinese priest's track. The subject being one of considerable importance in many points of view, I trust therefore it may prove acceptable.

2nd. I beg to suggest for the consideration of your Society, and of its Committee of papers, my proposal that a few copies of the Oriental works on hand should be sent to me for disposal (by sale) at this city; the Sanskrit works in particular. I shall be happy to afford my assistance in this matter. which may better our funds.

3d. I propose that the Society should issue a circular letter to all pub lic functionaries, and more particularly to Political Officers (who have generally more leisure) calling on them to collect notes on the different festivals held in or near their stations, stating the period of the year in which such are held, at what places, what day of and in what moon; the length of time

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