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Baboo Dwarkanauth Bose, M.R.C.S.E., proposed by Dr. D. Stewartseconded by Mr. Blyth.

Rev. A. Sandberg, Benares, proposed by the Rev. J. Long, seconded by Mr. J. Ward.

Rev. William Keane, M. A., Emmanuel College, Cambridge, proposed by the Lord Bishop, seconded by Dr. O'Shaughnessy.

J. Kerr, Esq., Hindu College, proposed by Dr. O'Shaughnessy, seconded by Lieut.-Col. Forbes.

The following gentlemen were proposed as candidates for election :The Rev. S. Slater, proposed by Rev. J. Long, seconded by Rev. J. II. Pratt.

Count Lackersteen, proposed by Mr. Blyth, seconded by Mr. Laidlay. D. Money, Esq. C. S., proposed by Dr. O'Shaughnessy, seconded by Mr. Welby Jackson.

Lieut. Staples, Bengal Artillery, proposed by Mr. Laidlay, seconded by Dr. O'Shaughnessy.

The subjoined letter from Mr. Carre Tucker should have appeared among the proceedings last month. The box of shells and bones to which it refers was exhibited at the January meeting.

To the Secretary of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta.

SIR, I did myself the pleasure of sending you a few days ago, a box of bones, found at a place called Umhut, on the Koâna Nuddee, which flows from Oudh, aud joins the Gogra at Gopalpore. A bridge is building near the spot; and the convicts in digging for Kunkur, came upon what would appear to be a pit filled with shells, deers' horns, and all sorts of bones. It appears to be about 12 or 15 feet deep. The size is not yet known; but many thousand maunds of shells have already been dug out for lime. The termination of the bed of shells, where we have come upon it, is perpendicular, like the side of a pit. The site is some jungle close to the high bank of the Nuddee.

No one in the neighbourhood can make even a tolerable guess how this immense mass of shells and bones could have come where we find them. There is no village any where near. Some of the people think that some great man in former days must have intended to build a bridge where mine is now building, and have collected the shells for lime. Others, that a mahajun may have collected them for exportation; but neither of these hypotheses will account for the large quantity of horns and bones found amongst the shells. Perhaps the most general belief is, that an Asur lived there, and that he was in the habit of chucking into this pit the bones of the men and animals he devoured, as also the shells of the fish he was forced to eat when he could get nothing better to devour !!!

I have little doubt the collection is artificial-but I am quite at a loss to imagine how, and by whom, it could have been made.

As a matter of curiosity, I have thought it right to send you some of the shells, bones and horns, with the above brief account. The discovery has been a fortunate one for me, in supplying me with an enormous quantity of the finest lime for my numerous bridges.

I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,

Goruckpore, 26th January, 1847.

H. CARRE TUCKER.

Magistrate and Collector.

Letters were read

From the Secretary to the Superintendent of Marine, forwarding Meteorological Registers kept at Kyook Phyoo.

From the Society of Antiquarians of London, presenting the 31st vol. of the Archæologia.

From Captain Kittoe, respecting his late investigations of the Buddhist remains in the Gyah district, and announcing despatch of several sculptures and inscriptions.

To the Secretaries of the Asiatic Society.

DEAR GENTLEMEN,-I had intended being present at this meeting but am prevented, and as I had reserved my different papers as well as collection of Behar Inscriptions for the same occasion, they must also stand over for the next meeting. The papers I have prepared are as follows::

&c.

1. Notice of the Ruins and Temple of Oomga near Sherghatti, and inscriptions.

2. Notice of the Viharas and Chaityas of Behar.

3. Notice of the Buddhist sculptures at Bôdh Gyah.

4. Notice of the hills, caves and inscriptions, &c. of Barabar near Gyah.

With illustrations on a scale suited to the Journal, and ready for lithographing according to the plan suggested in a late letter to you on that subject.

I have the pleasure to state that I have despatched several cart loads of sculp. tures, &c. for our Museum, as well as a few Geological specimens.

I beg to invite the attention of the Geological branch or department to the subject of the mineral productions of the country south of Hazaribaugh, which I have lately passed through. The valley 10 miles south of the Dorunda road, the streams of which run westward exhibits the sandstone of the coal formation to a great extent; it was in this valley that coal was found six or seven years back. Above the rock and on the hills which separate it from the valley of the Deo Mad or Damooda, is a vast deposit of iron ore which supplies the province of Behar

Gneiss make its appearance on the higher land and the sandstone again appears on either side of the Damooda valley; no doubt coal would be found in abundance in all these tracts.

Sandstone of a less decided kind is found in the valley of the Barrakur, close to the great trunk road, where I quarried a large quantity for the public works, still I am of opinion that it belongs to the coal formation.

I have picked up rolled fragments of coal in the Mohana, which crosses the trunk road beyond Dunwa. I intended to have traced this coal, but public duties have ever prevented me. I believe coal would be found in the upper valleys of all the large rivers flowing from the Vindhia hills.

Having seen the Burdwan fields and those further west, which follow both the Barrakur and Damooda, as well as those just mentioned, I should lay great stress on the subject of the Orissa coal fields. I therefore now beg to assert that I feel confident that an extensive field exists in the valley of the Mahanuddee close to Cuttack, (below the surface,) and that the field I first brought to notice in 1837, called the Talcher mines, is fully as extensive as at first supposed by me. I can now safely say that the coal could be worked close to the river side (Brahmans) as low down nearly as Kurugpursad, below which the river is navigable the greater part of the year.

I would suggest that the valley of the Byturnee be also examined, though I consider the Brahmán's coals to be the most valuable on account of the immense supply of iron ore of excellent quality found in the same locality. Now that we are about to have rail roads with the consequent demand for iron, the subject of iron and val fields becomes of first importance.

I must beg indulgence for this rambling letter; the will must be taken for the deed. I am anxious to convey as much intelligence even of the slightest importance as chance throws in my way, with a view to stimulate others to do the same; perchance y convey some useful hint among the many.

M. KITTOE.

The marked thanks of the Society were directed to be conveyed to Captain Kittoe for this communication.

From Babu Debendernath Tagore, recommending that pundits from iser ares should be employed in the publication of the Vedas.

Minute on the intended publication of the Vedas by the Asiatic Society.

Chaturtha Arunya Gana.
Chandoggya Bráhmmana.

3 Agni Bráhmmana.

4 Atharva Veda Bráhmmana. Atharva Veda Sanghita.

6 Anoostatra.

7 Atharva Prattangirá Kulpa. 8 Atharva Rahasya.

9 Atharva Sangbita.

10 Arunya.

11 Arunyakopunishad. 12 Arshya Brahminana.

Though there are, as will be seen on perusing the list of Vedaic manuscripts specified in the margin* sufficient materials, in the library of the Society, wherewith to commence the intended publications, yet I am of opinion that, for the reasons mentioned below, without the assistance of Vedaic Pundits who have studied the Vedas regularly as scho

13 Rig Veda.

14 Rig Veda Prothamástaka,

15 Rig Veda Bráhmmana Punchika.
16 Rig Veda Bráhmmanástaka Punchika.
17 Rig Veda Soonta Sorton.

18 Kapistal Sunghita.

19 Gopatakha Bráhmmana Purvárdha. 20 Gopatakha Bráhmmana Prapatakha. 21 Ditiya Anoostatra.

22 Ditiva Arunya Gana.

23 Prathama Veda Gana.

24 Maddhaudina Sutpatha Bráhmmana Syasá-htaka Prapunchika.

25 Maitrayani Sákhá.

26 Moitra Baruna Sákhá.

27 Yajur Veda Maddhundina Sákhá. 28 Yajur Veda Satpatha Bráhmmana. 29 Vasa Bráhmmana.

30 Sarbingsa Bráhmmana.

31 Saptadasa Prapatakha.
32 Sám Vedhána Bráhmmana.
33 Sám Veda Uhagana.

34 Sám Veda Chhandasa.

35 Sám Veda Trayabingsati Prapatakha. 36 Sám Veda Panchabingsati Prapatakha.

37 Gopátakha Bráhmmana of the Atharva Veda.

lars, this very important and valuable undertaking of the Society cannot be executed to our entire satisfaction. Rea

son

1st, That frequent errors in copies are the invariable concomitants of manuscript preparation of works. Reason

2nd, That though a multitude of copies of the Vedas be procured for purposes of collation, yet the dialect in which they were written having in a great measure become obsolete and difficult to be understood even with the assistance of commentaries which are often no less obscure than the text, the collation cannot be properly made, as its effectual and satisfactory execution depends entirely upon a profound, critical, and scholastic acquaintance with that dialect itself.

I am therefore decidedly of opinion,

that Vedaic Pundits should be procured from Benares, if obtainable there, and employed at fixed salaries, in order to assist in the intended publication.

DEBENDERNATH TAGORE,

From Dr. E. Roer on the same subject.

Member of the Oriental Section,

I take the opportunity also to report my proceedings with regard to the Vedas. I would have sent in my report concerning them long before, had it not been my wish to furnish the Society with a correct statement of the collections of the Vedas in Calcutta, which I could not as yet render complete, not having examined the MSS. of the Sanscrit College, to which I could not obtain access, the Library of the College being closed until Monday next. The Vedaic collections of our Library are very defective, and from the accompanying letter of Debendernath Tagore, you will perceive, that he believes we cannot procure parts of the Vedas in Calcutta, an opinion, which is also held by Radhakant Deb. There is however, a complete and sufficiently correct MS. of the Sanhita of the Rig or first Vedas (the first two parts are now with me) in the Library of Bishop's College, which has been placed at my disposal, and I would propose to print this Sanhita, if we can obtain the commentary, together with the commentary; if not, without it. With this view I will without delay employ a pundit, who under my superintendence, is to make a transcript of the MS. in question. With regard to the difficulties attend. ing such an edition, as alluded to in Debendernath's letter, I believe, they are

overrated. We should be able to do this here with almost the same success as in Europe, and I will take it upon me to bring this edition through the press, if the Society will avail themselves of my services. The language is antiquated only in a few grammatical forms, and there are some words out of use at present; but the language at the same time is simple; (it reminds one of Homer) and very far from the elaborative mode of grammatical structure, used at a more recent period. The suggestion, however, of employing a pundit, who has studied the Vedas at Benares, is a good one, as this will much facilitate the work.

E. ROER.

Both these letters were referred through the Committee of Papers to the Oriental Section.

From Colonel Sleeman, forwarding a Grammar and Vocabulary of the Goond language.

From Lieutenant Briggs, Seonee, describing an extraordinary rent effected in a hill in that district in the month of May last, apparently by volcanic agency.

To the Secretary of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta.

SIR,- In hopes that the following account of an earthquake, or eruption, which occurred in the month of May last, near to the ancient fortress of Mundelah, on the banks of the Nerbuddah, may be worthy of perusal, I have the pleasure of sending you a description (although a very imperfect one) of what appeared to me worthy of remark, after visiting the scene of the phenomenon.

About the end of May last, my friend Captain Skene, the Deputy Commissioner of the district, received a petition from the Thuseeldar of Mundelah, stating that during the night of the 27th May, the inhabitants of the villages situated at the foot of the mountain called "Dhumah Phai" had been thrown into a state of great alarm, by a tremendous noise and rumbling in the hill above them; which lasted the greater part of the night, and that in the morning they found that the hill "had opened" and " that trees of immense stature had been engulphed." We were by this account much inclined to believe that all this had been merely the effect of a landslip, but circumstances putting it in our power to visit the hill-we did soand found our previously formed idea quite erroneous.

The Dhumah Phai, (which literally translated should mean the smoky mountain) is about 500 feet above the level of the plain-rather steep in ascent and covered with a thin stratum of earth, with numerous boulders of rocks projecting beyond the inclined plane of the hillside. Although we made every enquiry with the object of discovering whether any previous volcanic eruption had been the cause of the hill receiving the name of " Dhumah" we could not find that such had been the case, no tradition of the sort being known among the natives; and

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