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Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. X. Part I.—BY THE SOCIETY. The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, No. 9.-BY THE SOCIETY. Bulletin de la Société de Géographie, troisieme série, Tome V.-BY THE SOCIETY.

Journal Asiatique, No. 39.

EXCHANGED.

The London, Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical Magazine, No. 199.
PURCHASED.

The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, No. 124.

The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Vol. XLII. No. 83.

Journal des Savans, December, 1846.

The Birds of Australia, by J. Gould, F. R. S. &c. parts 24 and 25.

Tedelijkheid,-aan Maatschappelijk Belong,-Aan Bigbel en Evadgelie. Door S. A. Buddingh.-BY THE AUTHOR.

en.

De Doodstraf, Getoetst aan Gezonde nede en Menschkunde, aan Godsdienst

DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM.

List of Sculptures presented to the Society's Museum, by Capt. M. KITTOE. Nos. 1 to 5. Buddhist Chaityas of different sizes.

6. A Chaitya with the Buddhist creed, "Ye dharmahetu," &c. inscribed on its base.

7 to 10. Buddhist Chaityas without the inscription.

11. A Chaitya similiar to the No. 6th.

12. A calasa or pinnacle of a Chaitya.

13. A figure of Buddha, in black marble. 14. A figure of Buddha, in potstone.

15. A ditto.

16. A figure of Párbati.

17. Figures of Hara and Parbati.

18. A sculptured stone having a human figure in a niche.

19. A sow with seven pigs in bass relief.

20. A miniature figure of Buddha.

21. A piece of sculpture with four rows of Buddhist figures.

22. A ditto.

23. A ditto with 3 figures of Buddhas in niches.

24. A ditto with 5 figures of ditto.

25. A ditto with 4 figures of ditto.

26. A ditto with 4 figures of ditto.

27. The plinth of a Chaitya bearing 3 figures of Buddhas-a horse, an elephant, a "bo" tree, and the creed " Ye dharmahetu," &c.

28. Ditto with 4 figures of Buddhas-without the inscription.

29. The plinth of a pilaster.

30. The base of a dodecagon pillar.

31 to 33. Three highly sculptured plinths of pillars.

34. Portion of the shaft of a highly sculptured pillar.

Report from the Curator, Zoological Department.

At this season of the year, it is rarely that I have much to report upon, at least as relates to donations received for the Museum; but the past has been a very busy month with me, and due progress has been effected in various departments of the Museum, to which I invite the attention of members interested in the investigations which fall within the sphere of duty of the Society's Zoological Curator.

1. From G. T. Lushington, Esq., of Almorah, have been received another skin of the Ovis ammon, and one of Pantholops chiru. The latter will, I think, bear setting up as a stuffed specimen ;* but the former is, I fear, too much injured: though its head and horns may be preserved, as the horns present considerable difference from those of the specimen already mounted, and the two certainly tend to exhibit the amount of variation to which the horns of this noble species are subject. Those of the present specimen are remarkable for increase of depth, in inverse proportion to their diminished width at base; and I think I may now safely conclude my O. sculptorum to be a mere variety of O. ammon.†

2. From E. O'Ryley, Esq. of Amherst, has been received a collection of sundries, comprising mammalia, birds, fishes, Crustacea, and Mollusca ; some of the Crustacea, more especially, being new to the Society's Museum, and especially acceptable. There is a particularly fine series of the Ocypoda ceratopthalma, from youth to maturity; from which it is seen that the remarkable ocular peduncle only begins to appear when

This has since been done.

In p. 362 ante, I was necessitated to quote from memory respecting the Prince of Canino's statement relative to the suborbital sinuses of O. musimon. But I find that I quoted it erroneously. It appears, on reference to the volume on " Goats and Sheep," in the 'Naturalist's Library,' that his Highness states (bearing out my own recollection of a living specimen), that " There is a trace of a lachrymal sinus;" and that the Prince referred this animal" to the genus or sub-genus Capra, on account of the absence of the interdigital hole." This further complicates the subdivision of the group of Wild Sheep.

this Crab is nearly a quarter grown. An equally fine series is sent of the common Gelasimus of the Bay, the half grown young of which Crab I have taken from holes in the bank only a few miles below Calcutta. We have received the same species from the Persian Gulf.

3. From Capt. Thos. Hutton, of Mussoorie, a large collection (the majority, however, sent on loan, and for the purpose of illustrating a paper which he has confided to my editorship), of the birds of Afghanistan, with many also from the Deyra Doon, certain of which have been presented by him to the Society's Museum.

4. From J. W. Payter, Esq., the skeleton of an adult Tigress.

E. BLYTH.

Report of the Curator Museum of Economic Geology for the month of April.

We have received so little in the way of contributions this month that it is scarcely worth reporting upon, were it not to preserve the regularity of our reports; and my laboratory work of the month is not yet sufficiently advanced to enable me to conclude any paper or report as I desire.

Geology and Mineralogy.-We have received from Captain Kittoe a small box of specimens, but unfortunately without labels of any kind. Some of them require examination and will be referred to in a future report.

Economic Geology.-Capt. Sherwill has presented us with a box of specimens from the Mica quarries of Behar, of which he has promised a note. They consist of the mica in plates of all sizes, with quartz, felspar and tourmalin, and in one specimen small decomposing gar

nets.

Lieut.-Col. Ouseley has sent us a supposed mass of Coal from the Mohun River, Sirgooja, but it is rather one of a good Coal-shale with a vein of promising Coal running through a part of it. It is no doubt a surface specimen. The Mohun is a tributary of the Sone, taking its rise a little north of Sirgooja. The Sirgooja coal field is well known by the labours of Col. Ouseley as reported by the Coal Committee.

The thanks of the Society were unanimously voted for all contributions acknowledged as above.

[The following letter has been sent to the Editors of the Journal for publication as a sequel to the proceedings for May.]

To Dr. W. B. O'SHAUGHNESSY,

Joint-Secretary of the Asiatic Society.

DEAR SIR, I had expected to have been present at the Society's meeting last night, but was unavoidably prevented almost at the last moment; it becomes necessary, therefore, that I should trouble you with a few lines in correction of such portion of your report of the Proceedings, published in April, as refers to what you supposed me to have said on the subject of the Burnes and Cantor drawings. You did me the favour to ask me to give you a written report of the remarks I made, but other engagements prevented my doing so; any trivial inaccuracy, therefore, I should not have noticed; but you make me talk nonsense on a matter of figures, and, however apparent it may be thought as a mistake, I desire to repudiate it. I could have wished that you had thought what I said on the subject of the importance of keeping accounts in a business-like way (with reference to the unsatisfactory abstract before me) worthy a line or two, prefacing as it did that "categorical mode of questioning" which you pronounced "uncalled for and unnecessary among a society of gentlemen." I think it would have been better, when you repeated this expression in type, to have mentioned the substance of my reply, which was, that the money matters of even a Scientific Society were of serious moment, and that peremptory questioning was called for by lavish expenditure and unsatisfactory accounts, more especially when there were not funds to meet its professed liabilities; you may remember that I pointed out, inter alia, that it was impossible for any member of the Society to say what sum, between two and three thousand rupees, was debited to 14 of Dr. Cantor's drawings. This brings me to the particular misconception of what I said about these and the Burnes lithographs, to which I have above alluded. The Report in the Society's Journal is as follows:-" The sets of Cantor's collection had cost Rs. 2561, being 183 Rs. each set-now he had much experience in the expense of lithographs and would pledge himself to produce plates infinitely superior to those now before the Society at the cost of from 5 to 10 Rupees per 100." How it could possibly have been supposed that I said one hundred lithographed plates could be produced for any sum between these limits, I am at a loss to imagine. I stated it was certain the 14 Cantor drawings had cost Rs. 2,561, but the precise amount beyond was undiscoverable, from Chinese zoology being lumped with Mr. Thoby Prinsep's bust and other matters, in an item of considerable amount. I said it was an exorbitant charge; that I had people in my employ who could lithograph much better, whose wages were Rs. 15 a month, and that each of them could certainly do

four or five of the drawings in that time. Mr. Piddington had dwelt on the enormous expense of colouring in this country, not dealing in figures but leaving the Society to infer that this item of expenditure might account for the outlay complained of. In reply, without denying that colouring was a very heavy expense, I stated that better colouring than was on the table could be obtained for from Rs. 5 to Rs. 10 per hundred drawings, and I left it to members to look at the accounts and make their own calculations.

You will see that this is a very different statement from the one published, and I shall therefore esteem it a favour if you will allow this letter to appear in the next number of the Society's Journal.

I am, dear Sir,

Your's faithfully,

JAMES HUME.

Esplanade Row, May 6th, 1847.

NOTE.-The Editors willingly insert Mr. Hume's letter. Not pretending to possess the accuracy of professional reporters they applied to Mr. Hume for a correct statement of his remarks at the discussion regarding the "Burnes and Cantor drawings." Mr. Hume did not comply with their request and has accordingly suffered a most unintentional misrepresentation. As Secretaries, Dr. O'Shaughnessy and Mr. Laidlay have again to state prominently that they are in no degree responsible for any part of the expenditure referred to, all of which had been incurred prior to their appointment. The accounts, unpublished for several years, they printed as they received them from the late accountant. The Senior Secretary naturally objected to his being peremptorily questioned" regarding accounts and transactions which Mr. Hume knew, he, Dr. O'S. had nothing to do with. When the accounts for this year are published Mr. Hume will be most welcome to question the Secretaries and Accountant as "peremptorily" as he pleases on every item they present. Pending publication, the accounts for each month are laid on the Library Table for the month ensuing, for the perusal of the members, who would confer a great favour on the Secretaries, and do good service to the Society by pointing out any irregularity in the expenditure or deviation from the rules laid down by the Society for the regulation of their outlay.

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