It was beyond denial that the commencement of such an intercourse with this uncivilized race involved grave moral responsibilities, and these could not be approached without anxious consideration.

But the question was not now, whether this intercourse should be commenced at all, but by what means and in what manner it could be most humanely and successfully commenced.,

So far as they had gone, Mr. Corbyn's endeavours had been unusually happy, and promised most favorably for the future. No doubt further efforts would be made in the same direction, and it was to be hoped with the same prosperous result. It might indeed be otherwise, but at any rate it was the duty of the more civilized race to omit no effort to avoid the evils which had hitherto resulted from its contact with those of the lower grades of civilization, and the meeting would doubtless consider that Mr. Corbyn was entitled to all praise for the patience, tact, and humanity which had hitherto distinguished his efforts to reclaim and civilize the Andamanese.

Communications were received

1. From Rev. I. Loewenthal, a paper on some Persian inscriptions found in Srinagar, Kashmir.

2. From Baboo Gopinath Sen, Abstract of the hourly Meteorological Observations, taken at the Surveyor General's office, for the month of August last.

3. From W. Theobald, Esq., Jr. a paper on the variation of some Indian and Burmese Helicidæ, with an attempt at their re-arrangement, together with description of new Burmese Gasteropoda.

4. From Professor J. Dowson, through E. Thomas, Esq., remarks on Major General Cunningham's paper on the Taxila inscription.

Mr. Cowell read some extracts from a paper by Colonel Abbott on the site of Aornos.

Mr. Cowell, having read extracts from the paper, Major Walker made some comments on the subject of it, and stated that so far as he was aware of the merits of the question he would adopt the position as given by Mr. Loewenthal in opposition to Colonel Abbott's arguments.

In consequence of the lateness of the hour the paper of Mr. Loewenthal on some Persian inscriptions was not read, and the meeting separated.

FOR DECEMBER, 1863.

The monthly general meeting of the Society was held on the 2nd instant.

A. Grote, Esq., in the chair.

The proceedings of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
Presentations were received-

1. From the Assistant Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department a copy of a report by R. H. Davies, Esq., on the trade of Central Asia.

2. From Baboo Ganendra Mohun Tagore, Professor of Hindoo Law in University College, London—a pamphlet containing the substance of a lecture delivered by him before the Ethnological Society of London, "On the formation and institution of the caste system-the Aryan polity."

3. From Baboo Prosonno Coomar Tagore-a copy of his English translation of Viváda Chintamani from the original Sanskrit of Váchaspati Misra.

4. From his Highness the Mahárajah of Burdwan-a copy of the Adi and the Sabhá parvas of the Mahábhárata in Sanskrit, with a Bengali translation, published under his auspices.

The following gentlemen duly proposed at the last meeting were balloted for and elected ordinary members :-The Rev. M. D. C. Walters; A. G. Walker, Esq.; J. Forsyth, Esq.; and T. Dickens, Esq.

W. Murray, Esq., B. C. S. was then proposed by Mr. Cowell for ballot as ordinary member at the next meeting, seconded by Mr. Blanford.

The Secretary read the following report, which had been adopted by the Council, on a proposition submitted by Mr. C. Horne for facilitating a more extended correspondence on Natural History subjects:

"The practicability of carrying out Mr. Horne's proposition depends mainly on the assistance afforded by those interested in its accomplishment, the Council being unanimously of opinion that a published list of naturalists, numismatists, and others would be of great assistance to those engaged in these studies, and it is believed that such a list would facilitate the exchange of duplicate specimens, and at the same time enable those interested in special subjects to know in what quarter to apply for information and assistance.

K

"Much help for the formation of such lists may be afforded by members of the Society, and it is therefore recommended that, as a preliminary step, a circular with a blank form be forwarded to members of the Society, requesting them to insert the names and addresses of those collectors with whom they may be acquainted, and to specify the subjects wherein they are respectively interested; at the same time members should be requested to state whether they wish their own names to appear in the proposed list, and to furnish similar information with regard to themselves, as well as to mention any specimens which they might wish to offer as exchanges.

"It would, in the next place, be necessary to apply directly to those gentlemen who, not being members of the Society, may be indicated by the latter as collectors, in order that their assent to the publication of their names, and perfectly authentic information respecting their requirements, &c., may be obtained; and they might be asked at the same time to communicate to the Society the names of others with whom they may be acquainted, and who may in like manner wish their names to be recorded. In all cases, however, no name or details should be published that are not furnished or mentioned by the individuals themselves.

"The materials thus obtained should be classified in a manner hereafter to be determined upon, and the lists so formed, printed on fly-sheets for insertion at the end of each number of the Journal. It might be found desirable also to append authentic information as to those who may be engaged in the working out of any special subject with a view to publication."

The Chairman, on the part of the Council, recommended that the reference of Capt Lees' amendment of Rule 77 to the Society at large be for the present deferred. This recommendation was made in consequence of the Council's having just appointed a committee to revise the rules generally. It seemed expedient to include in one reference other amendments of the rules which might result from this revision. Communications were received

1. From Baboo Gopinath Sen-an abstract of the hourly meteorological observations taken at the Surveyor General's office in September last.

2. From Major J. T. Walker, Superintendent G. T. Survey-report of the operations of the G. T. Survey of India during 1862-63.

Mr. Oldham was then invited to read his paper submitted in October, entitled "Notes on the Fossils in the Society's Collection reputed to be from Spiti ;" and that gentleman, after objecting to the postponement of the paper, proceeded to read it.

The Chairman remarked on the objections raised by Mr. Oldham, that his paper, though announced at the October meeting, had not been read on account of Mr. Oldham's absence from that and the following meeting.

An interesting discussion ensued between Mr. Oldham and Mr. Blanford as to the identity or otherwise of these fossils with those of the Gerard collection.

Mr. Oldham then exhibited to the Society a small collection of stone implements which had very recently been discovered by Messrs. King and Foote of the Geological Survey of India, near Madras. These were all of the ruder forms, so well known as characterizing the flint implements which had excited so much attention within the last few years in Europe. They were all formed of dense semi-vitreous quartzite a rock which occurred in immense abundance in districts close to where these implements had been found, and which formed a very good substitute for the flints of north Europe. This was the first instance in which, so far as he knew, such stone implements had been found in India in situ. True celts of a totally different type and much higher finish, and in every respect identical with those found in Scotland and Ireland, had been met with in large numbers in Central India, but never actually imbedded in any deposits. They were invariably found under holy trees, or in sacred places, and were objects of reverence and worship to the people, who could give no information as to the source from which they had been originally gathered together. A single and very doubtful fragment of a stone implement had been found by Mr. W. Theobald, Junior, in examining the deposits of the Gangetic plains near the Soane river. This occurred in the Kunkurry clay of that district; but, with this exception, he was not aware of any stone implements, of any kind, having previously been noticed in situ anywhere in India.

Those now on

the table had been collected partly by himself, from a ferruginous lateritic gravel bed, which extended irregularly over a very large area west of Madras. In places this was at least fifteen feet below the surface, cut through by streams, and in one such place from which

some of the specimens on the table were procured, there stood an old ruined pagoda on the surface, evidencing that, at least at the time of its construction, that surface was a permanent one. This bed of gravel was in many places exposed on the surface and had been partially denuded; and it was in such localities where these implements had been washed out of the bed and lay strewed on the surface that they were found most plentifully.

Mr. Oldham remarked on the great interest attaching to such a discovery, and on the probable age of the deposit in which they occurred. Another point of interest connected with the history of such implements was the remarkable fact that, while scattered in abundance over the districts where they occurred, were noble remains of what would by many be called Druidical character-circles of large standing stones, cromlechs, kistvaens, often of large size and well preserved, all of which were traditionally referred to the Karumbers, a race of which there still existed traces in the hills; still all the weapons and implements of every kind found in these stone structures were invariably of iron. No information whatever regarding these stone implements could be obtained from the peasantry, who had been quite unaware of their existence.

Thanks were unanimously accorded to Mr. Oldham for his interesting remarks on the stone implements.

FOR JANUARY, 1864.

The annual general meeting of the Asiatic Society was held on the 13th instant.

E. C. Bayley, Esq., President, in the chair.

The Secretary read the following Annual Report for 1863 :

ANNUAL REPORT.

The Council of the Asiatic Society have much satisfaction in announcing that the marked prosperity of the Society during the past year has been fully equal to that of the previous years, indicating an ever-increasing interest in the objects of the Society on the part of the public, which augurs well for the future progress of Indian science.

It is, however, with feelings of deep regret that the Council have to record the decease of the Society's patron, the Right Hon'ble the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, whose cordial sympathy with the