OR,

TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

SOCIETY INSTITUTED IN BENGAL,

For inquiring into the

History and Antiquities;

THE

ARTS, SCIENCES, AND LITERATURE,

OF

ASIA.

VOLUME THE TENTH.

PRINTED VERBATIM FROM THE CALCUTTA EDITION.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR VERNOR, HOOD, AND SHARPE; J. CUTHELL; J. WALKER,
LACKINGTON, ALLEN, AND CO.; OTRIDGE AND SON; LONGMAN, HURST,
REES, ORME, AND BROWNE; R. FAULDER; SCATCHARD AND LETTERMAN;
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At the Union Printing-Office, St. John's Square, by W. WHson.

I. Remarks on the State of Agriculture in the District of

Dinajpur. By W. CAREY

II. An Essay on the Sacred Isles in the West, with other

Essays connected with that Work. By Capt. F. WIL-

ford

....

III. On the Languages and Literature of the Indo-Chinese

Nations. By J. LEYDEN, M. D.......

1

27

.. 158

IV. An Account of Trigonometrical Operations in crossing the

Peninsula of India, and connecting Fort St. George

with Mangalore. By Capt. WILLIAM LAMBTON.

Communicated by the Hon. WILLIAM PETRIE, Esq.

Governor of Fort St. George

V. An Account of the Male Plant, which furnishes the Medi-

cine generally called Columbo, or Columba Root, By

Doctor ANDREW BERRY, Member of the Medical

Board of Fort St. George

290

.. 385

VI. On Sanscrit and Prácrit Poetry. By HENRY THOMAS

COLEBROOKE, ESQ.

VII. Remarks upon the Authorities of Mosuhnan Law. By

J. H. HARINGTON, Esq.

389

.... 475

VIII. An Account of Astronomical Observations taken at the

Honourable Company's Observatory, near Fort St.

George, in the East Indies, in the years 1806 and

1807. To which are added some Remarks on the

Declination of certain Stars and of the Sun, when near

the Zenith of that place. By Capt. JOHN WARREN,

of H. M. 33d Regiment of Foot

IX. Translations of two Letters of NADIR SHAH, with In-

troductory Observations in a Letter to the President.

By Brigadier-General JOHN MALCOLM

....

513

526

I TAKE this opportunity to correct two passages in former Essays; one in the IVth Vol. of the Asiatic Researches, p. 382: and the second in the first part of my Essay on the Sacred Isles in the West, p. 302.

In the latter, I said that the famous PR'A'N-PURI went no further than El-Catif and Baharein, in his way to Egypt. But I was mistaken; for he even attempted to go up the Tigris, and went even as far as Moc'há.

In the former, I asserted that by the Surya-much'hì-gangá, PR`A`N-` PURí meant the Volga: but I was equally mistaken; for, from his narrative, he certainly understood the Shat-al-Arab, or the united stream of the Tigris and Euphrates.

I seldom saw PR`A`N-PURÍ, and he hardly condescended to answer my inquiries: hence the information which he communicated, was vague and desultory. I did not advert then to what Mr. DUNCAN has said on the subject in the Vth Vol. of the Asiatic Researches.

BENARES, Feb. 20th, 1808.

F. WILFORD.

MEMBERS

OF THE

ASIATIC SOCIETY,

1808.

PATRONS.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE GILBERT LORD MINTO,

GOVERNOR GENERAL.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL HEWETT, COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

JOHN LUMSDEN, Esq. and Members of the Supreme Council.

H.T. COLEBROOKE, Esq. S }

PRESIDENT, H. T. COLEBROOKE, Esq.

1st VICE PRESIDENT, J. H. HARINGTON, Esq. 2d VICE PRESIDENT, DOCTOR JOHN FLEMING.

SIR JOHN ROYDS, KNIGHT.

H. P. FORSTER, Esq.

J. FARQUHAR, Esq.

R. HOME, Eso.

J. BENTLEY, Eso.

Committee of Papers, with the President, Presidents,

Vice

R. P. SMITH, Esq.

and Secretary.

JAMES HARE, JUNIOR, M. D.

W. LL. GIBBONS, Esq.

REVEREND W. CAREY,

SECRETARY, WILLIAM HUNTER, M. D.

TREASURERS, MESSRS. TRAIL, PALMER, AND CO. AGENT IN EUROPE, COLONEL MICHAEL SYMES.