Revue des deux Mondes, 15th April and 1st May, 1868. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL, FOR AUGUST, 1868. A Meeting of the Society was held on Wednesday, the 5th instant, at 9 o'clock P. M. T. Oldham, Esq., President, in the chair. The minutes of the last Ordinary General Meeting were read and confirmed. The receipt of the following presentations was announced: 1. From Bábu Hemachandra Deva A nest of Orthotomus longicaudus. 2. From the Barrackpore Park MenagerieA specimen of Mellivora ratel (Badger). A specimen of Pavo muticus. 3. From Lieutenant J. Gregory A specimen of Teliphonus, from the Naga Hills. 4. From Bábu Rákháladása Háladára― A quantity of Kaolin from Mánbhúm. 5. From J. Avdall, Esq. A copy of Grammaire Polyglotte contenant les principes des langues Arabe, Persane, Turque et Tartare, par Le P. Minas Medici. 6. From the editor A copy of Prasannarághava Nátaka, edited by Pandita 7. From the Superintendent Government Mathematical Instrument Department Two base line chains, 100 feet each. A Zenith Sector, with stand. 8. A Zenith micrometer, with stand. Formerly used by Colonel Lambton in the G. T. Survey. From Dr. D. B. Smith Twelve Uḍia skulls. 9. From the Calcutta Brahma Samája A copy of The Doctrine of Christian Resurrection, A copy of Vedantic Doctrines vindicated. A copy of Selections from Vedanța. A copy of Hindu Theism. A copy of Theist's Prayer-Book, and twenty other small pamphlets. 10. From Colonel J. C. Haughton A copy of Padmaduta Kávyam, by Siddanátha Vidyávágisa. Cuch Vehara. 11. From W. Oldham, Esq., LL.D., Offg. Magistrate of Ghazeepur. Some earth which fell in a shower at Kootubpur. The following letter, addressed to the Secretary, accompanied the donation : Ghazeepur, the 22nd July, 1868. 'A report has been received, which there is reason to believe is authentic, that on the 15th instant at noon in Kootubpur, of the Shadiabad Pergunnah of this district, a shower of earth moistened with rain fell. Small balls of moistened earth about the size of peas fell slowly and for considerable time, I forward herewith specimens of the earth which fell. From the 18th of June, until the 5th of July, no rain fell in this district; since then we have had abundant rain. The rains set in generally on the 17th, but on the 15th and 16th local showers occurred. I am not aware whether the shower has any scientific interest or importance, or not; but if it has, you will, I believe, find that, a day or two later, a somewhat similar shower fell at Cawnpur.' The President stated that the earth alluded to had been carefully examined under the microscope, and that it was nothing but the ordinary surface silt of the plains of Bengal, which might have come from almost any part of the Gangetic plain. Occasionally the character of the earth which fell in this way as mud in showers, was of such marked and distinctive nature, as would enable a tolerably accurate conclusion to be arrived at, regarding the direction from which it had been carried, or the locality from which it had first been lifted to the clouds, to be again deposited with rain. The following gentlemen duly proposed and seconded at the last meeting were balloted for, and elected Ordinary members:H. E. Perkins, Esq., C. S. Pandita Chandramohana Gosvámi. R. T. Hobart, Esq., C. S. The following are candidates for ballot at the September meeting:Baron v. Ernsthausen, proposed by Mr. F. Schiller, seconded by Dr. F. Stoliczka. R. M. Adam, Esq, proposed Mr. F. Schiller, seconded by Dr. F. Stoliczka. E. Ch. Van Cutsem, proposed by Dr. F. Stoliczka, seconded by the President. R. V. Stoney, Esq., C. E., proposed by the President, seconded by Mr. C. A. Hacket. C. Lazarus, Esq., proposed by Mr. G. Robb, seconded by Mr. D. Waldie. Letters from the following gentlemen intimating their desire to withdraw from the Society were recorded— Lieutenant-Colonel B. Reid. Colonel J. C. Brooke. The Hon'ble J. B. Phear, in accordance with the notice given at the last meeting, moved- That the Society record a vote of thanks to Mr. H. F. Blanford, who had lately resigned the General Secretaryship, for his services. Mr. Phear said that in proposing the resolution, he should use very few words, because he thought that, even on an occasion like this, the praise which was unspoken was the highest praise. Mr. Blanford had been many years a zealous member of the Society, and for several years he had actively and well discharged the duties of Secretary. He would ask the members to call to their minds what this service really involved. He thought he was not wrong in supposing that they considered their Society as the first Scientific Society in India. They were proud of their Ethnological and Antiquarian researches. And they were willing to flatter themselves that they could correspond on equal terms with the Literary and Scientific Societies of Europe and America. Let them remember that in these things their Secretary was the mouth piece of the Society, and that certainly Mr. Blanford in discharge of these duties had never failed to reflect credit upon the body. It was few persons who possessed the qualifications needed for the post, and fewer still, who would sacrifice their private leisure to perform its functions. If they were so fortunate (as he believed he might venture to assume they were) that they had already secured Mr. Blochmann to succeed Mr. Blanford, they must not forget, that they had enjoyed the further fortune of having Mr. Blanford as the predecessor of Mr. Blochmann, and unless they gave the only return in their power, unstinted thanks, to the retiring Secretary, they would be virtually telling Mr. Blochmann that he had undertaken a thankless office. Dr. Fayrer seconded the motion, which was unanimously carried. Read a letter from the Under-Secretary to the Government of India, For. Dept., forwarding further report on the Cromlechs of Coorg, dated Coorg, 22nd May, 1868. 'In continuation of my letter No. 3301 of the 4th March last, I have the honor to report that in accordance with the instructions of the Commissioner, I have caused eleven of the Cromlechs, lately discovered in the vicinity of Veerajenderpett, to be excavated, and beg to submit the results of the explorations made by myself and my Assistant, Lieutenant J. S. F. Mackenzie.' 2. The parallel barrows, or mounds of earth, alluded to in my former report, though containing one or two Cromlechs, were found not to cover continuous rows of these structures; but the Cromlechs now excavated were situated below large mounds and covered over with trees and dense brushwood, showing that they had not been touched by the hand of man for ages past. These structures consisted, like the others reported on, of oblong chambers, the bottom and sides composed of large single slabs of unhewn granite, and surmounted by a large slab of the same description. The longest chamber was 7 |