364 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



in a dense forest, and far from any settlements, a ruined city, surpass- 

 ing Copan or Palenque in extent and magnificence, and displaying a 

 degree of art to which none of the structures of Yucatan can lay 

 claim." 



In a later letter, Mr. S. says: "A short distance back from the 

 city of Santiago de Nicaragua is the crater of an extinct volcano, filled 

 with water. It is surrounded by bare cliffs, some 300 or 400 feet 

 high, in all places perpendicular, and having but one narrow, preca- 

 rious descent to the water. Upon these cliffs, at. the height of 50 or 

 even 75 feet, are paintings of the aborigines, precisely in the style and 

 of the character of those found in the ancient Mexican and Guatema- 

 lan manuscripts. They more closely resemble those of the manu- 

 script of the Royal Library of Dresden than any other, which manu- 

 script, I am convinced, W 7 as of Guatemalan origin. In fact, some of 

 the figures are identical, and amongst them stands out the symbolical 

 feathered serpent ! There was originally a large number of paintings, 

 representing dances, processions, &c. ; but, unfortunately, the wall of 

 rock upon which they were painted was thrown down only four years 

 ago by an earthquake." 



HINDOO ANTIQUITIES. 



AT a late meeting of the Asiatic Society, in London, a letter was 

 read from Captain Kittoe, communicating an account of his archceolog- 

 ical researches. He had recently recovered the inscription from Sar- 

 nath, dated Samrat, 1083, which mentions the rebuilding of chailyas 

 at Sarnath by Nayapala and his sons, and the endowment of viharas, 

 as at Kasi. From other inscriptions, he has obtained evidence that 

 Buddhism flourished in the tenth and eleventh centuries of the Chris- 

 tian era. He has procured several miniature temples, varying from 

 five feet in height down to as little as fifteen inches ; and thinks that 

 the practice of setting up numbers of these diminutive models must 

 have been common to Buddhists, Jains, and Hindoos ; but does not 

 believe that any of the Hindoo works go beyond the tenth century. 



A letter to Colonel Sykes from Captain Gill, the officer employed 

 by the East India government in delineating the paintings in the 

 Ajunta Caves, was read, in which that officer described a series of 

 paintings which have since been received at the India House. The 

 paintings described by Captain Gill are chiefly from the veranda of 

 the cave usually known as the Zodiac Cave, and they represent a va- 

 riety of scenes, mostly of social and domestic life. Among them is 

 one of a marriage procession, which deserves especial notice ; it dis- 

 plays a superior knowledge of drawing, and affords evidence of an ac- 

 quaintance with the rules of perspective. Captain Gill states that he 

 has discovered some very perfect inscriptions, which he thinks may 

 relate to the paintings around, and which will probably help to deter- 

 mine the age of the caves. In one of the sanctuaries there are two 

 rows of figures, and beneath each of them a single word ; and below 

 these is a continued line of writing, the letters of which are very 

 perfect. 



