28 Awmal Ueijort. [Feb. 



at an early date, and Dr. Hoernle's theory is in keeping with this fact 

 and coiitril)utes to it some additional strength. 



The paper by Dr. Hoey mentioned above takes us into another 

 department, the ancient Geography of India. Dr. Hoey tiies to fix the 

 sites of some places famous to us from Buddha's history, especially 

 \'esali and the place where Buddha entered Nirvana, Kusinara. He 

 believes he has found those sites in the modern districts of Cliupra 

 Hiid 8arau. The latter place, Kusinara, he identifies with a locality 

 now called Sewaii in the Saran District. This would lead us much 

 further south than where Kusinara is now generally searched for. After 

 the identification of the true site of Buddha's birthjilace, Kapilavastu, 

 by the help of the Asoka pillar discovered in 189G near Paderia in 

 the Nepalesc Terai, it is now generally believed, on the strength of 

 the directions given in the Chinese itineraries, thatKusinara will be 

 found in the Terai somewhere to the noith of the modern district of 

 Champaran, but we must await further discoveries before the point 

 can be definitely settled, and we have to thank Dr. Hoey, who has 

 rendered many valuable services to Indian Archaeology, for having 

 given the discussion a new start. 



Of the last four papers to be mentioned two are devoted to the 

 later Muhammadan period of Indian History, while the other two deal 

 with the non- Aryan languages of India. The first is by Mr. Irvine, 

 the "-reat authority on the history of the later Mughal Emperors. It 

 is an edition and translation of a Hindi poem composed by a Brahman 

 of Allahabad, by name S'rldhar Murlidhar, describing the struggle 

 between Farrukhsiyar and the other pretenders to the Mughal throne 

 that ended in the success of the former. Mr. Beveridge has contributed 

 a short note on the tomb of Badaoni, the famous historian of Akbar, 

 which he was successful in discovering when he visited Badaon in 

 December 1899. The tomb was pointed out to him near the village of 

 Atapur, but it is a plain tomb, without any inscription, and only 

 tradition still preserves the memory of it. 



To the knoAvledge of the non-Aryan languages of India, the Revd. 

 U. Francke, a Moravian Missionary at Leli in Ladakh, has contributed 

 an interesting collection of Tibetan proverbs obtained by him in 

 Ladakli, which are of value, not only to the student of folk-lore, but 

 also to the liiif^uist, being, specimens of a little known dialect of the 

 Tibetan language. Lastly, mention should be made of a paper contri- 

 buted by the llevd. F. Ilalin, a German Lutheran Missionary at 

 Lohardagga, on tlie lan<;uage of the Asurs. They are asmallaboii- 

 einal tribe in Chutia Nagpnr, consisting of not more than 2,500 persons, 

 and speaking a language of their own. He has also contributed, in 



