1873.] President's Address. 53 



taries, could be so readily disproved, (and indeed it lias been) tbat tliere is no 

 excuse for allowing it to remain before tbe world as a statement of facts. But 

 I would hope for much more than this, and ask every one who has an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing such monuments to figui'e them and give a careful description 

 of them, so that not only their mere existence, but all their peculiarities may 

 be known. 



Another work on Indian Ethnology and the habits and customs of the 

 races inhabiting Bengal as the province is known now, which appeared during 

 the year, is the splendid volume of Dalton's descriptive Ethnology. This was 

 brought out at the cost of the Bengal Government, under the immediate 

 supervision of the Council of this Society, and it is certainly one of the most 

 admirably illustrated, as well as printed, books yet issued from Calcutta 

 presses. But it has higher claims on attention than the mere get-up of the 

 book. Col. Dalton has here given not only the information which he was 

 able to obtain from others, but has told us in plain nervous language, and 

 with a keen appreciation of humour throughout, his own experience with 

 the wild tribes and peoples among whom his long service in India has almost 

 exclusively been passed, and who have learned to know him so well, and 

 knowing him to trust him so implicitly, tbat they who would flee in terror 

 from other white faces come to him as an intimate friend and play with him 

 as a loving child would with a revered parent. Indeed one of the great 

 charms of the book is the insight you get into the true basis of those rela- 

 tionships of intercourse and friendship which have existed for years between 

 the writer and ' his children.' 



Descriptions ranging over such a wide circle of races could not be 

 anticipated to be equally detailed or equally accurate in all. But if blemishes 

 occur I hesitate not to say that those who read Col. Dalton's descriptions will 

 rise from their perusal with enlarged information, and with matured sympa- 

 thies. I would even suggest to the author whether he would not think of 

 publishing a smaller and cheaper edition, taking advantage of any additional 

 information which may have cropped up since, and using fewer illustrations 

 thus rendering the work accessible to a much larger circle of readers. I must 

 add that great credit is due to the Government of Bengal for the liberality 

 with which it has enabled so nobly illustrated a volume in the ethnology 

 of its provinces to be published. 



In addition to the truly valuable series of descriptive papers on the an- 

 tiquities and history of vaiious places in India, we have in the Journal for 

 the past year some curious coins illustrated, and notably a fine series of inscrip- 

 tions of various dates, from some nearly five centuries old, down to last cen- 

 tury and many throwing rich light on historical facts. It is hoped that 

 this valuable series of the inscriptions may be continued, for General Cun- 

 ningham has placed in our Secretary's hand, for decipherment and publication, 



