1890.] Col. Watcrliouse — Birch hark MS. from Kashgaria. 221 



Tlie President stated that tlie votes would now be taken on the 

 proposed alteration of Rule 70, so as to allow of Admission Fees being 

 treated as part of the income available for general expenditure, reported 

 at the meeting in August last, and appointed Dr. J. H. Tull Walsh and 

 Babu Asutosh Mukhopadhyay to be scrutineers, who reported that 

 there were 74 Votes in favour of, 7 Votes against the proposed alteration, 

 and 3 with qualifications, whereupoa the President announced that it had 

 been duly carried. 



The President laid before the meeting a list of Members who were 

 more than 2 years in arear of subscription, for sanction to the Council 

 being empowered to take legal proceedings for the recovery of the 

 amount due, under the provisions of Rule 48 (g.) 



The meeting approved of any action being taken by the Council 

 that might be considered necessary. 



Colonel Watebhou-ie exhibited a birch bark manuscript, and some 

 coins, found by Lieutenant Bower in Kashgaria. 



The following note by Lieut. Bower accompanied the exhibit: — 



" While at Kuchar a man offered to show me a subterranean town 

 provided I would go there in the middle of the night, as he was 

 frightened of getting into trouble with the Chinese if it was known 

 that he had taken a European there. I readily agreed and we started 

 off about midnight. The same man procured me a packet of old 

 manuscripts written on birch-bark. They had been dug out of the 

 foot of one of the curious old erections of which several are to be found 

 in the Kuchar district ; there is also one on the north bank of the 

 river at Kashgar. The one out of which the manuscripts were pro- 

 cured is just outside the subterranean city." 



" These erections are generally about 50 or 60 feet high, broad in 

 proportion and resembling somewhat, in shape, a huge cottage loaf : 

 they are solid and it is difficult to conceive for what purpose they were 

 erected. They are principally composed of sun-dried biicks with layers 

 of beams now criimbling away. Judging from the weather-beaten 

 appearance they possess, and taking into consideration the fact that in 

 Tui'kestan the rain and snow-fall are almost nominal, they must be very 

 ancient indeed. The natives attribute them to King Afrasiab, a con- 

 temporary of Rustam, who ruled over a kingdom corresj^onding to the 

 pi'esent Chinese Tui'kestan, but I found they had a habit of attributing 

 everytliing ancient to King Afrasiab." 



The subterranean ruins of Mingai, to which my guide had promised 

 to take me, are situated about 16 miles from Kuchar, on the banks of 



