6 Transactions. 



chieily with the great war between tlie Kauravas and the Pan- 

 davas, who were descendants, through Bharata, from Puru, one 

 of the founders of the two great branches of the Lunar race. 

 The object of the great war was the kingdom in Nortli India, 

 whose capital was Hastina-pura, the ruins of which are traceable 

 57 miles north-east of Delhi. The two sections composing this 

 Telugvl version are called — (1) the Virdta-parva, which details 

 the adventures of the Pandavas in tlie tliirteenth year of their 

 exile while they were in tlie service of King Virfi,ta ; and (2) the 

 Uclyoga-jMrva, which treats of the preparations for war made by 

 the Kauravas and the Pandavas. 



Mr Robert Maxwell- Witham exhibited, through Mr J. S. 

 Thombon, a compass and sun-dial carried by William Maxwell 

 when he was out in the '45. 



Communications. 



I. Observations on the Tem2)erattire of the River Dee and its 

 Estuary during the jmst year. By the Rev. William 

 Andson. 

 Rev. Mr Andson read a paper embodying the results of 

 observations on the temperature of the river Dee at Tongland, 

 taken by the Rev. W. I. Gordon, and of its estuary taken by 

 Mr Macdonald, lighthouse-keeper, on the island of Little Ross. 

 Those of the river had been taken daily from 9th September, 

 1889, to L5th August, 1890, usually about half-an-hour after 

 noon. The mean temperature of the air for the period over 

 which the observations extended was 54-5 degrees; of the water, 

 50-5 degrees ; mean diiference of air above water, 4 degrees. 

 Mr Andson's own observations for the Nith brought out a mean 

 2 degrees lower for the -water and 1-7 degree lower for the 

 air ; but the periods of observation were not coincident, tlie 

 spring and summer being in the case of the Nith for 1889 and 

 in that of the Dee for 1890, and there was a slight difference in 

 the hours at which the observations were taken. There was an 

 almost exact coincidence in the mean difference between the 

 temperature of the air and water, the excess of the former in the 

 case of tlie Nith being 4-3 degrees, compared with 4 degrees in 

 the case of the Dee. With reference to the observations at 

 Little Ross, he expressed the opinion that they must be regarded 



