xlviii APPENDIX. 



and Madagascar, from Sir Charles Colville,* the governor of the Isle of France, 

 and from many of the French inliabitants of that island. Tliese Colonists have for a 

 series of years evinced a strong feeling in favonr of iutellectiiul improvement, and 

 researches into every brancli of knowledge, literature, and natural history, by 

 keeping up, both while they were luider the French, and since they have been under 

 the British Government, one of the best colleges for the education of their youth, and 

 one of the best botanical gardens for the rearing of foreign plants, which are to bo met 

 with in any of the British possessions to the East of the Cape of Good Hope ; and are 

 inhabitants of an island, the name of which is associated in the history of the poli- 

 tics, the wars, the trade, the navigation, and the botany of India, with the distinguish- 

 ed names of La Bourdonnais, Duplei.v, De Poivre, Coninier9on, Gentil, Sonncrat, Fla- 

 court, and Rochon ; and the geographical situation of which is peculiarly well adapted 

 for researches relative to the state of those descendants of the Arabs who are settled 

 on the eastern coast of Africa and the African islands, and who, from deriving their 

 origin from the same race of people, from professing the same religion, and carrying 

 on the same description of trade as those Mahomcdans who are settled along the coast 

 of Asia, bear so much resemblance to them, as to render any information relative 

 to the history of the one, very useful in elucidating the history of the other. 



The second of the subjects to which the Committee have adverted embraces the 

 history of those people who profess the jirinciples of the Buddha religion in Tartary, 

 Thibet, Nepaul, the Burmese and Siamese territories, Cambodia, Laos, China, 

 Cochin China, Japan, and the island of Ceylon. The Committee look for infor- 

 mation, with respect to such of them as inhabit Tartary, China, Cochin China, 

 and Japan, from the Russian University at Casan, the Russian College at Pekin, 

 and from the Chinese libraries of Sir George Staunton + and Dr. ^lorrison ; and 



sent, previous to his departure for Fernando Po, the whole of these memoirs to Sir Alex. Johnston, in 

 order that he might peruse them and conimunicale to the Royal Asiatic Society any part of the infor- 

 mation they contained which he might think proper. 



♦ Sir Charles Colville, while Commander-in-chief at Bomhay, made a tour through different parts 

 of India, and became thoroughly acquainted with the local peculi.irities and the native inhabitants of 

 the country. Mrs. Blair, the lady of Colonel Blair, Sir Charles's Military Secretary, who accompanied 

 the Colonel on his tour, has taken very beautiful drawings of many of the places which she visited. 

 As these drawings give an accurate view of some of the most classical and remarkable places which are 

 mentioned in the history of India, it is to be hoped, for the benefit of all those who are interested in 

 oriental history and oriental researches, that Mrs. Blair may be induced to allow them to be published. 



•j- Sir George Staunton, both while he held a high office in the service of the East-India Company and 

 while he acted as one of his Majesty's Commissioners in China, shewed the possibility of uniting the 

 strictest attention to the duties of a public office with the most ardent zeal for acquiring a knowledge of 

 the language and literature of the Chinese, and made, during his residence in China, the large and 

 valuable collection of Chinese books (consisting of 2,600 vols.) wliich he some time ago presented to the 

 Royal Asiatic Society. As Mr. Huttmann, the Secretary to this Committee, has acquired a very accurate 

 knowledge of the Chinese language and literature, it is hoped he will have leisure, with the assistance of 

 Sir George, to translate into English some of the most valuable of these works. 



