February, 1909.] Annual Report. xvii 
of Jaina Manuscripts”’ gives an alphabetical list of 1355 manu- 
scripts incorporated in the collection of the Asiatic Society of 
Bengal. Pandit Vanamali Vedantatirtha in his ‘‘ Bhasa-paric- 
cheda’”’ attempts to prove that that work was a mere compilation 
from the writings of previous authors. Professor Sarada Ranjan 
Ray in his paper on ‘‘ The age of Kalidasa” supports the tradi- 
tion that the poet Kalidasa flourished at the court of Vikrama- 
ditya in the lst Century B.C. 
Mathematics and the Natural Sciences. 
In 1907 the Society published a paper by Mr. G. R. Kaye 
in which he state 
gives a translation of, and a commentary on, his ‘‘ Ganita ”’ 
and thinks that it was intended to be supplementary to such 
mathematical ideas as were then current among Indian Scholars, 
and that the selection of its rules was determined by available 
works—almost certainly books of the later Alexandrine School. 
He concludes that while there is no evidence which says that 
the Ganita had not an ultimate Egyptian origin, there are many 
points which support such a hypothesis. 
Mr. Kaye’s second paper is a short one pointing out that 
the Abacus was not necessarily in common use in ancient times 
in India: "there is no real evidence for the frequent statements 
that it was. 
& paper entitled On some reciprocal relations of Curves and Sur- 
faces, and to the July Journal one On rationalisation of Algebrai- 
quations. 
Mr. Little’s paper in the February Journal On the calm 
region in the atmosphere above Calcutta which, during the cold 
season, is at a height of 3,000 feet, is one of great interest. 
The author records the results of making observations on the 
direction—vertical and horizontai—taken by balloons freed in 
Calcutta: it is patent from them that at 4,000 feet there exists 
a very different wind from that at the earth’s surface—an 
the Caleutta north-westers come up in the upper wind. Be- 
tween the two winds is the calm region. There is often cloud 
to its lower limit. 
Professor Briihl in the September Journal has advocated 
