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cxlix 



the first recipient of this title, which, indeed, was especialh 

 created for him by Lord Dufferin. The Shaikh was further 

 selected by his Lordship for the office of a minister in th< 

 Hydrabad State, but he declined to accept the appointment as 

 unsuited to one of his retiring disposition and pious nature 

 He was one of the oldest Fellows of the University of Calcutta 

 For nearly twenty-five years he had been Examiner in Arabic 

 and Persian to the various Indian Universities. Though he 

 lived in retirement and seldom left his residence, the Calcutta 

 University recently appointed him University Lecturer in Ara- 

 bic and Persian, and the Government of Bengal granted him a 

 literary pension only last year in recognition of his erudition. 



V- — 



Of commanding presence, stately figure and gifted with 

 natural eloquence he stood unrivalled as a preacher, spiritual 

 leader and scholar. A high priest of the Shiahs, he was held 

 in high esteem and reverence bv Shiahs and Sunnis alike. A 



man of retiring disposition, he never cared to have his name on 



a title-page, but his great scholarship was unstintedly placed 

 at the disposal of other distinguished orientalists like Jarrett. 

 Ranking, Phillott and others, who had acknowledged in their 

 works their indebtedness to him. However, a work on Muslim 

 jurisprudence written in his youth was published in Najaj 

 (Mesopotamia) and is still exclusively used there. 



For many years he was a member of the Philological Com- 

 mittee of this Society which benefited by his valuable advice 

 and mature counsels. 



After a short illness he died on Friday, the 22nd September 

 1916 The Office of the Board of Examiners, the Universit; 

 classes and the Madrasah were closed in his honour. 



Mr. E. Vredenburg exhibited some Indian fossil shells of 

 Turbinella for comparison with the recent Indian " Ohank." 



The following papers were read : 



(1) On Secrecy and Silence in North Indian Agricultural 

 Ceremonies. — By Sarat Chandra Mitra. Communicated by 

 the Anthropological Secretary, 



This paper is being published in the Journal. 



(2) Zoological Results of a Tour in the Far East. Batrachia 

 and Reptiles. — By Dr. N. Annandale. 



(3) Zoological Results of a Tour in the Far East. Aquatic 

 Hemiptera from Tale Sap, Peninsular Siam. — By C. A. Paiva 

 Communicated by Dr. N. Annandale. 



Papers 2 and 3 are being published in the Memoirs, Vol. VI. 



The President announced that the next adjourned meetin 

 of the Medical Section would be held on Wednesday, the 13t 

 December. 1916. at 9-15 p.m. 



