1876.] E. Maclagaii — On Early Asiatic Fire Weapons. 93 



The CHAlEMAisr also announced to the meeting that steps -woukl be 

 taken immediately for the thorough repair of the Society's premises. Some 

 inconvenience woiild no doubt be felt, while the repairs were going on, but 

 it was hoped that it would not be found necessary to interfere with the 

 usual course of the meetings, or with the other business of the Society. 



The following papers were read : 



1. — On Early Asiatic Fire Weapons. — By Major- General R. IMACLAGiJf, 



E.. E., Secretary to the Government of the Panjab, P. W. D. 



(Abstract.) 



The introduction of this paper treats of the various kind of fii'e arrows 

 used by the Grreeks and the Romans. The author then collects numerous 

 passages from the historians of Asia and Africa regarding the use of petro- 

 leum and naphtha for purposes of war. What we call ' Greek Fire' was 

 nothing else but petroleum, and the Arabs have left us numerous recipes for 

 warfii'e and fii-eworks, both liquid and di*y, most of which contained petro- 

 leum, or one or all constituents of gunpowder. The preparation of Greek 

 Fire has never been a secret, nor has the art ever been lost ; and only the 

 difficulty of procuring it in Europe made its use a rare occurrence. It was 

 extensively used by the Arabs in Sindh (690) ; at the sieges of Constantinople 

 (717) and Thessalonica (901) ; in Egypt ; by Chingiz Khan, Timur, and 

 even in England, where it was introduced by Edward I. ■ 



The noise accompanying the discharge of war-fire, consisting of jDctro- 

 leum, and the use of long tubes for throwing it, has inclined many writers 

 to refer the invention and application of gunpowder to early times ; and the 

 Chinese have specially been mentioned as having been acqtiainted with the 

 use of gunpowder long before it became general in Euroj)e. The ancient 

 Hindus, too, are said to have been acquainted with it. General Maclagan 

 shows that either assertion is utterly groundless. The extensive use of 

 petroleum missiles was certainly due to the Ai'abs, and the introduction of 

 gunpowder and artillery proceeded from Europe to the East. 



The paper concludes with a sketch of the progress of artillery up to 

 the end of the 16th century in India, Persia, Burmah and China. 



The essay will appear in the first number of Pt. I of the Journal for 1876. 



2. — Were the Sundarhans inhalited in Ancient Times? — ByH. Beteeidge, 



Esq., B.C.S. 



(Abstract.) 



This paper contains several interesting notices on the condition of the 



Sundarhans in the 16th century, and an account of the journey, in November 



and December, 1599, of tlie Portuguese missionary Fonseca from Dianga 



(south of Chittagong) over Bakla (Kochiia in Baqirganj) to ' Ciaudecau', 



