134 W. T. Blanford — Flint Cores and Flakes from Sind. [July, 



(11) To what extent is European capital employed in the production 

 and manufacture of dyes, indigo and other. 



2. In regard to dye-stuffs collected from forest trees, it is desirable 

 that the Forest Department should supply the fullest particulars available. 



3. His Excellency in Council also requests that attention may be 

 directed to the subject of the competition of anilin dyes with dyes of local 

 production. It should be stated how far this competition has been success- 

 ful, what are the prospects of Indian dyes in Bengal, and whether any mea- 

 sures seem to be required for the encouragement of this branch of industry. 



4. I am further to request that the fullest information available on 

 the subject of tans of Indian production may also be furnished. 



With reference to the above, the Council will be obliged if members of 

 the Society possessing information on the subjects noted, will kindly commu- 

 nicate it for submission to the Bengal Government. 



The President announced that as it had been found that advantage 

 was not taken of the Library being open on Friday mornings, the prac- 

 tice would be discontinued as it caused extra expense. 



Also that Dr. G-. Thibaut, Anglo-Sanskrit Professor, Benares College, 

 had been appointed a member of the Philological Committee. 



Mr. W. T. Blanford exhibited some specimens of flint-cores and flakes 

 from Sakhar and Rohri on the Indus, Sind, and gave the following account 

 of them : — 



Many years ago my attention was attracted to some very beautiful 

 specimens of flint-cores from Sind in the collections belonging to the 

 Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. I subsequently often heard 

 of similar worked flints being found in Sind. In the Geological Magazine for 

 1866, Plate XVI., three of these cores were very well figured from specimens 

 procured by Lieut. Twemlow of the Royal Engineers and described (p. 433) 

 by Mr. John Evans, who called attention to their beautiful regularity of 

 form, and was inclined to ascribe them rather to the " neolithic" than to 

 the " palaeolithic" age. He compared them to the implements found by 

 Messrs. Foote and King in the laterite beds of Southern India, and suggested 

 that the material might prove to be rather a quartzite than a flint and 

 consequently more thoroughly homogeneous than the chalk flints, for in- 

 stance, from which implements were largely made in Western Europe. This 

 however is a mistake caused naturally by the want on the specimens exa- 

 mined by Mr. Evans of any fracture sufficiently fresh to shew the texture. 

 The Southern Indian implements are, so far as I have seen, generally of 

 quartzite, and I have even met with a few of vein quartz, the Sind cores 

 and flakes are of flint from the nummulitic limestone. 



