Sir Walter Elliot's Address. 421 



Edward Smith, then residing at Norwich, who was much 

 interested in the discovery and described it for him. Dr. 

 Hooker Avent on to remark on its occasional appearance at 

 other places, among which he specified Alnwick Moor, where 

 it had been once found by (if Dr. Hooker remembered rightly) 

 Professor Dickie. He then suggested that perhaps this 

 species of Buxhaumia might be a parasite, which would 

 account for its irregular appearance in so many and such 

 distant localities, and concluded by directing the attention of 

 botanists to the determination of this point. Sir Walter 

 added that he had been informed to-day, by Mr. William 

 Boyd, that he and his brother had frequently met with 

 Buxhaumia aphylla on the Cheviots. It is to be hoped there- 

 fore that the verification of Dr. Hooker's theory may he num- 

 bered among the achievements of the Berwickshire Club. 



Sir Walter next offered some explanation of the Indian 

 antiquities and relics which he had been requested to exhibit. 

 They were obtained, he stated, from ancient sepulchral de- 

 posits on the Nilagiri mountains in South India. India 

 abounds in burial-places of extinct races, the most common 

 sort being indicated by rude circles of rough stones, within 

 which are deposited urns containing calcined bones and some- 

 times a few simple ornaments or utensils. Others of greater 

 pretension are formed of four stone slabs set up on end and 

 surmounted by a fifth serving as a cover, and inclosing a 

 square space within which the cinerary urns and ornaments 

 are buried. These, which pass under the general name of 

 Pandu-kulis, are for the most part above ground, but some- 

 times occur below the surface like the one examined by the 

 Club before dinner, on the way down from Brislee Tower. 

 These are common throughout the whole of India. Others 

 peculiar to the Malabar coast are in the form of subterranean 

 chambers, covered by a large discoid stone, from the shape of 

 which they are called Kodi-kals or umbrella tombs. Those 

 on the Nilagiri hills, from which the vessels and ornaments 

 exhibited were taken, are different from all the above. Some 

 are circular walls, built of uncemented rough stones, exactly 

 like draw-wells. Others are formed of upright slabs of un- 

 hewn stone, inclosing a circle, and a third sort is in the shape 

 of a conical tumulus or mound of earth. However diversified 

 in form, the interior arrangement is alike in all. On remov- 

 ing the surface soil to the depth of two or three feet, one 

 or more long, narrow, unhewn stones are discovered, placed 

 horizontally and lying parallel to each other in a line point- 



