1878.] Ujfalvy''s Geogrrfpliical Researches in Tiirhisfdn. 21 



Moreover Dr. Rajendralala's arguments turned a great deal on the 

 interpretation of a particular passage in one of Asoka's edicts. The Presi- 

 dent was glad to inform the Society that a complete collection of all the 

 edicts of Asoka, carefully revised by General Cunningham, with corrected 

 translations, was just ready for publication ; it might be wise to wait till 

 that appeared before trusting too much to the presumed interpretation of 

 a single passage. 



Another part of Dr. Eajendralala Mitra's argument turned on the 

 character of Jainism ; but was it certain that the Jainism of to-day was the 

 Jainism of Asoka's day, or in what respect that differed from Buddhism ? 

 The President might announce to the meeting that he had received 

 from Dr. Biihler information that he had, in conjunction with Dr. Jacobi, 

 discovered almost conclusive evidence that Buddha Sakya Muni or Gau- 

 tama was actually contemporary with Mahavira, the latest Tirthankra of 

 the Jains. This coincided with Colebrooke's conjecture, adopted by Cunning- 

 ham, that Gautama was at one time a disciple of Mahavira's. The Jain books 

 recorded the fact that Mahavira had a disciple named Gautama, but beyond 

 that fact little was said of him, and this would quite coincide with the 

 supposition of his having at a later date left the school of Mahavira and set 

 up one of his own. 



Mr. Edgae called attention to the fact that in some of the Buddhist 

 writings the name of " Mahavira" was given to Buddha also. 



The Peesident replied that he was aware of the fact but had not 

 mentioned it, as it bore rather on another phase of the question. Raja 

 Sivaprasad had based on this undoubted fact the very probable conclusion 

 that " Mahavira" was a mere honorific title, and indeed had gone further 

 and had endeavoured to identify the Mahavira of the Jains with the Kasya- 

 pa of the Buddhist legends, but so far this was little but conjecture, if 

 indeed it was -quite consistent with the legends of Buddhism. 



Captain Wateehotjse read translations of extracts from letters from 

 M. Ch. Ujfalvy and the Abbe Desgodins, descriptive of recent geogra- 

 phical researches in Turkistan and Thibet — published in the October number 

 of the Bulletin de la Societe de Geographie. 



The following interesting account of Farghana (or Khokand)* is 

 given by M. Ch. de Ujfalvy in a letter to the General Secretary of the French 

 Geographical Society, dated Tus, 19th August 1877. 



" Having left Tashkend six weeks ago, I proceeded first to Khokand 

 with post-horses. After leaving Khokand, I made a tour on horseback, 

 in order to see more closely the character of the country and to be able to 



* The spellmg of the names has been given as in Col. Walker's map of Turkes- 

 tan. (J. W.) 



