136 International Congress of Orienlalisfs, Paris. [Nov., 



had now been done, and the abstract was laid before the 

 meeting". In the discussion which followed, such competent 

 authorities as Dr. Stein and Dr. Buehler took a part. 



A paper by Mr. Baynes on *' La Conception de la Voie ou da 

 Chemin dans le Mysticisme oriental," was next laid upon the 

 table, and the day's sittino- concluded with a long and interest- 

 ing paper by Mr. Macauliife on '* The Religion and Sacred 

 Books of the Sikhs." 

 Thursday, September, 9th, Morning. 



The Sitting opened with an important notice by M. Senart of an 

 ancient birch-bark MS. containing a portion of the Dhamma- 

 pada written in the Kharosthi character. It was discovered 

 in Central Asia by Dutreuil de Hhins, and he proposed that 

 it should be named after tliat intrepid explorer who had since 

 succumbed a victim to his devotion to science. The MS. con- 

 sisted merely of fragments, but there was sufficient to show 

 that it was a recension of the Dhammapada differing some- 

 what from the version at present current. The language was 

 a Pali, but was more nearly allied to the Pali of the A9oka 

 Inscriptions than to that of the classical books, and exactly 

 agreed with no known variety of Pali. 



M. Senart was succeeded by Professor S. von Oldenburg, who 

 described fragments of the same MS. which had arrived simul- 

 taneously at St. Petersburg. There was no doubt that the 

 Paris and the St Petersburg fragments both belonged to the 

 same book. The character and language are the same, and 

 both are fragments of the Dhammapada. The greatest interest 

 was shown in the subject by the scholars present, and photo- 

 graphic facsimiles of this, the most ancient Indian MS. known 

 to exist, were exhibited and distributed. 



Professor Deussen next laid upon the table a copy of his latest work, 

 *' Sechzig Upanishads des Veda," translated, with Introduction 

 and Notes. He drew the attention of the members present 

 to the importance of the ideas contained in these old philoso- 

 phical treatises, and added some remarks as to the results at 

 which he had arrived in studying the chronological order of 

 the texts of the different npanisads. 



The session concluded with a paper by Mr. G. Oppert " On the 

 Bharatas." 



He concluded that the Bharatas mentioned in the Rg-Veda were 

 not the same people as the Tritsus, but were rather a tribe of 

 warriors of non- Aryan origin. 



