1887.] Address. 51 



on a firm basis, the identity of the Dihong river of Assam with the Sanpo 

 of Tibet, as held by the majority of Indian geographers. 



From the same source, we have a paper ' On the exploration survey 

 for a Railway connection between India, Siam and China' by Mr. Holt 

 S. Hallett which gives an interesting account of the country lying 

 between the Lower Irawadi, Northern Siam, and the Chinese frontier. 

 The line proposed by him would extend from Maulmain to Raheng ; 

 the main line passing through 481 towns and villages, with one termi- 

 nus at the sea-port of Bangkok and another at Kiang Hseu, only 190 

 miles from China, and situated in a vast, fertile plain now beinc re- 

 peopled by the Shans of Upper Burma and Siam. We have also an 

 account of a ' journey in South-western China from Ssii-chian to West- 

 ern Yunnan ' by Mr. A. Hosie, and by Mr. J. G. Scott a paper ' on the 

 hill-slopes of Tong-king,' both of which add considerably to our know- 

 ledge of those little-known regions. In ' Burma, the country and 

 people ' by Mr. J. Annan Bryce, we possess an admirable summary of 

 general information founded on many years' residence and personal ex- 

 ploration ; a great part of the basin of the Kyendwin described by him 

 had never been previously noticed, and his paper is full of facts of con- 

 siderable value for ethnological and geographical purposes. Nor must 

 I omit to mention the issue of the second edition of the Imperial Gazet- 

 teer of India by the Hon'ble W. W. Hunter, giving the results of the 

 latest census and correcting the few errors which in a work of the kind 

 must occur. 



Archaeological Survey. — On the retirement of that distinguished and 

 old member of our Society, General Cunningham, from the Archaeological 

 Survey, the organization of the Survey in Upper India was remodelled on 

 a plan prepared by the retiring Director- General, and, from October 1885, 

 the provinces previously under his supervision were divided into three 

 circles: — (a.) Bengal with Assam and the S. E. districts ; (b.) N. W. 

 Provinces and Oudh with Central India and the Central Provinces ; and 

 (c.) the Panjab and Rajputana. Each circle was to have a Surveyor and 

 an assistant and a head-draftsman ; and Dr. Burgess was appointed head 

 of the surveys and adviser to Government, and subsequently was made 

 Director- General with extended powers and the control of all conserva- 

 tion works. It was also arranged that an allotment should be made for 

 the translation of inscriptions by competent Oriental scholars in this 

 country or in Europe. 



Panjab. — During 1883, the Surveyor in the Panjab, Mr. Rodgers, 

 who is also an Associate Member of our Society and a frequent contribu- 

 tor to its Journal, made a tour to the places of interest in the districts of 

 Gurdaspur and Kangra, and has prepared a number of drawings of in- 



