in other words, of all that ihcy do, will demand many more years 

 of laborious examination. " Wherever we direct our attention to 

 Hindoo literature," said Sir William Jones, " the notion of in- 

 finity presents itself; and the longest life would not be sufficient 

 for the perusal of near five hundred thousand stanzas in the Pu- 

 ranas, with a million more perhaps, in other works; meaning the 

 books on divine knowledge, called veda, or what is known ; and 

 sruti, or what has been heard from revelation. 



" The island of Salsette is, by the natives, called Shasta, or 

 Shaster; which is supposed to be derived from She-aster; meaning 

 in Mahraty, eighty-six, it having formerly contained that number 

 of villages; it must, however, have had a name prior to such an 

 advance of prosperity; and it is worth while to inquire what it 

 was, and its meaning; neither is it likely that such a point would 

 supersede any prior name, any more than originally give one. 

 This fine and interesting island offers a rich harvest to mineralo* 

 gical, botanical, and mythological inquiries; until lately, it has, 

 in these, and in every other respect of policy and interest, been 

 sadly neglected." 



The climate of Salsette is not reckoned so salubrious as Bom- 

 bay; many causes are assigned, especially the quantity of jungle, 

 or wood-land, still remaining uncleared; to which may be added 

 the stagnant pools and marshes of rank vegetation, besides very 

 extensive tracts of land yet uncultivated. When the underwood 

 is cleared, the marshes drained, and agriculture encouraged, there 

 can be no doubt of their effects in meliorating the atmosphere. The 

 jungle, or marsh-fever, is more common at Salsette than Bombay: 

 the young cadets sent over, on their first arrival from Europe, to 



VOL. HI. 3 m 



