1832.] Proceedings of Societies. 157 



XII. — Proceedings of Societies. 

 1. — Asiatic Society — Physical Class. 

 Wednesday Evening, the 4tk April, 1832. 

 The Honorable Sir Edward Ryan in the Chair. 



1, Mr. Kyd presented some specimens of Barnacles of an unusual size, taken 

 from a piece of timber found floating in the Bay of Bengal. 



2. Mr. Caliler presented, on the part of the SocUU cTHistoire Naturelle de V He 

 Maurice, copies of the proceedings of that Society, and of the Aunual Reports de- 

 livered at the Anniversary Meetings of the 29th August, 1830 — 1831. 



There seems to have existed so far back as 1801, a Society of Emulation at 

 Port Louis, Mauritius, instituted by Messrs. Bory de St. Vincent and Lislet Geoffroy, 

 and several other naturalists who remained in the isle on the occasion of Gabarres 

 expedition. From time to time it published articles on Natural History and other 

 branches of knowledge — it held its last meeting to greet the arrival of Freycinet 

 in the French ship of discovery, L'Uranie, in 1818. 



Under the French government, Genl. Decaen had intended to add a cabinet of 

 Natural History,with a library and collection of instruments, to the Lyceum found- 

 ed by him, but the project was, from some unknown cause, frustrated. Long pre- 

 vious to the thought of such an institution, however, most of the natural productions 

 of the isle had been brought to the knowledge of the world through the labours of 

 Aublet, Commerson, Sonnerat, Jossigny, the Viscount de Kerhoens, so often quoted 

 by Buffon, and even the celebrated St. Pierre, to whom may be added De Cos- 

 signy, Beauvais, and C£re\ 



In 1826, two naturalists resident at Port Louis, in the most disinterested manner 

 offered to contribute their own collections towards the formation of a Museum 

 connected with the College ; but circumstances changed with English rulers, and 

 no answer even was deigned by Sir G. Lowry Cole, or Genl. Darling. 



The present Society owes its origin entirely to the private exertions of Mr. C. 

 Telfair, Mr. J. Desjardins, and their friends. — They first thought of calling it " the 

 Asiatic Society," and connecting its labours with those of Calcutta and London, 

 but preference was at length given to the present designation of " the Natural His- 

 tory Society of the Mauritius." It opened its meetings on the 24th August 1829, the 

 anniversary of the birth of the Baron Cuvier, the most distinguished natural 

 philosopher of the present age ; and the same auspicious day was fixed for the 

 subsequent annual festivals of the Society. Two of these have since elapsed, and 

 on each occasion an able and copious analysis of the past year's labours was read 

 by the secretary Monsieur Desjardins. The present Governor Sir Charles 

 Colville, at the earnest request of all the members, accepted the office of patron, 

 and granted an apartment of the government house for the meetings of the Society. 

 Reports of the proceedings of the Society will be published regularly in the Journal. 



2. Read a letter from the Revd. R. Everest, addressed to the President, on 

 the subject of the Indian sandstone, and describing the extraction of carbo- 

 nate of soda and common salt from the soil in the neighbourhood of Ghazipur. 



3. Read a note on the geology of Elephant Hill on the Quedah Coast, by Dr. 

 Ward, Madras Medical Establishment, accompanied with specimens of the rock, 

 communicated by Sir Charles Grey. 



The country north of Quedah beach is an immense plain nearly level with the 

 sea, and covered near the coast with mangrove, rising gently towards a 

 small chain of hills to the east, 10' to 20 miles distant. The soil is a rich white 



