1833.] Miscellaneous. 47, 
2.—Evtraordinary Banyan Tree at Kulow Nagty Hally, near Bhuoma Naik Droog. 
in the territory of Mysore. 
This tree assumes to the traveller’s eye the appearance of a very beautiful grove, 
which in reality it is. 
The centre tree is about fifty or sixty feet in height, and its branches cover an area 
of seventy-six yards in one direction, and eighty-eight in the other, while the drops 
now dependent from, or rather supporting, its gigantic branches, amount in number 
to one hundred and twenty-one, of which some are of enormous size. The place 
exhibits on all sides vast branches, broken off, which have been evidently once con- 
nected with thirty trees, now disunited from the centre stock; but the original con- 
nexion can still be sufficiently traced to render unnecessary the testimony of the 
villagers, who state that they and their fathers have been in the habit of disuniting 
these trees by separating the intermediate parts for the construction of solid cart 
wheels, for which, from their size, they are well suited. On measuring the trans- 
verse diameters of the whole area, they were found to contain more than 100 yards 
each way. This single tree thus affording a circle of foliage and shade exceeding 
300 English yards in circumference. 
3.—Discovery of the Silhet Coal Mines. 
Mr. James Stark discovered, early in 1815, some coal mines on the lower hills of 
Silhet, and worked them sufficiently deep to send down samples to the Government 
through Mr. Dacosta. By directions from Mr. A.Trotter, then Secretary, Public De- 
partment, about 50 maunds were sent to the foundery in Fort William, the same 
quantity to the gun-carriage yard at Cossipore, and an equal quantity was tried in 
the Mint, as also 25 maunds at Mr. Jessop’s. The reports on these samples proving 
favorable, Mr. Stark submitted proposals for supplying Government with coals, at 
1 rupee 8 annas per maund, to any extent required, of the quality of the samples sent, 
and even superior ; these being declined, he next obtained the indulgence of Govern- 
ment to import into Calcutta duty-free, for five years. The first thousand maunds 
having arrived in Calcutta, and remaining on hand unsold, he abandoned the mines. 
5.—Questions proposed by the Burmese Heir Apparent. 
‘¢ The Philosopher Burmese Prince is an extraordinary man. He is self-taught, 
and although of naturally good talents, he is very timid, and much alarmed that 
his turn for scientific subjects should be known to the King and Ministers. A 
gentleman who has also a turn that way, and has seen him frequently, declares him 
to be a wonderful man, and if in any other country but this, where he could with- 
out fear follow the bent of his mind, he would soon prove himself a person of su- 
perior acquirements. He is anxiously looking out for a Comet that is to appear 
this month, and which [I believe by the calculations of some French Astronomer is 
to destroy the earth. He has a very good Telescope—a Thermometer—a Barome- 
ter—a Stomach Pump, and I believe an Air Pump—all of which he is obliged to 
keep shut up. Subjoined are some questions put by him to a gentleman here, which 
it is hoped some one may be able to solve for his satisfaction. 
1st. He has observed, that the last three Comets have appeared in the same sign 
in the heavens, that the Moon’s node was in at the time; is this accidental, or has 
the node any connection with Comets ? 
2nd. On what data does Sir Isaac Newton found his hypothesis of the heat ofa 
Comet being 900 times greater than that of red-hot iron ? 
3rd. Is not the height of the atmosphere increased at new and full moon in the 
same manner that the waters of the ocean are raised, but to a much greater extent ? 
If so why does not the Barometer indicate it by rising ?”’ 
