402 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [May, 



ble to no ships from other islands, and maintaining no schools, — how will the eye 

 of its population be opened ? I recommended his embodying all the facts he had 

 learned in a treatise in Marhatha. He immediately undertook the work. 1 have 

 got it printed, and I now have the honor of submitting two copies of the work, 

 with a request that they may be presented to the Governor General of India. 



" It is a work which will bear the test of even a severe criticism. It is full of 

 philosophical reflections. From the different productions of different countries 

 mutually necessary he argues the intention of providence to unite all mankind 

 by commerce in the bonds of an interested affection. He hence infers the 

 restrictions laid on Hindus against travelling to foreign countries to be violent 

 and unnatural. He assails the folly of astrological predictions, and upholds the 

 wisdom and mercies of Providence in veiling the future from our curiosity, and 

 in keeping us all instant in our duties by an unfailing hope. He leaves 

 none of the numerous vulgar errors held by all Hindus in connection with his 

 subjects of geography and astronomy to pass without a complete and satis- 

 factory refutation. 



" Unkaha Bhat, who holds the next rank in talent and usefulness, lias written 

 a free Hindi version of Subha'ji' Ba'pu's book on the Pauranic, Siddhantic 

 and Copernican systems." 



Read a letter from Lieutenant Kittoe, stating that he had dispatched 

 a cart to Tumlook to take down the Bhubaneswar slabs, the restoration of 

 which had given the greatest satisfaction to the priests and people. 



Lieutenant Kittoe also forwarded copies of the principal inscription in 

 the old Lat character at Aswastuma near Dhoulee in Orissa, with a short 

 account of the caves and temples discovered there by himself and a 

 map of the place. 



[This inscription -will be seen to have arrived at a most fortunate moment.] 

 Captain Smith, Engineers, forwarded accurate facsimiles of the inscrip- 

 tions at the Buddhist monument of Sanchi near Bhilsa ; with a paper 

 describing their position ; and 



Captain W. Murray presented some beautiful drawings of this very 

 curious mound, and of the highly ornamented stone sculpture of its gates 

 and frieze. 



The Secretary read a note on the inscriptions, which had proved of 

 high interest from their enabling him to discover the long-sought alphabet 

 of the ancient Ldt character (or No. 1 of Allahabad) — and to read there- 

 with the inscriptions of Delhi, Allahabad, Bettiah, Girnar and Cuttach — 

 all intimately connected, as it turns out, in their origin, and in their 

 purport. 



Lieutenant Kittoe also presented facsimiles of a copper grant in three 

 plates dug up in the Gumsur country, of which the Secretary with the 

 aid of Ramala Kant Pandit supplied a translation. 



It relates to a grant of land by the Bhanja rajas to a brahman named Bhand- 

 reswara. — A lithograph will be published shortly. 



The Honorable G. Turnour transmitted a paper on an examination of 

 the Pali Buddhistical Annals, including a translation of the Attha kathd 

 of Buddhaghoso, and a table of the Pitahattayan 

 This paper will appear, at as early a period as possible. 

 Major J. Sleeman, communicated the first part of his History of the 

 Gurha Mundela Rajas. 



We shall also hasten to lay this before our readers. 

 Lieutenant Siddons forwarded a translation of the commencement of 

 the Dadupauthi Grantha, with a promise to continue the same should 

 it prove acceptable. 



Professor Wilson formerly intended to have done the same thing — the 

 translation of Dadu's moral instructions is highly interesting. 



A list of the native tribes in Sinde and specimen of their language was 

 communicated by Captain Alexander Burnes from Bahdwalpur. 



