G2 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 1, 



Oldham showed us that he hoped to derive from this collection most 

 material assistance in determining the question of the true age of 

 the coal-bearing strata of this country. 



" The June meeting was also an interesting one. Information was 

 communicated to it of the fall of aerolites at Peeprassee on the 12th 

 May, and further particulars of the previous fall at Dhurmsala, — a 

 magnificent specimen of the former was exhibited. 



" It was then also that we received the first announcement of the 

 intention of Government to send an expedition across the snows 

 under Captain E. Smyth to Chinese Tartary, and although this 

 project has since been dropped in consequence of the failure to obtain 

 passports for the party from Pekin, it is to be hoped that it is aban- 

 doned for a time only. I am, I believe, at liberty to mention the 

 names of the gentlemen who were to form Captain Smyth's party. 

 They were Dr. W. L. Stewart, Mr. H. B. Medlicott, Lieutenant 

 Basevie and Dr. T. C. Jerdon. 



" At our August meeting, Colonel Yule read a memo, drawn up by 

 M. de Mazure, Vicar apostolic of Thibet, on the countries between 

 that country Yunan and Burmah, which had been sent to us by 

 Colonel Phayre. Lord Canning, it will be remembered, attended 

 at this meeting. The subject was full of interest, for at the time we 

 had not heard of Colonel Sarel's return from his attempt to penetrate 

 to Thibet through W. China. It was thought that any day might 

 bring us news of him from Lhassa or even Darjeeling. Colonel Yule 

 illustrated his remarks on the memo, by a map compiled by himself 

 from the scanty materials available, and this map is, I believe, being 

 published with the memo, in the forthcoming No. of our Journal. 

 At the next meeting the failure of the Yang-tse Kiang expedition 

 was announced, and soon afterwards the purport of the unfavourable 

 reply from Pekin to the application of the Indian Government for 

 passports of Captain Smyth's party was communicated to the Society. 

 I earnestly hope that a renewed attempt which Colonel Sarel has 

 applied for leave to make, up the Yangtse-Kiang, may ere long be 

 sanctioned by the home Government, and that the same authorities 

 may further permit the vigorous prosecution of other expeditions 

 which have been mooted during the last year, and which have for 

 their object the extension of our geographical knowledge of the 

 countries on our northern and eastern frontiers. 



