304 President's Address to the [May, 



Specimens of lignite and fossil wood from Nipal, were presented on the 

 part of Subadar Joda Singh, 



Specimens of quartz fossil wood and shells from Van Dieman's Land 

 presented by C. K. Roeison, Esq. 



A note on the teeth of the Mastodon angustidens of the Siwalik hills, was 

 received by Captain Cautley. 



Also, by Dr. Falconer and Capt. Cautley, a memoir on the Felts Cris. 

 lata, a new fossil tiger from the Siwalik hills. 



A skeleton of a tortoise (Carey's Kuchuya), presented by Mr. J.'T. 

 Pearson. 



Specimens of the Indian Barbet, (Bucco IndicusJ Woodpecker, (Picus 

 Macei,) and smaller green pigeon, (Vinago Vemans,) presented by Lieut. 

 C. Montriou, Ind. Navy. 



A specimen of the wandering Albatros, (Diomedea exulans,) present- 

 ed by J. Child, Esq. 



A specimen of the Bald Ibis, (Ibis calvaj presented by Dr. A. 

 Campbell. 



Skulls of the tiger, (Felts Tigris, J Leopard, (F. LeopardusJ long-lipped 

 bear, (Ursus lubiatus,) and Gurriyal, (Garialis Ganqeticus, ) presented 

 by Dr. McCosh. * 



A specimen of the ornamented snake, (Coluber Ornata,) presented by 

 Mr. Kyd. 



A specimen of Gecko vittatus (var.) by Dr. A. Jackson. 



XIII. — Address read before the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic 

 Society, on the 27th January, 1836. By the Rev. John Wilson, 

 President. 



[This address, obligingly communicated^to us by the author, gives so valuable a 

 review of all that has been done by the Bombay Society, that we make no apology, 

 but rather feel a pride in transferring it to our pages entire : the rather because Bom- 

 bay does not yet boast a Journal of its own, like Madras does. Since the establish- 

 ment of the latter journal, we have discontinued inserting the Proceedings of the So- 

 ciety at, that Presidency, conceiving the means for their preservation and circulation 

 to be more appropriately provided for. — Ed.] 



This Society has now been in existence for upwards of thirty years ; 

 and it may not be improper for us, in our present circumstances, briefly 

 to advert to its past proceedings, and to some of the various subjects of 

 inquiry, and especially those connected with our situation in western 

 India, which still invite our attention. 



In the discourse delivered at the formation of the institution, by its 

 first President Sir James Mackintosh, that great man declared himself 

 "ambitious of no higher office than that of conveying to India the desires 

 and wants of the learned at home." A more worthy "representative of 

 the curiosity of Europe," could not have presented himself in this country. 

 It must be admitted, however, that, powerful as was his influence, and 

 remarkable ns has been the zeal and success of the members in prosecut- 

 ing some of the objects proper for investigation by an Asiatic Society, 

 their contributions on the topics to which he more particularly directed 

 attention, have not been so numerous and extensive as might have been 

 reasonably expected. 



On Natural History, on which he dwells at greatest length, there are 

 in our Transactions only a few distinct contributions, while the subject 

 is only partially adverted to in the papers descriptive of particular dis- 

 tricts of the country. This is undoubtedly a matter of regret, for the 



