180 Asiatic Society. [March, 



The whole population of Burma proper from these documents, exclusive of the 

 " wild tribes," only amouuts to 1,831,467 souls. 



Translation with critical explanation of the proclamation made every 

 month in the city of Ava, as noticed by Crawfurd, enjoining the inhabi- 

 tants to observe certain moral precepts. 



Colonel Burney having kindly undertaken to look over these papers, and 

 prepare them for the press, they were re-delivered into his charge for the present. 



A description of the ruins of an extensive ancient town called Pora in 

 Assam, was communicated by Captain Westmacott, Assistant to the 

 Political Agent on the N. E. Frontier. 



[This will he published in our next.] 



The following particulars of some singular ancient monuments in the 

 neighbourhood of Hyderabad, were communicated in a letter to the Secre- 

 tary from Dr. S. G. Malcolmson of Madras. 



" Your remarks on the liquid from the Manikyala tope induce me to 

 think, that a notice of the singular tombs near Hyderabad may be inter- 

 esting. There is an account of them in a volume published by the Madras 

 Society some years ago from the pen of Captain Young. They differ in 

 appearance very much from those figured by Mr. Babington, and also 

 from some in Mysore, mentioned in Colonel Welch's book; but are exceed- 

 ingly like the smaller, and ruder Druids' circles, and in some no square 

 coffin or " kiot" is found, their place being supplied by the small stones 

 and soil, which contains much clay, and some iron and lime, and becomes 

 naturally very hard when pressed together. In none did any mortar seem 

 to be used. Captain Young found bones and even skulls. I was not so 

 fortunate, although very anxious for a skull, being in hopes of ascertaining 

 that they had been monuments of the same people, whose remains are 

 found in some parts of Russia. Some of the graves had been opened be- 

 fore, and I believe that in these skulls had been found. In those I open- 

 ed, there were many of the earthen vessels of very different shapes, and 

 the more perfect ones contained a peculiar soft almost unctuous looking 

 earth, in thin layers of a white and dark-gray color. In some places 

 there seemed to be a white powder like ashes interposed between the 

 dusky layers." 



The contents of two of the jars were sent up as first extracted ; but they 

 seemed to contain little or no animal matter : — the earth from its stra- 

 tification in their horizontal laminae had evidently been deposited by 

 gradual infiltration during a long course of rainy seasons, until it had 

 completely filled the vessels. Dr. M.'s sketches of the jars are engraved 

 at the foot of Plate VII. " No. 1 was found inserted into one of the long 

 jars, and probably answered as a cover. The mouths of it and of No. 5 had 

 a more graceful curve, and in this respect had a distant resemblance to 

 some ancient vases." 



Adverting to Mr. Hodgson's opinion that Buddhism had preserved an 

 identity of character in all times and places, Dr. Malcolmson writes : 



" In May, 1828, I passed through a town called Bandock, 18 miles from 

 Chanda, on the road to Nagpur, and finding many Hindu ruins well 

 sculptured on the sandstone of the district, I spent the day in examining 



