1835.] Asiatic Society, 235 



pecuniary assistance accorded him through Colonel Pottinger. The number 

 of coins sent to this officer amounts to upwards of 2220. They could not be 

 in better hands, and we trust soon to hear of their introduction to public notice 

 with the advantage of his learned elucidations. The number of topes excavated 

 up to the present moment has been in Duroonter, 10; at Chaharbagh 7 ; and at 

 Hiddiih 14. Mr. Masson's promised communication to ourselves will, without 

 doubt, contain the particulars of all these.] 



A notice by Mr. B. H. Hodgson on the Sarnath inscription was commu- 

 nicated. 



[Printed in the present No.] 



Physical. 



A letter from Colonel Casement, Secretary to Government, Military 

 Department, was read, forwarding an extract of a dispatch from the Ho- 

 norable Court of Directors, expressive of the interest taken by them in the 

 experimental boring in Fort William, for the successful prosecution of which 

 they have caused a supply of tubes and rods to be sent out ; and directing a 

 full report on the further progress of this interesting object of public 

 utility. The follow ii : g memorandum on the Society's report by the H. C. 

 Inspector of military stores was appended. 



Memorandum on the subject of Boring for water, with reference to the Report 

 of a Committee appointed by the Asiatic Society of Calcutta upon experiments 

 made at Fort William, for the purpose of obtaining a supply of potable water. 



" In submitting a statement herewith, of the pipes, rods and tools for boring 

 for water, now under supply for Bengal, in addition to the ten sets of boring 

 apparatus provided upon the indent of 18th December, 1832, I beg to observe, 

 that anticipating the objection made to the length of the rods formerly supplied 

 to Bengal, viz. six feet, I had already caused those for the ten set3 furnished upon 

 the indent above mentioned, to be made in lengths of 10 feet each, and have now 

 determined upon making the additional rods to be provided, in lengths of 20 

 feet, similar to those sent to Madras, and Bombay. If these lengths are found 

 to be more generally useful than the old ones, the short rods which the Bengal 

 Government at present possess, can easily be lengthened by cutting them in two, 

 and welding in the centre of each a piece of the length required. 



" As the screws of each description of rods are exactly similar in the thread, they 

 may be used together, which will enable the operators to penetrate to any depth 

 the soil, &c. will permit. 



" With regard to the pipe, so necessary to the successful prosecution of the 

 work, (and the want of which has been so much dwelt upon,) 1000 feet of cast 

 iron pipe has been provided of the following interior dimensions, viz. 8 inch, 

 6 inch, and 4§ inch ; which will admit of the one being passed through the 

 other, but as it will not be necessary to use cast iron pipe the whole depth, sheet 

 iron pipe (which can be readily made upon the spot of any size required) should 

 be used wherever it may be practicable. Two lengths of these of 5i inch dia- 

 meter are sent as patterns. 



" With regard to the alleged breakage of augers ; the second page of the Report 

 of the Committee appointed by the Asiatic Society, forwarded from Bengal, pre- 

 sents an abstract of the several experiments in boring : from which it would ap- 

 pear, that in no less than eleven instances the work was given up in consequence 

 of the auger breaking, and in no one case the rod. I am inclined to think there 

 must be some mistake in this, for from the formation of the auger it is scarcely 

 possible to break it in the act of boring, it being stronger than the rod. In the 

 seventh page of Dr. Strong's Report, allusion, however, is made to two instances 

 in which the rods broke and remained in the ground ; and in the ninth page, 

 he again mentions, that the borer broke, and yi feet of rod were lost. From 

 this I infer, that in most of the instances of failure, it was the rod, and not the 

 auger that broke ; and that the accident would probably not have occurred, had 



