Proceedings of Learned Societies. 63 



by any European since the time of Marco Polo, gave a most inter- 

 esting account of his adventures. Being anxious to trace if any 

 connection existed between the Magyar language and that spoken 

 in Central Asia, he joined at Teheran a company of poor pilgrims 

 who were returning to Tartary from Mecca, giving out that he was 

 visiting Central Asia with a religious object. He crossed the Caspian 

 Sea in a Turcoman corsair, and landed at Geumushtepe, where he 

 visited the remains of a fortified embankment with turrets, built by 

 Alexander the Great ; this extends about one hundred miles inland. 

 He then crossed the Hyrcanian desert, and, after a dreary journey 

 of twenty-two days, reached Khiva. The country around Khiva 

 is governed in a most tyrannical manner, the ruler being a bigoted 

 and bloodthirsty Mahommedan. The district in some parts is 

 remarkable for its luxuriant fertility. 



From Khiva, Mr. Vambery proceeded to Bokhara, distant ten 

 or twelve days' journey, on camels. On this journey the company 

 were obliged to make a detour into the desert of Djan-bantiran 

 (the Life-destroyer) to avoid a noted band of Turcoman robbers. 

 Here they suffered severely from thirst, two of the party dying. 

 Bokhara is described as a large city, with palaces and mosques 

 built of stone. The entire population of the Khanet is estimated 

 at about two million people. From Bokhara, M. Vambery pro- 

 ceeded to Samarcand, passing through a populous and cultivated 

 country. Samarcand, the ancient capital of Timour the Tartar, is 

 in a state of decay; but M. Vambery considered that its former 

 extent had been greatly exaggerated. The remains of some of 

 the buildings erected during the time of Timour still exist, such 

 as those of the palace, with its throne, consisting of a huge block 

 of greenstone, evidently conveyed from some distant country, and 

 a magnificent portico upwards of one hundred feet high, inlaid 

 with mosaic work ; this is regarded as the remains of a medres, 

 or college, built by the wife of Timour. Continuing his journey, 

 M. Vambery arrived at Herat in October. 



M. Vambery is the first European who has visited Samarcand for 

 450 years ; his journey was performed in great peril and at the con- 

 stant risk of his life. The country through which he passed is of 

 great political importance to England, as during the last twenty- 

 five years the Russian and English encroachments have extended 

 the respective frontiers over a breadth of upwards of one thousand 

 miles, and now there is only a distance of from five to six hundred 

 miles between them. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.— July 4. 



On the Formation of the Cells op 'Bees. — Mr. Tegetmeier ex- 

 hibited several specimens of combs of the hive bee, showing cells of 

 various forms, some being right-angled, others pentagonal, and a 

 large number circular. Mr. Tegetmeier maintaiued that the cells 

 were always hemispherical at their commencement, the bees exca- 

 vating hemispherical cups out of the deposited wax. That these 

 excavations were made near each other, and enlarged until they 



