1840.] Asiatic Society. 7'27 



Catalogue of the Birds of the Peninsula of India, by T. C. Jerdon, Madras, 1839. 



Rapport fait a L' Academic Royale des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres (Institut de 

 France) au subject du pied Romain, Juin 1835. 



A Code of Laws extracted for the Armenians of the province of Ararat in Armenia, 

 in Armenian, presented by J. Avdall, Esq. 



Annals of Natural History, or Magazine of Zoology, Botany, and Geology, No. 31, 

 June 1840. 



Vishnu Purana, translated by H. H. Wilson, London, 1840, 4to. 



Les Sultans Mamlouks de Makrize traduction de M. Quatremere. Paris 1840, Tome 

 1st. Liv. 2nd, 4to. 



Museum. 



Skeleton of an Ostrich, presented by the Honorable Sir Jasper Nicolls, pre- 

 pared in the Museum. 



Ditto of a Vulture, purchased, and prepared in ditto. 

 Specimens of Sponge, presented by Col. D. Macleod. 

 Several impressions of Seals. 

 ♦ 



The following Works were presented. 



Memoir on the length of an ancient Standard measure of the Roman foot, discovered 

 at Candabie, in Normandy. 



Notices, of the Galla Tribe at Limmon, on the frontier of Abyssinia, 

 also presented to the Society by M. Jomard, President of the Royal Geographical 

 Society at Paris, and Member of the French Institute, \fQxe forwarded by Major T. B. 

 Jervis, of the Bombay Engineers. That officer in forwarding them, writes—" Which 

 gives me an occasion of offering a few words on the importance to British interest of 

 securing the good will of a people situated so favourably for throwing in supplies in 

 any case of emergency into Aden, and the facilities the country affords of providing 

 suitable cattle (a large and powerful description of mules) at a very reasonable rate, 

 for the Horse Artillery of India. 



" I cannot but express my surprise, that so little concern has been given to the 

 country which several foreign powers are striving by any means, and no doubt with 

 other than mere commercial views, to preoccupy. — The French Government, as may 

 be judged from this little notice, have long had their eye on it; and since that period 

 Messrs. D'Abbadie, freres, have been deputed to explore its resources, and are now in 

 or about the neighbouring coast. Messrs. Isenberg and Krapft, Germans of the 

 London Missionary Society, have their residence in Abyssinia, and a Mr. Ayrston is 

 also exploring the country on his own, or what account I know not. It would be well 

 to occupy it by some moderate, able person in the capacity of British Agent, were it 

 only for the purpose of protecting a lucrative trade that might be carried on by 

 British subjects, and which is now altogether in American hands; while it would serve 

 as a general sort of watch tower to keep an eye on the iniquitous traffic in slaves from 

 Zanguebar, Mozambique, and Madagascar, with the shores of Arabia and Egypt. 

 Moohummud Alee, who draws thence the larger portion of the slaves sold in the mar- 

 kets of Cairo and Alexandria, was not insensible to the political importance of the 

 Galla country, and the shores to the east of it." 



