272 Asiatic Society. [No. 123. 



account of the 31st of January 1842, with the Government Agent, who is my attorney ; 

 and with whom the Promissory Notes are kept, and who will favour me, once a year, 

 with the interest on those papers. 



Since I purposely decline every correspondence with those in Europe, I beg you 

 will kindly excuse me, if any letter or packet should be sent to me, do with it as you 

 think best. 



I remain with much respect, 

 Sir, 

 Your most obedient Servant, 

 Calcutta, 9tk February, 1842. A. Csoma De Koros. 



The Secretary was requested to reply to Mr. Csoma, expressing the Society's 

 willingness to accept the Trusteeship of his funds for his benefit, its earnest desire to 

 forward his views in India in every possible way, and to render him any assistance ; 

 as well as its willingness to receive any further directions as to his funds ; and its 

 best wishes for his welfare and safe return from his enterprising expedition into 

 Bootan and Tartary. It was also determined, that a copy of Mr. Csoma's letter 

 should be transmitted to the Government Agent. 



The following letter from Professor Wilson was also read : — 



East India House, 30th October, 1841. 

 My dear Sir,— In a short letter I sent you by Mr. Coles, I informed you, that the 

 copies of the Travels of Messrs. Moorcroft and Trebeck, which had been distributed 

 here, were distributed in the name of the Society, and that any Societies not included in 

 the list to which the Asiatic Society might wish to extend the presentation copies, might 

 probably be supplied with them from those I had retained. They cannot be many. The 

 book is not of much interest to Oriental scholars, and there are not many individuals or 

 Societies in communication with the Asiatic Society engaged in other than Oriental 

 literary inquiries. The chief purpose of my addressing you at present, however, is to 

 ascertain the possibility of procuring subscriptions through the Society for a work I 

 have just published. Ariana Antiqua, an account of the Coins and Antiquities of 

 Afghanistan ; it is a description in fact of Mr. Masson's Collections, and of some others 

 at the India House. It is a goodly quarto volume of some 400 pages, and is intended 

 to be a resume of all that has been written on the Bactrian Topes and Coins. The 

 text is illustrated by engravings of sundry Antiquities, of all the Topes opened by Mr. 

 Masson, and of many hundred Coins from those of Euthydemus to those of the first 

 Mahommedan invaders of India. The expence of the book has been liberally defrayed 

 by the Court of Directors, who take part of the edition, out of which they will 

 send a few copies to Bengal, from whence the Society will no doubt be supplied. The 

 remaining portion, 300 copies, the Court has presented to Mr. Masson's mother, and it 

 is for her benefit that the subscription is proposed. The price in England is 2 Guineas — 

 allowing for expences,&c. the Indian subscription rate should be I imagine 25 Rupees. 

 If you can procure any name from amongst those interested in Mr. Masson and his 

 pursuits, and will send them to me with information how the subscription is to be rea- 

 lised, (or perhaps it would be advisable to deposit the amount with some agency house, ) 

 I will take care that all such copies as may be procurable shall be forwarded. Mr. 



