836 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, [Sept. 



" Votre illustre Societe accordait autrefois a ses associe's Europeens le droit 

 de lui adresser des questions, et d'indiquer des sujets de nouvelles recherches. 

 Permettez-moi d'user de ce privilege. Je desirerais diriger 1' attention de vos 

 savans compatriotes qui sejournent dans diverses parties de l'Inde vers les 

 zodiaques seulptes qui peuvent se trouver dans les ruines des anciens temples, 

 soit Brahmaniques, Bouddhistes, ou Jaina. Je pense que des dessins exacts ser- 

 viraient a £claircir P histoire de 1' astronomic 



" Voici une autre question. Les astronomes Indiens d'aujourd'hui connaissent 

 ils encore une constellation de 1' hemisphere austral, au-dela, du tropique du 

 ■Capricorne, appelee T licancou, et figuree comme un homme pr^cipite d'en 

 haut ? Cela se rapporte a un passage tr£s remarquable du R&mayana." 



Captain T. S. Burt, Engineers, announced the discovery of two more 

 ancient pillars near Ghazipur. One at Zamineah (already well known, 

 and not having any inscription), the other at Pallddpur, half buried in the 

 ground, but from which by digging under it, he contrived to take oif 

 the inscription it contains — a single line in the Asoka character of the 

 Girnar rock. No. 3 of the table in plates 13, 14. 



Statistics. 



Lieut. H, Siddons presented a statistical table for the zilla of Chitta- 

 gong, founded on the revenue survey now conducting under him. 



Mr. H. T. Prinsep presented a paper on the rate of mortality from 

 birth to 20 years, calculated from the records of the Lower Orphan School. 

 The voluminous calculations and tables which had to be prepared before 

 obtaining the results embodied in the paper itself, were presented for de- 

 posit in the Society's Library. 



[This paper is printed in the present nu»ber.] 

 Physical. 



Read a letter from Secretary Political Department enclosing one from 

 Capt. Burnes, dated 17th September, making over to the Society the whole 

 of the drawings of natural history collected during the mission under his 

 command. 



The drawings of animals are 15 in number including mammalia, birds, 

 fishes, and snakes ; they are beautifully executed and highly coloured. 



The following letter from Government on the subject of Dr. Helfer's 



collection was read : 



To James Prinsep, Esq. Secretary to the Asiatic Society. 

 Sir, 



1 am directed by his honor the President in Council, to transmit to you the 

 enclosed copy of a letter from Dr. Helper, and to request the opinion of 

 the Society, whether the completeness of the collection brought by that gen- 

 tleman from the Tenasserim Provinces, will be affected by acceding to his re- 

 quest to be permitted to select such duplicates as are not required by Govern- 

 ment ; also, to solicit the advice and assistance of the Society in the separation 

 of the articles that may be spared. 



I have, &c. 



(Signed) H. T. Prinsep, 

 Fort William, \2th September 1838. Secretary to Government of India. 



To H. T. Prinsep, Esq., Secretary to the Government of India and Bengal. 

 Sir, 



I have the honor to inform you, that I have arranged and classified the orni- 

 thological part of my collections brought from the Tenasserim Provinces, and 

 deposited them at the Asiatic Society's rooms. 



