430 Asiatic Society. [May, 



he regretted that in consequence of his official duties he would not be able to devote 

 more than two hours in the morning to the duties of the Museum. He further stated, 

 that if he accepted the situation on the usual allowances he should beg to condition, 

 that as long as he was Curator no subscriptions be received from members for the 

 preservation of the various collections in the Museum— the whole amount of the 

 salary should be devoted to that object. 



The President said that though the offer was very liberal, yet the Society he 

 thought ought to meet from its own funds all such expenses as might be recom- 

 mended by Dr. M'Clelland, without sacrifice to his personal allowance. Dr. 

 M'Clelland consented that the appointment should stand on this footing. 



Read a letter from Dr. G. Vandenburgh, of Bonn, touching a box of shells sent by 

 the Society. The names having been detached from the shells, he solicited the Society 

 to transmit another supply, correctly labelled and packed. Resolved — That the letter be 

 referred to the Committee of Papers. 



Library. 



The following Books were presented : — 



Proceedings of the Geological Society of London, for 1837, 5th Part, Vol. 2— Part 2, 



of 1838 and Vol. 2, Part 3, for 1839 by the Society. 



History, Antiquities, Topography, and Statistics of Eastern India, by Mr. Martin, 



London 1838, royal 8vo. 3 vols. by the Government of India. 



Pickering's Remarks on the Indian Languages of North America — by the American 



Philosophical Society. 



Ditto Eulogy on Dr. Bowditch, Cambridge, 1838, By ditto. 



Translation of the Arabian Nights, by Moonshee Shumsuddeen Ahmud, in Hindee, 



Vol. I, — 2 copies. 

 Mathematical Principles of Mechanical Philosophy, by the Rev. J. H. Pratt— 



by the author. 

 The following received from the Booksellers: — 

 Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia on Probabilities. 

 History of British Birds by W. Yarrell, Nos. 1 to 9. 



Museum. 

 Various skins and specimens were presented in the name of Mr. James Middleton. 



Antiquities. 



The Officiating Secretary exhibited to the Meeting drawings of Col. Stacy's coins 

 cut on type-metal by Hurreemohun, a Native Artist, employed in the Calcutta Mint. 



Read a letter from Mr. T. H. Sale, of Sylhet, forwarding a facsimile of an inscrip- 

 tion taken by him at Gohattee. 



A similar donation was received from Lieut. McGregor, obtained from the ruins of 

 a fort he was taking down The character in which the inscription was written was 

 clearly legible, but no meaning could be gathered from the sentences. 



Captain James Low forwarded a paper on the Laws of Siam. Referred to the Com- 

 mittee of Papers. 



In pursuance of the resolution of the last Meeting, Mr. Sutherland stated that the 

 Commentary compiled by PremchundNyarutr a was more compendious than the works 

 from which it was taken, but seemed to him calculated to answer all the purposes re- 

 quired. It was a continuation of that printed in the first volume of the work in question, 



