July, 1844.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. lxix 



Read the following Letter from Hugh Cumming, Esq. addressed to the 

 Zoological Curator : — 



80, Gower Street, Bedford Square, London, January, 1844. 



My dear Sir, —Having been informed by various of your scientific friends here, 

 of your anxious desire of increasing the Museum of the Royal Asiatic Society, I have 

 done myself the pleasure of forwarding by my nephew, Mr. Benson, a collection of 

 land and fresh water Shells from the Philippine Islands, with their names, &c. collected 

 by me there, and which I beg you will favour me by offering to the Society in my 

 name, in exchange for other shells of India. 



In the box there are 305 species and varieties, in duplicates and triplicates; to each 

 belongs a number which refers to the accompanying list of names, localities and 

 authors. 



1 presume from the high standing of the Society, that it has numerous benefactors 

 from the gentlemen who fill the high offices under the Honorable Company, in the 

 various parts of India, and its dependencies. 



Although I have upwards of 11,000 species and varieties of Marine and Land Shells 

 in my cabinet, I do not possess more than 10 or 12 species of land or fresh water 

 shells that have been collected under the dominion of the Honorable East India 

 Company. 



If the Society have any duplicates of either land or fresh-water shells, which could 

 be given to me in exchange, I should feel most obliged, and if the Society have but 

 few species, it can make up to me in quantity in lieu of quality. I should also feel par- 

 ticularly obliged by the specimens being good and live ones. By this means I shall 

 be able to make exchanges with my friends, with those which I shall not require for 

 my own cabinet ; for the collectors in England are very poor in true Indian land or 

 fresh-water shells. 



Should it lay in my power to assist the Society by further adding to its desiderata, 

 I shall be most happy to do it. 



At Mr. Reeve's request, I have sent the twelve first parts of his Conchologia 

 Iconica, which work he began to publish last January, and as it is by far the most 

 useful and complete work that has ever been published, and also executed in the 

 first style ; may I beg you to procure the Society's name, as a subscriber to it. The 

 parts now sent can be kept, and the succeeding monthly parts can be received by the 

 Society's bookseller in London. The money for those now sent can be paid by a 

 bill on London. 



Mr. George B. Sowerby, Junior, has also requested me to send his Thesaurus Con- 

 chyliorum, of which three parts have been published, and the fourth will be out on 

 February 1st. I presume from the style of both works, that the Society will be much 

 pleased with them. All the figures of both works are drawn and coloured by George 

 B. Sowerby, Junior, and each of the works has been, and will be published in such a 

 manner, as not to interfere for some years to come with each other. Each part is a 

 complete monograph of the family figured, as far as known in Europe. These works 

 will be most valuable to the Society's library, and a reference to all known shells, 



