1843.] Asiatic Society. 319 



India Orientalis, or Figures of Indian Plants, by Surgeon R. Wight, of the 

 Madras Establishment. 



Letter from Sam. George Morton, Esq. of Philadelphia, of 4th Aug. 1842, 

 forwarding for presentation to the Society, a copy of his " Crania Ameri- 

 cana," and requesting to be furnished with skulls of Hindoos and other 

 oriental nations, to aid him in the pursuit of his comparative investigations, 

 which now embrace all the races of men. 



Letter from B. H. Hodgson, Esq. dated 1st instant, communicating that 

 Mr. Howard is about to come forth in the present month with the first 

 division of the Zoology of Nipal (Mammalia), and that he expects half 

 the price of each division of the work, or Rs. 25, to be paid in advance. 



Read the following report from the Officiating Secretary :— 



1. The Officiating Secretary reports, that having, as was desired, made enquiries 

 as to the expence of raising the whole roof over the stair-case instead of a skylight, 

 he is informed that this would cost at least 800 Rupees : Mr. Bolst, our archi- 

 tect, thinks it very dangerous to undertake, with reference to the state of the archi- 

 trave beams round three sides of the square and that of the screen wall on the 

 fourth. By taking away the shelves on brackets which support the model of the 

 Taj, and that of the Lama temple, and by opening the doors of the new rooms, bird- 

 room and fossil room below, it has been found that a sufficient light for the objects 

 intended to be placed below the stairs may be obtained. It is therefore thought 

 by Mr. Torrens and himself, that for the present the skylight may be dispensed 

 with 



2. It was reported at the January meeting, that Major Troyer had advised the 

 Secretary that the French Government had renewed the allowance of 1500 francs, 

 (650 Rs.)for copying the Veds. Upon a reference to the French Government at 

 Chandernagore, the authorisation which this letter contains has been received, and 

 when the money is brought to account, the Society will debit the French Govern- 

 ment with the balance of 233 : 7 : 9 Rs., due from it to the late Mr. J. Prinsep's 

 estate, and which was provisionally paid by the Society. See Proceedings for June 

 1839. 



The arrangements for continuing the copying have been duly made, and the work 

 is in progress. 



It would be highly advisable that the Society should determine as to what 

 individuals and Societies the Journal should be sent. The American Societies and 

 some individuals in that country are most attentive in sending us their publications, 

 as also some in France. As will be noted by the accompanying letters, we are much 

 arrear with our American friends. I have obtained a list of our present distribu- 

 tions, which is annexed, and I may mention the Academie Royalede Bordeaux as a 

 public body regularly forwarding to us its transactions, but, as it would appear, not 

 receiving our Journal. 



