620* Asiatic Society. [No. 139. 



We beg to call the attention of the Society to the paragraph of the letter of the 16th 

 February, referring to Arrowsmith's Map of India, and also to enclose a copy of the 

 original order for it. By it you will see, we had not the liberty to act for the Society, 

 and we therefore complied strictly with the order, and forwarded " Arrowsmith's latest 

 Map of India of the largest size," which is more than double the size of our Map, and 

 we concluded was well known to the members of the Society. We need not point out 

 how much more advantageous it would have been to us to have supplied the Society 

 with our own publication, but we should not have been justified in doing so, when 

 " Arrowsmith's" was expressly ordered. 



It will be evident to the Society, that we are not in fault in sending Arrowsmith's 

 Map, and we trust on a reconsideration of the matter, the Society will remove the 

 Map fi*om Messrs. Thacker and Co., where we are informed it had been sent for sale 

 on our account. Had we committed an error, we would willingly have borne the loss 

 of the price of the Map, viz. £18 : 10. 



The cases of books per the " Ellenborough" shall have our attention, they have 

 just been received. 



The books ordered in your letter of the 3rd February for the Society are not all of 

 them procurable. No. 1 of Gray's Spicilegia Zoologica is only just published. 

 Leach's Zoological Miscellany cannot be heard of, and we suppose it to be an Ameri- 

 can publication, it will be obtained if possible. " Andubon's Ornithology," &c. is 

 not yet published. " Gray's Genera of Birds," will be sent with the part of his other 

 publication, by the next ship, and will be delivered to you by Messrs. Thacker 

 and Co. We are, Sir, 



Your most obedient Servants, 



W. H. Allen & Co. 



It was determined that under the circumstances, the Society would receive 

 the map; and the Honorable the President intimated, that upon his arri- 

 val in England, he would forward to the Society, a first rate recent map. 

 The special thanks of the Society were voted for this very liberal offer. 



Read the following letter from Captain D. Williams, Assistant Commis- 

 sioner, Arracan : — 



Ramree, June 12, 1843. 



My dear Sir, — I beg to return my best thanks for the Birman Code of Law; it 

 appears to be a collection of cases for easy reference ; the Dammathul is a voluminous 

 code, and is not to be obtained, I believe, complete in this province. It is arranged 

 under distinct heads, has every other mark of being a genuine Code of Laws, and 

 the Mugs have a great partiality and reverence for it. Seldom would they transgress 

 it even for their advantage: for instance, mortgaged lands are surrendered to emi- 

 grants in this district after 40 and 50 years' absence, so sacred do they consider their 

 law on this head, and they could evade it by coming into our Courts, as we give a 

 contrary decision, by which they would keep possession : they have no Limitation 

 Laws in such cases. 



I have sent to Chedooba for the coins, and when I have received them, I will have 

 great pleasure in sending you for presentation to the Asiatic Society two coins. 

 There are eight in a good state of preservation, and many pieces, four of the former I 



