July, 1846.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. liii 



by himself, and printed here to afford immediate gratification to public curiosity. 

 It will, I dare say, be interesting to your society. 



Hoping to have the pleasure of hearing from you again, 



I remain, my dear Sir, yours very faithfully, 



Robert Lynd, 

 Hon, Secretary to the Committee. 

 Australian Museum, Sydney, April, 1846. 



Read the following letter from "W. W. Bird, Esq. : — 



To Henry Torrens, Esq., Vice-President and Secretary, Asiatic Society of 



Bengal. 

 Sir, — I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated the 7th of Novem- 

 ber last, forwarding to me a diploma from the Royal University of Norway, and to 

 express a hope that as this high compliment has been paid to me in consequence of 

 the proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, at a time when I had the honor of 

 filling the office of President, the Society will do me the favor of communicating to 

 the University my grateful acknowledgments for the same, and how deeply I feel the 

 distinction conferred upon me by so flattering a mark of its approbation. 



I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient Servant, 



W. W. Bird. 

 Paris, 2\st April, 1846. 



Read a letter from Captain Kittoe, enclosing a paper for trie Journal 

 and a memorandum relative to a singular custom at Lahore. It runs 

 as follows : — 



I send a few lines on a subject which I believe to be interesting to many of your 

 readers. It is a hurried affair, as I have little leisure, and what I have is grudged. 

 Saroda Pursad may make out the words of which I send facsimiles. They are, I 

 expect, technical terms. The numerals are clear enough. — The memo, on the curi- 

 ous custom at Lahore (which I believe is an ancient Hindu one) may be acceptable. 

 — I hope to send a paper on a curious discovery I made here [Shergotty] last 

 year, of a Hindoo temple, 460 years old, with Cufic inscriptions, which no doubt 

 have led to its being spared by the Mahommedans. A number of the inscriptions 

 were chiselled out at Mr. Robert Neave's suggestion. There is a fine Sanscrit 

 inscription there too, of which I have a copy and a translation. 



The memorandum, forwarded by Captain Kittoe, is the following : — 



Travellers are said " to see strange things," and justly so. The misfortune is 

 few care to keep memoranda of them, and most dislike to repeat any thing that 

 might seem marvellous or savouring of " a traveller's story." Nevertheless this 

 silence is to be regretted, and I for one must break it and tell my story at the risk 

 of repeating what may be already well known. 



