125G Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Nov. 



which I hope it will not neglect ; nor yet forget the immense interest attach- 

 ing to the ubi et quid of the classic Sacae and Indian Sakas, whose head- 

 quarters were, I am sure, the Sogdiana of the Classics, and whose existence 

 there as a great people, so long ago as the 5th Century, B. C, is attested by 

 their King's visit to Sakya at Cattuck, as is their contemporaneous existence 

 as a great people throughout Northern India or the N. W. provinces, by all 

 the records and events of Sakya' s life, he having been himself of their blood 

 and breed, and the Sakas and Sichivis, all his fellow-clansmen of the race of 

 the Sacae of Sogdiana, whose very name seems to survive in the Sok (pro- 

 nounced Sog) of Tibet at this day, and also in the Soch or Yakuts of the 

 Lena, a far-dissevered but true limb of the same mighty body which was 

 famous ages before the Tartars and Mongols were heard of, and which has an 

 intimate connexion with Indo-germanic History in the West and the East. 

 Could we recover the clue to this race, it would be a brave event indeed. 



Your's ever, 

 (Signed) B. II. Hodgson. 



From Capt. Kittoe, offering his services to the Society as their 

 Honorary agent at Benares ; advising the issue of a circular to Political 

 officers, seeking information regarding the festivals held near their sta- 

 tions ; also an application to Government for free transit of sculptures 

 in the river Steamers. 



To the Secretaries, Asiatic Society. 



Banares, 29th August, 1847. 



Dear Gentlemen, — I have the pleasure to forward a paper on the 

 travels of Chi Fa Hian in the province of Behar with a description of the 

 localities I lately had an opportunity of visiting, attempting to follow this 

 clever and truthful Chinese priest's track. The subject being one of consider- 

 able importance in many points of view, I trust therefore it may prove accept- 

 able. 



2nd. I beg to suggest for the consideration of your Society, and of its 

 Committee of papers, my proposal that a few copies of the Oriental works on 

 hand should be sent to me for disposal (by sale) at this city ; the Sanskrit 

 works iu particular. I shall be happy to afford my assistance in this matter, 

 which may better our funds. 



3d. I propose that the Society should issue a circular letter to all pub- 

 lic functionaries, and more particularly to Political Officers (who have gene- 

 rally more leisure) calling on them to collect notes on the different festivals 

 held in or near their stations, stating the period of the year in which such 

 arc held, at what places, what day of and in what moon ; the length of time 



