500 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [April, 



The following remarkable account is given by an officer on board a 

 French East-Indiaman, in a letter to a friend at the Hague : — 



Jan. 20th, 1757. 



"Just before we sailed from Pondicherry, fires broke out on the 

 surface of the sea three leagues from that place, with the utmost im- 

 petuosity, throwing up pumicestones, and other combustibles, and 

 forming an island of a league long and of the same breadth, which 

 increased to a considerable height, with a volcano, making a most hide- 

 ous noise, like thunder, or great guns, and a cloud proceeding from it, 

 breaking into small rain of sand instead of water. This prodigy was 

 first seen by a ship's crew belonging to Pondicherry, who thought 

 at first it had been a water-spout ; but coming near it, saw a prodigious 

 flashing of fire, which smelt of brimstone, and heard a most astonish- 

 ing noise ; afterwards a vast quantity of fish was perceived dead on the 

 sea, and appeared broiled. Sailing a little further, they met with such 

 quantities of pumice stones, that it was hardly possible to make way 

 through them ; at the same time they discerned land, but it appeared to 

 them as a cloud of fire and smoke on the surface of the sea, and the cloud 

 ascending into the air, distilled in showers of rain which brought abun- 

 dance of sand on their ship's deck ; and being nigh the flashes of fire, 

 and hearing the noise, they were under great consternation ; but it 

 pleased God to send them a little breeze of wind that brought them 

 from it. Another ship sailed round it, and they were so becalmed, 

 that the ashes proceeding from the vast fire fell on their deck, and they 

 were in great danger of being burnt.' ' 



Mr. Piddington next submitted his usual report on the Museum of 

 Economic Geology. 



Museum of Economic Geology. 



We have received from D. Money, Esq, C. S. a brick from Egypt, of 

 which he says : — 



" The brick from Thebes was from one of the oldest ruins on the 

 western side of the hill near Madinet Aboo. It had a cartouche 

 which could not be decyphered, but which, as well as the ruin from 

 which it was taken, was a proof of its great antiquity ; some bricks 

 near the spot have been found with the cartouche of Thothmes 2d and 

 Thothmes 3d on them. It was curious too from its size and weight, 



