1854.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 205 



some of them requiring much care, I defer any account of them for the 

 present. 



I have put into a paper for the journal my account of the new mineral 

 JNepaulite of which beautiful specimens are on the table. This paper 

 will be followed by one or two more describing the other products 

 which this donation from His Excellency General Jung Bahadoor, and 

 Major Ramsay's zealous attention to my frequent, and I fear troublesome 

 requests, will enable us to add to the science of Mineralogy in India. 



Report of the Curator of the Museum of Economic Geology for January, 



1854. 

 (Read at the February Meeting.) 

 Geological. — I have put into the form of a paper for the journal the 

 curious results which I have obtained from an examination of the water of 

 the Hooghly taken at Noon on the first of every month in the year, which 

 are of great scientific interest in many points of view, and will eventually 

 become so economically, I have no doubt. I refer to the paper for details 

 which cannot be conveniently abridged here. 



Captain Bowen of the P. and O. S. Str. Bengal has obliged me with 

 the following note of a tract of white milky sea passed through by him 

 on his recent voyage from Aden to Ceylon. 

 Monday 16th January, 1854. 



At 7 p. m. ship entered into a perfectly white milky sea, cloudy on the 

 horizon but perfectly clear ; bright star-light j moon half an hour from 

 rising. 



Stopped and tried for soundings 90 fathoms. No bottom. 

 Density of the water before entering that strange appearance 11°. Den- 

 sity of the water when sounding 14°. 



Sympiesometer, 29° 90' 



Barometer, 30 12 



Thermometer, 80 



Latitude 11° 59' N. Longitude, 59 2 E. 



I may remark that previous to entering this strange sea, there was a 

 moderate ripple on the water and after leaving it also, but smooth, like oil 

 when in it. 



(Signed) John Bowen, 



S. S. Bengal from Aden to Ceylon. 

 In his letter Captain Bowen says : " I once saw the like on the Malabar 

 coast fourteen or fifteen years ago, but not at all to the extent this was ; for 

 the horizon (on this occasion) was in the same state as the water along 

 side." 



