1869.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 91 



With the death of the emperor in 1605, the Divine Faith died out. 

 Akbar, relying solely on his influence and example, had established 

 no priesthood, and appointed no proper person for propagating his 

 faith. If we except the influence which his spirit of toleration ex- 

 erted, the masses remained passive. Zealous members, as Mir 

 Sharif of Amul, took again to sophistry, as Jahangir did not trouble 

 himself about any religion. The new Emperor retained Akbar's Solar 

 Era, and shews in the phraseology of his memoirs much reverence to 

 solar worship. But during his reign, the spirit of toleration soon chang- 

 ed to indifference, and gradually died out, when a reaction in favour of 

 bigotry and persecution set in under Aurangzeb. But people still 

 talked of the Divine Faith in 1643, when the author of the Dabistan 

 collected his notes on Akbar's religion. 



IV. — Notes from Assaloo, North Cachar, on the Great Earthquake of 

 January 10th, 1869; by Captain Godwin- Austen, F. R. G. S, 

 Surveyor, Topographical Survey of India, — communicated by Dr. 

 Stoliozka. 



[Received 25th February, 1869— Read 3rd March, 1869.] 



I have been led to put together these few notes, taken here 

 during the late period of seismic disturbance (still in action), owing 

 to the great interest taken in such phenomena by every one, and 

 more especially by those with any taste or knowledge of geology, and 

 consequent acquaintance with those terrible convulsions, which in 

 past epochs laid waste and altered the whole face of this globe, 

 and left it in its present form to us. At no time are such past 

 changes brought more vividly to the mind of man, than when viewing 

 the passage of such mighty earth-waves, as have lately flowed under 

 our feet, giving to the crust of solid strata an ominous plasticity. To 

 watch the progress of such mighty efforts for 60 seconds only ! terrible 

 is the scene, and thankful may we be, in these days, that they 

 seldom in their full force last longer, or perhaps to put it in other 

 words, that. the intervals of time between great convulsions are so 

 enormous. The imagination palls before a serious disturbance of say- 

 only a quarter of an hour's continuance. 



The earthquake here, though so violent, burst upon us without the 

 slightest warning, a very unusual occurrence, as a rumbling more 



