192 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [SEr-T. 



as far as I know, not any more with Kashmere, or the Dardee dialects. 

 I intend to make some more accurate enquiries into the Balte dialect, 

 which seems to be Tibetan mixed up with a great deal of Persian and 

 other foreign words, as well as into the above non-Tibetan languages 

 of this valley, as far as my other duties leave me time for it ; but I 

 don't think this to be in any connection with the desires of the 

 Asiatic Society, as defined in the papers before me. Proceedings, 

 &c, p. 48." 



" Now Mr. Jaeschke is quite mistaken in supposing that the non- 

 Thibetan languages of his neighbourhood do not come within the 

 scope of our inquiries. We did not specify them, because we did not 

 know of their existence. Bat nothing can be more important than 

 the existence in these most remote valleys, secluded among the 

 eternal snows, of non- Thibetan languages. These must be among 

 the most ancient traces of the world's history, and whether they prove 

 to be Arian in their character, or whether they are allied to any 

 aboriginal tongues of India, they will mark one of the earliest forms 

 of human speech. Sir Donald Macleod expressed to me in conver- 

 sation a suspicion that the name of Kooloo (the valley south of 

 Lahoul) came from the old aboriginal word ' Kol,' ' Kolee' or ' Coolee,' 

 but I do not know if this has been confirmed. At any rate the 

 exhumation of those fossil languages of the valleys, separated for 

 thousands of years by snow and enormous mountains from all the 

 rest of the world, would be the very greatest service to science. I 

 propose that we thank Mr. Jaeschke through Mr. Cooper for his 

 communication, and express to him our earnest hope that he will 

 communicate to us information regarding the non-Thibetan languages 

 alluded to by him." 



The receipt of the following notes by Mr. J.. Beames, on the San- 

 scrit " Om" and Hebrew "Amen" and Prof. Blochmann's reply 

 to the above was announced and ordered to be printed in the Pro* 

 ceedings. 



Mr. Beames writes as follows : — 



" I do not think there is any connection between the Sanskrit om 

 and the Hebrew amen, for : — 



1st. The word amen, which is found in all Semitic languages, is a 

 a] participle of the verb timan (Arab. Syr. Eth. the same), 



