12 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Jan. 



utterance has been remembered, and that subjects of varied interest 

 have been discussed. Without in the least attributing it to other 

 than unavoidable causes, I have long felt that Physical Science has 

 hardly taken that place in the business of the Society that was contem- 

 plated by its founder ; and it has consequently been my desire, as far 

 as my influence could affect the question, to see a more equal adjust- 

 ment of its claims. In no degree undervaluing the importance of 

 Philological and Antiquarian research, I have been glad to see that 

 subjects connected with Natural Science have more equally shared 

 with them, the attention of the members at the monthly meetings ; and 

 I trust that such will continue to be the case. 



During the past year, many subjects of interest have occupied our 

 attention, and been freely discussed at the monthly ordinary meetings. 

 At that of January, the extraordinary shower of Meteors that occurred 

 on the 14th November, 1866, was noticed by Mr. Masters in Kishna- 

 gimr, and his letter to our Secretary, read before the meeting, gave an 

 interesting and accurate account of that remarkable and brilliant 

 display of meteoric phenomena. In a subsequent letter, Mr. Masters, 

 called attention to a second shower of Meteorites on the 12th of 

 December, 1866. This he says was not brilliant or exciting, but 

 worthy of being recorded. 



On the same occasion a fragment of a meteorite which had recently 

 fallen in the north of Hungary was presented by Dr. Duka, who 

 described the phenomena attending its fall ; its appearance in the air 

 like a ball of fire ; the detonation like the simultaneous discharge of 

 a hundred pieces of artillery, with which it split into fragments, the 

 smallest of which weighed a few ounces, the largest many pounds ; 

 the rushing sound with which it approached the earth ; and the 

 sulphurous garlic-like odour communicated to the air in its vicinity ; 

 as also the portentous awe with which it was regarded by the people 

 in reference to the Austrian Campaign, then about to commence, were 

 described. 



At the February meeting, a specimen of new Arabic printing by 

 Mr. Ferette of Damascus, was brought before the Society : it appeared to 

 afford some advantages in a typographical point of view and to have met 

 with the approval of those competent to give judgment on such matters. 

 A paper was then read by the Secretary, from Mr. Thomas, a well 



