14 Proceedings oj the Asiatic Society. [Jan. 



nal races of Central India ; and that the study of these South-Eastern 

 tribes and their connexion with those of the West opened up a bound- 

 less field of most interesting enquiry. 



Some remarks were then made on a letter from Professor Piazzi 

 Smyth on the subject of procuring a small block of stone of a peculiar 

 kind from India. It should be of supereminent hardness, fineness 

 of grain, toughness, freedom from fissures and crystallization, and 

 proof against the entrance of water. Its purpose being to form small 

 standard scales of 5 to 10 inches in length, likely to last unaltered 

 in length and quality for a much longer time than the metals hitherto 

 used for the purpose. Something was required capable of going 

 down to all posterity without sensible change during 5000 to 10,000 

 years. 



In commenting on this, the Secretary suggested that, perhaps the 

 Jasper or the Jade of the Soane and Nerbudda valleys might fulfil 

 all the purposes required. 



At the March meeting, Professor C. N. Macnamara read a paper on the 

 intimate structure of muscular fibre ; a subject of great histological and 

 physiological interest. Mr. Macnnmara with the aid of a very powerful 

 lens, (one-fiftieth of an inch object glass) has investigated the minute 

 structure of this remarkable tissue, and has arrived at conclusions which 

 differ somewhat from those of other histologists. He stated his belief that 

 the contractile homogenous substance which gives a muscle its peculiar 

 properties, is arranged, in voluntary and involuntary muscle, so as 

 best to fulfil the mechanical purposes for which it is intended. He 

 does not consider that in voluntary muscles there are such elements 

 as those termed sarcous particles, but that they are composed of 

 longitudinal and transverse bands of contractile tissue, peculiarly 

 arranged : diagrams illustrative of this arrangement were exhibited. 

 He further stated his impression that such being the structure of muscle, 

 it displays a source from which animal heat may be derived : much of 

 Liebig's theory of heat from combustion and tissue-change thereby 

 falling to the ground : that in muscular action there is evidence of 

 force as capable of developing heat, as is combustion, and that electrical 

 phenomena attendant on certain muscular movements, may thereby 

 be accounted for, independent of nervous action : that it is a question 

 indeed, of conversion of forces. Considerable discussion especially on 



