22 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Jan. 



failures, as well as to make provision for more perfect observation in 

 future. 



Mr. Waldie then made some further remarks on the Hooghly water, 

 a subject that had already been before the Society. 



At the meeting in December, a paper was read on the Himalayan 

 Bear, and the question of its carnivorous propensities was discussed in 

 reference to a letter on the subject from Dr. Stewart of Lahore. The 

 result of the discussion was to prove that the animal certainly is 

 carnivorous, not only by nature, but by habit, when it has the oppor- 

 tunity. 



Col. Fytche, C. C. of British Burma, then read an interesting paper 

 on the Panthays, Soonie Mahomedan inhabitants of Younan, and 

 in his description, gave an account of these descendants of one of the 

 widely spread waves of conquest that once swept over India, in 

 the early days of Mahomedan invasion. Their history and actual 

 position were narrated, and have a peculiar interest at the present 

 moment, when an expedition, of which I am rejoiced to say Dr. J. 

 Anderson, our Natural History Secretary, is a member, is about to start 

 for the exploration of this province, with a view not only of scientific 

 research, but of opening out the trade with China. 



This closed the proceedings of the ordinary monthly meetings 

 during the past year. The subjects discussed have been various and in- 

 teresting ; comprising Meteorology, Philology, Ethnology, Anthropo^ 

 logy, Physiology and Histology, Chemistry, Archaeology, Palaeo- 

 graphy, Botany, Engineering and Numismatology, Geology, Geography 

 and Zoology. This appears to me to have been what was contemplated 

 by Sir W. Jones when he founded the Society, and I would fain 

 hope that the subjects of our future proceedings will be equally varied. 



I must now pass on to other matters, and in noticing the obituary, 

 which, I regret to say, is heavy, I have to pay a tribute to the memory 

 of several distinguished members whose loss we have to regret during 

 the past year. 



First on the honorary list, it is my melancholy duty to record the 

 loss of the veteran, Professor Franz Bopp, who may be rightly styled j 

 the Father of the Science of Comparative Philology. The Leipzig 

 Illustrated News of the 2nd November, 1867, contains the following | 

 announcement. Died at Berlin on the 22nd October, 1867, Dr. i 



