142 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [June, 



and could attend, and afford any further information that might be 

 sought. As these gentlemen could not be present at the next 

 Ordinary Meeting, he had, as authorized by the rules of the Society, 

 added the Maulavi's paper to the list for this evening, but as they 

 had already been sitting for some time, he would ask the meeting to 

 allow this paper to be read before the others. 



This was agreed to. 



Maulavi Abdul Latif then read " Notes on an Arabic history of the 

 Panthays, with translation," as follows. 



From the earliest times China has excited the keenest curiosity of 

 the outer world. Its undoubted antiquity, its wealth, the vastness 

 of its population, its arts and civilization, its social peculiarities, 

 above all its jealousy of the stranger, attracted to it travellers from 

 the most distant countries ; and the accounts which they published, 

 meagre and unsatisfactory as they necessarily were, were still of a 

 character to keep up the interest in the strange land. The events 

 of late years, and the anticipations of a no distant future, have given 

 our interest in Western and Central Asia, a more direct and even 

 personal character. Our knowledge, however, of the regions has not 

 proportionately increased. It is fortunate that the ardour of our 

 scientific men, our desire to find new outlets for commerce, and our 

 increased political circumspection, are at work to supply the want. 

 We have recently sent an expedition with commercial and scientific 

 objects to explore the overland route to China, and are anxiously 

 awaiting the issue. Not long ago, the world was startled by the* 

 chance intelligence that there was a numerous Mahomedan popula- 

 tion living for centuries in China, and that for some reason or other, 

 they had thrown off the Chinese yoke. Great curiosity was awaken- 

 ed by the information, but beyond the half authenticated original 

 rumour, there were no adequate means of satisfying this curiosity. 



Colonel A. Fytche, the Chief Commissioner of British Burmah, 

 who gave, at our December meeting, almost the first account of these 

 interesting China Mussulmans, dwelt much on the extreme difficulty 

 of obtaining any information regarding them, and gave abundant 

 warning for receiving his account with considerable allowances. 

 Happily, a few months after, arrived at Calcutta, by way of Burmah, 

 on their way to Mecca, a dozen pilgrims from among these China 



