1868.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 163 



manner that had caused him to be publicly regarded as its representa- 

 tive member. One characteristic of his presidency, and one which 

 was certainly not of least importance, was the uniform courtesy with 

 which he had so long and frequently presided at the Society's meet- 

 ings. The President had referred to differences of opinion that had 

 prevailed between Mr. Grote and himself, and there certainly had 

 been stormy meetings, in past times, but on such occasions Mr. 

 Grote's courteous demeanour in the chair to those who most strongly 

 opposed him, tended in no small degree to preserve the Society from 

 dissensions and to assuage excited feelings. He thought that this, 

 not less than other features of Mr. Grote's presidency, should be 

 recorded among his many claims to the grateful recognition of the 

 Society, and he thought that they would long regret, the departure 

 from India, of one to whom their Society owed so much. 



The resolution was then passed unanimously. 



Hon'ble J. B. Phear gave notice that at the next meeting of the 

 Society, he would propose that the Society record a vote of thanks to 

 Mr. Blanford who had lately resigned the General Secretaryship, 

 for his services. 



The election of Dr. F. Stoliczka as Natural History Secretary was 

 confirmed. 



The Oriental Secretary read the following extract from a letter 

 from Kumara Chandranatha Baya of Nator, forwarding a facsimile and 

 a sealing wax impression of an inscription found in Bajshahi. 



" The present object of my writing you is to give cover to a small 

 transcript of an inscription found at the base of a very old and pecu- 

 liarly-formed stone idol found by myself in the midst of a jungle 

 when out shooting near a village called Hapania, and to request 

 that you will be so kind as to try to decipher it. The character 

 looks very much like old Bengali, not unlike that of the Rajshaye 

 stone of Mr. C. T. Metcalfe, but as I have no idea of the old Bengali 

 character, I am unable to make out the head or tail of it. The in- 

 scription is very short indeed, and may possibly be the name of the 

 worshipper, but the peculiar formation of the idol, gives some interest 

 to it, as Shiva and Parbutty are never at the present time publicly 

 worshipped in so lascivious a form as the idol represents." 



