1868.] Proceedings of the Asiatic. Society. 203 



If this be carefully done, he knows that whether near the coast or far 

 from it, if he be in such a position that the horizontal line and the 

 polar star coincide with the two edges of the board, while that board 

 is held vertically before his eye at the distance indicated by the knot, 

 that he must be in, or close to, the same parallel of latitude as the 

 port at which the first observation was made. It matters not to him 

 whether this be, in our mode of recording the latitude, 10°, or 15°, or 

 20° — all he cares to know, in his rude navigation, is that he is about 

 the same parallel, and that if his destination be north or south of that 

 port, he has only to steer accordingly. 



Similar observations being repeated at other ports, marks or knots 

 corresponding to these are placed at the proper distances on the cord. 

 These lengths have been determined now by innumerable separate 

 observations, and these substitutes for sextants can be, I am told, pur- 

 chased with the knots or marks all ready. Careful men test these 

 again, quite as a European Captain would carefully ascertain the 

 Index error of his sextant for himself, however admirably constructed 

 it might be. 



I am told that a careful man will determine his latitude, as referred 

 to the fixed points or ports on the coast, within 10 to 15 miles, by 

 this very rude substitute for a sextant. 



I am indebted to the kindness of Stuart Hall, Esq., of the firm of 

 Hall and Syme, Coconada, for the possession of the one I now ex- 

 hibit. The names of the several ports along the coast are written, or 

 rather incised, on the board in Telugu characters, corresponding in 

 order and number to the knots and marks on the cord. These are 

 14 in all : the more important, Glodavery, Madras, Negapatam, are 

 marked on the end by little tufts of coloured cotton thread, red, blue, 

 white. The specimen before the meeting had been in actual use for 

 some years." 



The President also exhibited to the meeting a very inter- 

 esting and valuable addition to the collection of Meteorites, in the 

 Geological Museum. This was a beautiful specimen of the fall which 

 occurred near Pultush, about 35 English miles from Warsaw, on 

 the 30th of January in the present year. Several stones fell — the 

 largest is in possession of a private party, the second largest went to 

 the Imperial Mineral collection at St. Petersburg, and the third 



