I 68 3 



Bhade and Anghtorrah Bhade Shaftah, the 

 Vedam the facred books of the Perfees, 

 written in the ancient Perfian dialects, called the 

 Zend, and Pehlvi (c ) the Koran of Mahomet ; 

 the facred books of the Mendaeans or Sabaites, 

 at or near BafTora in the Perfian gulph the 

 voluminous facred books of the Lamas in 

 Nexpal and Thibet called Khangiur, and its 

 myftic part termed Riute the facred books of 

 the priefts in Pegu and Siam, and others of 

 fimilar tendency. Thefe would be ftill more 

 valuable, could Engiiih, Latin, or French tranf- 

 lations be added. 



4. Defcriptions of the manners, cufloms, 

 feafts, and religious ceremonies of the refpec- 

 tive nations \ the architecture both exterior and 

 interior of their temples, religious, public and 

 private buildings ; the figures, names, genealo- 

 gies and ranks of their divinities and idols ; 

 their facred and domeftic utenfils, the cafts and 

 ranks of people, the learning and religious 

 tenets of each nation, to all which explanatory 

 drawings would be required. What nations ufe 

 circumcifion^ and what are the advantages de- 

 rived from fuch a cuftom, or difad vantages from 

 the omiffion of it ? Is circumcifion ever extended 

 to the females, and in what manner is it em- 

 ployed ? 



5. The tranflations of the bible in different 

 languages ; and the facred books of Chriftians 

 of various denominations, as the Georgian, Ar- 



(£) In the peninfula on this fide the Ganges, the facred 

 books of the Bramins are contained in the Vedam, copies 

 of which in the original Sancrit character, would be very 

 valuable. 



(c) The Pehlvi is a more modern dialed. 



menian> 



