1830] 
Proceedings of Societies. 
71 
be seen in the illustrations of that interesting work, The Tower Menagerie, in which, we 
do not know whether to admire most the beauty and truth of the drawing, or the force 
with which these are transferred to the productions of the printing press. In Low- 
don’s Natural History Magazine this art has appeared to great advantage, and to 
particularise we need only refer to the figure p. 13, in the March number, of a man 
bestriding a crocodile. We may safely say that no book has more beautiful illus- 
trations than this, and we fully agree with the Editor, in the opinion that publishers 
would be wise to confine themselves to this cheap and excellent mode of illustrating 
a subject instead of meddling with copper plate. For examples of successful illus- 
tration, look at his Encyclopedias of Gardening , of Agriculture, and of Plants, three 
of the cheapest and best books in the English language. In India we believe there 
are none capable of executing wood cuts in a style at all approaching to the Eng- 
lish school. We wonder at this, for we think it a method of illustration so decidedly 
popular that a competent artist would have every prospect of receiving encourage- 
ment. Subjects too for vignettes and for illustrations in natural history are, iu India, 
inexhaustible. Our clumsy method of supplying the want of wood cuts in the Glean- 
ings is sufficiently known to our readers. All we can say in its favor is, that it is 
the only one practicable here. 
XI . — Proceedings of Societies . 
1. Asiatic Society. 
Wednesday, the 6th January. 
Sir Charles Grey, President, in the Chair. 
Major Walpole was elected a Member of the Society. 
The Meeting then proceeded to the annual ballot for Vice-Presidents and Com- 
mittee of Papers, when those for the preceding year were re-elected. 
A letter was read from Mr, Huttmann, Acting Secretary to the Royal Asiatic 
Society, enclosing copy of an unanimous resolution on the part of the Royal Asia- 
tic Society, authorising the Counsel of the same to invite the Asiatic Society of 
Bengal to unite with the R. A. S. on the same terms as have been agreed upon in 
relation to the Bombay Literary Society. Resolved, that as far as the 2d 3d and 
4th articles extend, the Asiatic Society is willing to combine with the Society at 
home. ^ 
Read a letter from the Acting Secretary to the Royal Asiatic Society, acknow- 
ledging the receipt of the 16th volume of the Researches. 
The following donations were received : 
The vertebrae and cranium of a whale, presented by Mr. Swinton. 
The 22d volume of the Archceologia, presented by the Society of Antiquaries of 
London. 
The 46th volume of the Transactions of the Society of Arts, presented bv <•},« 
Society. ' y e 
A copy of the printed edition of the Shah-Nameh, presented by the Editor Cm 
tain Macan. ’ 
A treatise on Hydrophobia, by Dr. Sully, presented by his son. 
^The ] Meteorological Registers of October and November, presented by Major 
There being no other business before the meeting, it adjourned. 
Class of Natural History and Physics. 
Wednesday, the 2 7th January. 
Sir Edward Ryan in the Chair. * 
A letter was read from Captain Franklin to the President, giving the 
his late Geological Researches in Central India. 
’With reference to the birds (about two hundred in number,) collected and 
served by Captain Franklin, for the Society, (whose property they art) it was' 
agreed that they should, for the greater convenience of classification, &c., accom 
pany Captain Franklin to England, together with all the drawings and notes re” 
specting them : the latter, however, to be returned to the Society, should hut 
very few of the specimens turn out to be new to Ornithologists. C 
live papers on certain birds of Nepal, from Mr. Hodgson, were read, each ho 
Jug accompanied by an excellent coloured drawing. 1 
