211 
Analyses of Books . 
IX. Analyses of Books. 
1 . — Asiatic Researches ; or. Transactions of the Society instituted in 
Bengal for inquiring into the History and Antiquities , the Arts * 
Sciences, and Literature of Asia, VoL xvii. Part 1. [ Physical 
Science .] 
Considering the large field of inquiry presented to us by India in particular, and 
Asia generally, it must be confessed, that little has been done by us for the cultiva- 
tion of natural history or physical science. With the exception of one department 
of the former (which we allow has had justice done it,) and the few papers of Col. 
Lambton on the latter, little, if any thing, has been published in India on these sub- 
jects. Nor has this been for want of an appropriate vehicle of publication. Six- 
teen volumes of the Transactions of the Asiatic Society have been given to the pub- 
lic, but this work has continued to be essentially literary in its character ; the scien- 
tific communications being too few in amount and too slender in pretension (with on© 
or two exceptions) to require much consideration. 
This leaning of the Society towards literature, to the almost exclusion of science, 
has been the effect of various causes into which we do not feel ourselves called upon 
here to inquire. The founder’s views, deeply imbued as he was with an enthusiastic 
love of eastern lore, necessarily had their influence, and this was increased by our 
position in the country. The views of a government situated as ours has been na- 
turally led to the encouragement of the study of the languages of the country, which 
thence became the road to preferment, so that the strong stimuli of fame and profit 
were made to increase the tendency originally given to the inquiries of the Society 
by the genius of the founder. 
But though the circumstances in which the Society originated, and for some time 
grew and prospered, were, if not adverse, yet far from favourable to the cultivation of 
science, the subject was not altogether lost sight of ; a very early byelaw of the So- 
ciety having provided for the meeting of a class or committee especially applying 
itself to the cultivation of science. This provision had not-, it is true, produced much 
fruit i for, though repeatedly revived, these meetings have always after a time fallen 
off, from what reason it is difficult to say. The last attempt made to revive them 
about this time last year promises to be more successful. They have had regularly 
meetings monthly since February last year, and many papers of interest have been 
presented and read at them. From these and some papers which had been previously 
in the possession of the Society a selection has been made, and the result, forming the 
first part of the seventeenth volume, is now before, the public. We shall endeavour 
to give our readers an idea of the contents of the volume. 
The papers are sixteen in number, of which all except three are more or less con- 
nected with geology. This department of natural history haslatterly engrossed a large 
share of the public attention in Europe. It is still in its infancy, yet teeming every 
day with discoveries of the greatest interest. In India the subject has been altoge- 
ther untouched, and the first breaking up therefore of so rich a field promises an 
abundant harvest. It is not then to be wondered at, that the number ot geological 
papers should so greatly exceed the others. For a long time this subject must con- 
tinue to afford the most promising field to the Indian observer ; and we may there- 
fore expect that the transactions of this branch of the Society will continue to 
have a leaning towards geology. 
I. General Observations on the G eulogy of India. By James Calder, Esq. pp. 1 to 22. 
Mr. Calder begins his paper by paying a just tribute to the memory of the late 
W. H. Voysey, Esq.*, to whose unpublished notes he acknowledges himself in- 
debted for much of the materials of his essay, and whom he justly describes as hav- 
ing fallen a victim to that unwearied zeal and ardour in the pursuit of science, 
which no toil or even danger could daunt. There is little doubt, that had the life 
of this indefatigable observer been spared, his labours alone would have served 
to raise the standard of Indian research, and to wipe out the reproach of indolence 
and indifference sometimes preferred against us by our enemies. 
After noticing Mr. Voysey’s great merits, and deploring his untimely fate, Mr. 
Calder proceeds to lake a general but rapid survey of the great mountain tract, ex- 
tending from Cashmirto Assam, the highest ridges of which are covered with per- 
* We should be glad to see some of the friends of this gentleman give some ac- 
count of his life and labours. We think they owe it to his memory, 
