BOOKS PURCHASED. Encyclopædia Britannica. Ninth Edition, Vol. X. G.-Got. 4to., Edinburgh, 1879. HAROLD, E. V. Coleopterologische Hefte. No. XVI. 8vo., Munich, 1879. LINDE, F. Tea in India: a Sketch, Index and Register of the Tea Industry in India. With a Map. Fep., Calcutta, 1879. OLDENBERG, DR. H. The Dipavamsa; edited and translated. 8vo., London, 1879. Parliamentary Papers. Cotton Duties. Papers relating to the Admission of Natives to the Fep., London, 1879. Fep., London, 1879. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL, FOR FEBRUARY, 1880. The Annual Meeting of the Asiatic Society of Bengal was held on the 4th of February, 1880, at 9 P. M. H. B. MEDLICOTT, ESQ., F. R. S., President, in the Chair. According to the Bye-Laws of the Society, the President ordered the voting papers to be distributed for the election of Officers and Members of Council for 1880, and appointed Lt.-Col. Sconce and M. von Eetvelde, Scrutineers. The PRESIDENT called upon the Secretary to read the Annual Report. ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1879. In presenting the following report on the condition of the Society during the year 1879, the Council are glad to be able to congratulate the Members again upon the satisfactory state of its affairs. Thirty-three Members were added to the list during the year, of whom 2 were old Members who were re-entered without election, and 31 were new Members. The total number removed from the list was 32, of whom 10 died and 14 retired. The total number of Ordinary Members at the end of the year was 329 as compared with 327 at the end of 1878. Of the Ordinary Members 36 are absent from India, and of the rest 111 are Resident, 154 Non-Resident, 16 Foreign and 12 Life Members. The annexed tabular Statement shows the fluctuation in the number of Ordinary Members during the past 6 years. During the year Professor Henry and M. Stanislas Julien, two of the Honorary Members of the Society, died. To fill the vacancies thus caused and others existing previously, the following gentlemen have been appointed to be Honorary Members :-Prof. E. B. Cowell, Dr. A. Günther, Dr J. Janssen, Prof. H. Milne-Edwards, Prof. P. Regnaud, and M. E. Renan. The following names of Ordinary Members appear in the obituary of the year: Nawab Amir Ali Khan Bahadur, Mr. R. S. Brough, Mr. G. B. Damant, Mr. R. B. Shaw, Mr. H. C. Sutherland, the Maharaja of Vizianagram, Mr. G. Robb, Mr. F. L. Beaufort, Mr. F. Wilcox and Capt. C. J. F. Forbes, F. R. G. S., In Mr. Brough the Society lost a most active Member. He died suddenly of cholera, on the 3rd April, having only the previous evening attended, apparently in good health, a meeting of the Society; and assisted in showing experiments in connection with a paper on a "new standard of light" read by Mr. Schwendler. He promised to become in time an eminent physicist, and was the author of the following papers in the Proceedings of the Society: In 1877. "A theoretical deduction of the best resistance of a telegraph receiving instrument." "Note on Prof. Graham Bell's telephone." "On a case of lightning; with an evolution of the potential and quantity of the discharge in absolute measure." "On the diameter of the wire to be employed in winding an electromagnet in order to procure the maximum magnetic effect." In 1878. 'Magnetic elements for northern India." *A mistake was printed in last year's Report. "On the proper relative sectional area for copper and iron lightning rods." Indian Museum. The following presentations made to the Society have been transferred to the Indian Museum under the provisions of Act XXII of 1876. (1). Sculptural stones from Buddha Gaya, presented by the Government of Bengal, through Dr. R. Mitra. (2). Three small figures; one stone, one bronze, and one copper. (4). Geological and other specimens collected by Lieutenant R. C. Temple in the march between Kala Abdullah Khán and Lugárí Bárkhán. Three vacancies in the office of Trustee having occurred through the departure to England of Mr. W. T. Blanford, the President; of Major J. Waterhouse and of Mr. T. S. Isaac,-Dr. Hoernle, Dr. Lewis and Mr. Crawfurd were elected Trustees on the part of the Society. Finance. It will be seen from the accounts annexed to this Report that the financial condition of the Society is satisfactory, notwithstanding the loss of income involved in the reduction of the rate of interest on its investments in Government Securities. A special Committee was appointed during the year to consider and report on the form of account hitherto kept by the Society, and, in accordance with its recommendations, the system of accounts is now under revision. Mr. Westland, to whom the thanks of the Society are due for undertaking this important work, has completed the revision of the Society's accounts, which will accordingly be found published in a form somewhat differing from that adopted in former years. Similarly, the accounts of the O. P. Fund and Conservation of Sanskrit MSS. Fund will shortly be revised and placed on a more satisfactory footing. London Agency. At the close of 1878 there was a balance due from the Society to Messrs. Trübner and Co., amounting to £28-10-2. The sale proceeds of the Society's publications, sold by Messrs. Trübner during that year, amounted to Rs. 868-1-7 and of the Bibliotheca Indica to Rs 311-4-0. Nineteen invoices, consisting of publications of Scientific Societies presented to the Society, and of books purchased, were received from Messrs. Trübner and Co. during the past year. The money value of these consignments was £136-17-8. 404 copies of the Journal, and 316 copies of the Proceedings were despatched to them for sale, besides 628 copies of the Bibliotheca Indica publications. Library. The additions to the Library during the year comprise in all 1,433 volumes or parts of volumes. Of these, 741 were received as presentations from Government, from authors, or by exchange, and 692 were purchased. In last year's report it was stated that the Catalogue of the books in the Library which had been carried out under the late Mr. Blochmann required careful revision. On examination, the work done was found to be defective and it is now being carefully revised under the directions of the President. Twenty-two book-cases have been examined, and the cataloguing of 2,431 books carefully checked. As there are more than 7,570 books, in cases numbered up to 86, it appears that little more than a quarter of the work is accomplished. It is necessarily a tedious process, and cannot be hurried through, while the Assistant Secretary can only give it his spare hours from current work. Publications. The publications issued by the Society during the year comprise 10 numbers of the Proceedings consisting of 293 pages of text with 11 plates. Four numbers of the Journal Part I, have been issued containing 405 pages, illustrated with 9 plates. Of the Journal Part II, 4 numbers also have been issued consisting of 234 pages of text with 25 plates. The Title-Page and Index of Part II of 1879, will be issued with No. 1 for 1880, and the fourth part of Part I of 1879 will be published in a few days. The 1st Part of the extra number to which allusion was made in last year's report, containing Moore and Hewitson's "Descriptions of New Indian Lepidoptera found in the collection of the late Mr. W. S. Atkinson" has now been received, and is ready for distribution to Members. Building. The total amount expended in repairs to the Society's premises during the year was Rs. 438-8-0. Besides this, Rs. 110 was spent on removing 4 ancient pillars supporting the staircase, which were claimed by the Trustees of the Indian Museum, and substituting light iron pillars. Half of this charge was recovered from the Trustees of the Museum. Coin Cabinet. The additions to the Coin Cabinet have been very large during the year under review. The total number of coins added, is 167. This is, in a great measure, owing to the orders of Government, issued, at the instance of the Council, to the Civil Authorities throughout the country to inform the Asiatic Society of all finds of coins within their respective jurisdictions, in order to give it a chance of purchasing. Accordingly a large number of |