tripos, that our countrymen, and we, as represented by them, after all their la borious exertions in the cause of science in that region, have no claim, no right, no title, to the credit of such discoveries? The Modern Traveller. - Palestine. Parts I. and II. London: 1824. THE Collections and compilations of modern travels, which have hitherto been published, are generally in volumes of a most inconvenient size, and are likewise very expensive; neither do they contain the valuable information communicated by the latest travellers. A work, therefore, on the plan of the one we are here announcing, had become a great desideratum in English literature. As yet, only the two first parts have appeared, containing a description of Palestine, and a summary of the various modern travels in that interesting country. Judging from the specimen before us, we feel ourselves justified in recom mending the work to our readers, as promising to be the most judicious and interesting publication of the kind that has ever fallen under our notice. The plan is; first, to give a general description of a country, and a brief historical notice of it: secondly, to furnish accounts of the various parts that have been passed over by Europeans or others: and thirdly, to select the most remarkable places or objects for particular description. This plan enables the compiler to bring into a focus, on all occasions, the information communicated by the most intelligent travellers. We shall only add, on the present occasion, that we look forward with much pleasure to the continuation of the series; and particularly to the accounts, already advertised, of Syria, Arabia, and Egypt, countries which obviously lie within our peculiar province. Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. ASIATIC SOCIETY OF CALCUTTA. On Wednesday evening, the 12th of November, a Meeting of the Asiatic Society was held at the Society's House, Chowringhee, Mr. Harington, the President, in the Chair. At this Meeting, Messrs. B. Roberts and F. P. Strong, were elected Members of the Society. Vice Presidents. According to annual custom, the members present then proceeded to ballot for Vice Presidents, when the following gentlemen were reelected: Major General Hardwicke, and W. B. Bayley, Esq. Committee of Papers.-The Committee of Papers was next ballotted for, and the following members were re-elected: James Atkinson, T. Bently, James Calder, Dr. Carey, G. J. Gordon, Capt. A. Locket, and Courtney Smith. Mr. Andrew Sterling and Dr. Hare, were also elected members of the Committee, in the room of Capt. Hodgson and the Rev. J. Parson. A variety of snakes and reptiles, preserved in Alcohol, were presented by Capt. Herman. A Hindoostanee matchlock was presented by Mr. Gibbon. The Secretary read a letter from Mr. Moorcroft, who is now on a deputation to Central Asia, dated Cashmeer, the 20th of July, 1823, announcing his having dispatched to the Society, a copy of the Rajah Taringenee. Mr. Moorcroft's inquiries had been long zealously directed to this object. He met with many abstracts of the work, but disfigured and corrupted, according to the Hindoo or Mussulman notions and faith of the copyers. The genuine chronicle of Cashmeer in Sanscrit, the Rajah Taringenee, as it is called, is reported to have been so common formerly, that almost every Hindoo family of re spectability possessed a copy; but from the accidents of time, it has become so scarce, that not more than two or three were known to be in existence.* Mr. Moorcroft was at length successful. Having cured Eshur Das, a Pundit, of a painful affection of the ancle joint, pronounced incurable, the grateful Pundit permitted a * The fate of this book, Mr. Moorcroft thinks, resembles the fortunes of the country of which it records the history. Tradition states, that in the reign of Mahmood Shah, not many years ago, twelve hundred natives of Cashmeer were en titled to keep palankeens, and that they were all in such good circumstances, as to enable them to use the privilege. At present, there is not a single palenkeen kept by any native of the province. 1824.] Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. copy to be taken from the one in his pos- The Secretary also read a communica- The hot spring near Monghyr, called Seetacoond, is situated a few miles below that place, by the river side, on a plain bounded to the S.W. by ranges of hills covered with jungle. At no great distance from the well, isolated ridges rise up of inconsiderable elevation; the bare rock assuming a singularly mottled appearance from the action of the atmosphere. Capt. Herbert had not an opportunity of ascertaining the nature of this rock by a personal examination on the spot, as the unusual rise to which the river had attained, flooded great part of the plain, and rendered the approach difficult. At Benares, however, he had the pleasure of finding, in the very interesting collection of Dr. Yeld, a series of Specimens, collected on the spot by Dr. Adam, from an examination of which, it would appear that Quartz and Quartzose Sandstone, are the prevailing, if not the only rocks. No rock comes to the surface in the immediate vicinity of the well; but near it is a small morass in which the irridescent appearance of the water would seem to indicate the presence of iron. A tank of about 30 feet by 20 has been built to receive and confine the waters of the spring, the sides diminishing by steps down to the well, which is said to be six feet deep. The temperature, the attending Brahmins say, is high during eight months of the year, and sensibly lower during the remaining four. It is variable even in the eight months, and is highest in the cold weather. Capt. Herbert found it 139; but the tank was quite full, and it must be considered that a spring furnishing only a small supply, and exposing so large a surface to the air, would necessarily have its temperature something lower than if the waters were allowed to run off without giving an increased surface of evaporation. Air-bubbles were continually rising to the surface, but there was no possibility of collecting them or ascertaining their nature. There is a cold spring within thirty yards. The water has no taste. reddens tincture of litmus, the change of It slightly colour being barely sufficient to be detected by the method of Dr. Wilson Philip, which makes this a test of great sensibility. The muriatic, sulphuric, nitric, and oxalic acids, prussiate of potass, car 517 bonate of ammonia, nitrate of silver, have scarcely perceptible cloudiness; nitrate of no effect. Muriate of Barytes produces a lead, a white precipitate; and super acetate of lead, the same in greater quantity. This latter precipitate is soluble in the nitric acid. From the very low specific gravity(1,002) this water may be judged to contain not so much as one grain of solid matter in three thousand, and perhaps not one in five thousand. It does not appear that it owes its increase of weight to any of the waters, or even to any iron. From the neutral salts generally found in mineral effect on tincture of litmus, it must contain hydrogen. The white precipitate, with some uncombined acid, or else sulphurated the super acetate of lead, excludes the bonic, sulphuric, pshosphoric, and boracic latter substance and confines the test to carprecipitate by super acetate of lead being acids. Nitrate of silver excludes the first, the third has never been found, Capt. Hersoluble in nitric acid. The second-the bert believes, in mineral waters, but the veral hot springs, it is said, and even small fourth frequently. In Italy there are selakes which contain uncombined boracic acid. We may, therefore, observes Capt. Herbert, regard this spring as similar remarking, that the Italian springs are in in its nature and properties. It is worth the neighbourhood of a valcano. clear, and being perfectly tasteless, is geThe water of Seetacoond is beautifully nerally preferred for consumption to the river water, even when purified by alum. slight degree; but, judging from the very Many have supposed it medicinal in a it contains, it can scarcely be said to differ minute proportion of foreign ingredients from common water. Seetacoond is considered by the Hindoos to be a place of some sanctity.[Cal. Gov. Gaz. BOMBAY LITERARY SOCIETY. Society of Bombay was held at their The Anniversary Meeting of the Literary the following gentlemen were elected rooms on Monday the 24th Nov., when Office Bearers and Members of Committees for the ensuing year. President, The Hon. M. Elphinstone. Vice Presidents: His Excellency Lieut. Gen. the Hon. Sir C. Colville, G. C.B.; the Hon. Sir Edw. West, Knt.; the Venerable the Archdeacon George Barnes, D.D.; John Wedderburn, Esq.; John Robert Steuart, Esq. Major Vans Kennedy Secretary. Messrs. Forbes and Co. Treasurers. 7 Committee of Papers: the President Esq.; Lieut. Col. Edmund W. Shuld. and Vice President; Richard Woodhouse, ham; Wm. H. Wather, Esq.; Geo. Norton, Esq.; Major Kennedy, Secretary. Committee for the Superintendence of 30 20° 57 21 12 21 93 Basses da India. North West End, .. 21° 26' East do. ......21 Long. East of De vil's Mount C. G. Hope. Longitude Fast 39° 20′ 30′′ 39 32 45 Europa Rocks (called Europa Island, by Capt. Owen). Southernmost part...21 33 Lat. South. Long. East of De Lat. South. vii's Mount Longitude East of London. C. G. Hope. 22° 152' 21° 52′ 40° 153′ 40 12 40 191 ....22 23 21 523 N.B. The old charts place these dangers in a reverse position with respect to each other; or the Basses da India nearly North End,.. West do. East do. South do. places the Europa Rocks, and vice versa. MEXICAN ANTIQUITIES. An exhibition has just been opened in Piccadilly by Mr. Bullock, principally consisting of relics of the idolatrous worship of the ancient Mexicans, lately dug up from the foundations of the capital eity of that infant but rising empire. We hope that this mine will be worked with as much enthusiasm by our enterprizing countrymen as those which contain the precious metals. The religious zeal of the Spaniards destroyed by fire almost every thing relating to the mythology and history of the Mexicans. The more pon derous sculptures, however, found in the ancient capital, were chiefly employed as foundation stones for the modern city of Mexico. An immense idol represented as composed of rattle-snakes and human skulls, and smeared with blood, has been found entire, and recognized as a personification of the goddess of war.-From the exhibition with which Mr. Bullock has favoured the public, we should argue that the religious worship of the ancient Mexicans was quite as sanguinary in its character as that of the Hindoos; there is nothing, however, to lead us to suppose that it was likewise as sensual. EARTHQUAKE AT CALCUTTA. A rather smart shock of an earthquake was experienced yesterday at about ten minutes before twelve. This circumstance was first mentioned to us on the instant under our roof. We did not perceive it on the ground floor, but it was very sensibly felt by every individual in the upper part of the house. At Garden Reach, not only was the motion sufficiently strong to be sensibly felt, but also to agitate the spangles which hang on the wall shades. There were two shocks, and they were accompanied by a low rumbling noise, similar to that experienced in a room over an arched gateway, when a heavy loaded waggon is passing over the stones underneath it.[Cal. John Bull, Nov. 27. EARTHQUAKE AT SEA. Another instance of an earthquake being felt at sea, has been communicated to us by Capt. Miller, of the Layton. On the voyage from London to Bombay, on the 27th July last, the Layton being in S. lat. 35′ 19", not far to the westward of Tristran d'Acunha, at halfpast eleven P.M., a shock of an earthquake was felt so strongly, that it awoke every person in the ship; it was a trembling motion, similar to that produced by a ship forcing its way over a wreck or a coral bed. The hands were turned up, and every part of the vessel examined, but no injury of any kind could be discovered; the trembling was accompanied with a hissing noise. On the following night, at about half past two, another and more violent shock was felt, which lasted a few seconds, but not so long as the first. On the 31st, in lat. 36′ 51′′, the Layton having in the mean time run between five and six degrees to the eastward, the Dutch brig Phelentait, bound to Batavia, was spoken with, and her master reported that the exhibition of Capt. Parlby's rockets is authorized by Government to take place at Dum-Dum, to shew the comparative powers of his weapon; and that yesterday (1st Dec.) one of the small experimental rockets, denominated a 14 pounder, was thrown by Capt. Parlby to the distance of 1,473 yards, where it penetrated the soil three feet, in the presence of Capt. Nichelson, Major Wood, and some officers of Artillery. It is expected that the larger rockets will range nearly 300 yards. Capt. Parlby has, it appears, been able to communicate the rotary motion of a rifle ball to his rockets, by a peculiarity of their internal structure which makes them range in very true lines.-[Beng. Hurk. Dec. 2. NEW PUBLICATIONS. Vindicia Seramporianæ ; or a Review of a Pamphlet by Mr. John Bowen, entitled " Missionary Incitement and Hindoo Demoralization; including some observations on the Political tendency of the means taken to Evangelize Hindoosthan." 8vo. 18. 6d. The Wonders of Elora; or, the Narrative of a Journey to the Temples and Dwellings excavated out of a Mountain of Granite, and extending upwards of a mile and a quarter in length, at Elora, in the East-Indies; by the Route of Poona, Ahmed-Nuggur, and Toka, returning by Dowlutabad, and Aurungabad. With general Observations on the People and Country. By J. B. Seely, Captain in the Bombay Native Infantry, and late in the Military Service of his Highness the Rajah of Nagpore. 8vo. with plates. 16s. Australia, with other Poems. By T. K. Hervey, Trinity Coll., Cambridge. 8vo. 6s. The Modern Traveller; or, A Popular Description, Geographical, Historical, &c. of various Countries of the Globe. Vol. 1. containing "Palestine" 18mo. 5s. An Essay towards the History of Arabia, prior to the Birth of Mahommed, from Original Persian Authorities. By Major David Price, of the E. I. Company's service. 4to. £1.58. Journal of a Second Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, performed in the Years 1821-22-23. By Capt. Parry. 4to. with 39 Plates. £4. 14s. 6d. Memoirs of Mrs. Matilda Smith, late of Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope. By John Phillips, D.D. 8vo. 6s. Memoirs of a Three Years' Residence in Japan; with Observations on the Country and the People. By Capt. Golownin, New Edition. 3 vols. 8vo. £1. 11s. 6d. Lunar Tables and Rules for correcting the apparent Distance of the Moon from the Sun, or Fixed Stars, on account of Refraction or Parallex. By Capt. Lynn. Royal 8vo. In the Press. A Narrative of a Pedestrian Journey through Russia and Siberian Tartary, from the Territories of China to the Frozen Sea and Kamschatka, performed during the years 1820, 21, 22, and 23. By Capt. John Dundas Cochrane, of the Royal Navy. With a Map. 8vo. The Cross and the Crescent, an Heroic Metrical Romance. By the Rev. Jas. Beresford, M.A., Rector of Kibworth, Leicestershire. A Journal of a Tour in Asia Minor, with Comparative Remarks on the Ancient and Modern Geography of that Country. By W. M. Leake, F.R.S., &c. With a Map. 8vo. Preparing for Publication. A New Map of India, on Six Large Sheets; exhibiting its Natural and Political Divisions; constructed from Original Materials, principally supplied by Lieut. Colonel Blacker, C.B., Surveyor-General of India. A Narrative of Four Voyages of Survey in the Inter-Tropical and Western Coast of Australia, between the years 1817 and 1822. Undertaken by order of His Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies, in H. M. Surveying Vessels, Mermaid and Bathurst. By Philip Parker King, R. N., Commander of the Expedition. With Maps, Charts, Views, &c. 4to. An Appendix to Captain Parry's Second Voyage of Discovery, containing the Natural History, &c. 4to. A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Expedition, dispatched by His Majesty's Government to explore the Northern Coast of Africa, in 1821 and 22; con prehending an Account of the Syrtis and Cyrenaica ; of Histoire littéraire des Arabes ou des Sarrasins, pendant le moyen áge, traduit de l'Anglais de Joseph Berington, par A.M. H.B. in-8vo. Histoire de l'Egypte sous le gouvernement de Mohammed Aly, ou Récit des événemens politiques et militaires qui ont eu lieu depuis le départ des Français jusqu'en 1823, par M. Félix Mengin, avec des notes de MM. Langlès et Jomard. Paris 1823, 2 vols. in-8vo. et un atlas in-4to. Voyages à Mergé, au Fleuve blanc, audelà de Fazool, dans le midi du royaume de Sennar, à Syouah et dans cinq autres oasis, faits dans les années 1819, 1820, 1821, et 1822, par M. Frédéric Cailliaud, 2 vols. de planches in-fol., le texte in-8vo. Les Juifs d'Occident, ou Recherches sur l'état civil, le commerce et la littérature des Juifs, en France, en Espagne, et en Italie, pendant la durée du moyen âge, par M. Arthur Beugnot, Paris 1824, 1 vol. in 8vo. ST. PETERSBurgh. The Accounts given by John Forzlan and other Arabic writers, respecting the Russians in Ancient Times. The text is edited by Professor Frähn, who has added a German translation, Notes, and an Appendix. 1 vol. 4to. CALCUTTA. Ricciardo, a Tragedy, in Five Acts. By James Atkinson, Esq., from the Italian of Ugo Foscolo. The Lost Spirit, a Poem; and Roland, a Tale. By J. Lawson, author of " Orient Harping." Fourth Calcutta Quarterly Register (being the 82d number), containing full and accurate Lists of the Civil, Military, Medical, Clerical, and Marine establishments of the Presidency of Bengal. The Unitarian Repository and Christian Miscellany, No. I.- To be continued monthly. The Government Regulations respecting Indigo Planters and their Riots. Correctly translated into the Bengalee language. An Engraving of the Marquess of Hastings. The New Calcutta Journal Daily Advertiser. The Trifler, No. I.-This publication is intended to be continued weekly. A Code of Signals, for the use of Vessels employed in the Merchants' Service. By Capt. Marryatt, R.N. A Treatise on Greyhounds, and other Sporting Dogs, with observations on their Treatment and Disorders. By Sir W. C. Bart. Reprinted from London Edition. In the Press. The Family Market Book, exhibiting in one view, the produce of Fruits, Vegetables, Game, Meat, Fish, &c. &c., procurable in the markets of Calcutta, in the different months throughout the year, from January to December. BOMBAY. The Tuhfa-e Elphinstone, or a Grammar of the Hindustani Language. By Mahomed Ibrahim Mukhba, Munshi, Interpreter to the Honourable Court of Recorder. Preparing for the Press. The Sud-Shuma, or Hundred Lamps: a work in Persian in praise of the Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay. Debates at the East-India House. East-India House, Friday, March 5. A General Court of Proprietors of East-India Stock was this day held, pursuant to adjournment, for the purpose of resuming the consideration of the motion submitted to the Court on the 25th of February, namely, "That application be made to Parliament for the repeal of the 46th clause of the act of the 53d Geo. 3, cap. 155, by which the Court of Directors is prohibited from sending to India, in the capacity of a writer, any person who shall not have resided during four terms at the Haileybury College; and for introducing a clause into the said act, appointing a public examination at such times, and under such regulations, as the Court of Directors, with the approbation of the Board of Controul, may direct; to which examination all persons shall submit their acquirements and qualifications for approval, previous to their being permitted |