Tradition and native records represent the southern portion of the Indian peninsula as being anciently divided into three contemporary kingdoms. 1. The Pándya. 2. Chola or Sora. 3. Chera, Sera or Konga. Of the first, a valuable account has been supplied by Professor Wilson, in Vol. III. of the Society's Journal; and of the other two, slight sketches have been given by the same learned writer, in the Introduction to his Catalogue of the M'Kenzie Collection: a more detailed notice of the last is the object of this paper.

There are few objects of antiquarian research that have attracted more attention from the learned in Europe, than the history and purposes of the Cave Temples of India, but if we except the still unexplained antiquities of Mexico, I know none regarding which so little that is satisfactory has been elicited, or about which so many, and such discordant opinions exist: and while the age of every building of Greece and Rome is known with the utmost precision, and the dates of even the Egyptian monuments ascertained with almost as much certainty as those of mediæval cathedrals, still all in India is darkness and uncertainty, and there is scarcely a work on architecture published, or lecture read, which does not commence by a comparison between the styles of India and Egypt, and after pointing out a similarity which seems to be an established point of faith in Europe, though in reality no two styles are more discordant, the author generally proceeds to doubt which is the more ancient of the two, and in most cases ascribes the palm of antiquity to the Indian as the prototype. Yet, in truth, Egypt had ceased to be a Nation before the earliest of the cave temples was excavated, and if we except the copies of earlier structures erected by the Ptolemies and Cæsars, there is nothing on the banks of the Nile which does not belong to a different and far more ancient epoch than anything in India.

I do not offer these notes for perusal in the idea that they communicate any thing very new, neither do I suppose that from their contents can be elicited any thing likely to be of solid benefit to the more enlightened agriculturist of Great Britain; as little do I fancy that they can possess even a tithe of the interest which must attach to a detailed description of the careful cultivation practised by the industrious Chinese husbandman. Still, I deem it possible, that they may in some points not be destitute of interest:

1st. As showing that the agriculture of India is not altogether of so rude or slovenly a character as it is often supposed to be.

2nd. That many of the means and instruments used, albeit simple, are yet well adapted to attain the end in view.

At the close of last season you did me the favour to communicate to me a letter from a member of this Society, Major Postans, alluding to the Oriental MSS. in the Library of Eton College. That collection had occupied my attention some time before, having during the last three or four years, on occasional visits to the College, examined the MSS. very minutely, for the purpose of making their existence better known than it appears to be. With the exception of the late lamented Sir W. Ouseley, and Professor, Lee of Cambridge, they seem to have entirely escaped the inspection of Orientalists.

Two evening meetings of the Royal Asiatic Society were held at the Society's Rooms, in Grafton-Street, on the 1st and 8th of June, when Dr. Hugh Falconer gave a discourse, in two lectures, on the ancient animal races of India, as indicated by the Fossil Fauna of the Sewalik hills. The first meeting was occupied with a general description of the Sewalik fossil animals. Dr. Falconer referred to the antiquity of the human race in India, and the spreading of its mythology, arts, and sciences, over other nations: they had extended to Greece and Italy through Egypt. There is a limit to antiquarian research, at the point where we cease to have indications of the human race. If we desire to dive further into antiquity, we have to fall back on the monuments and inscriptions constructed by nature, on the fossil remains of the extinct races of animals which formerly peopled the earth. Some of the Sewalik fossils appear to afford grounds for entertaining the presumption that it may be possible to connect the human epoch with very remote times. The Colossochelys Atlas, or gigantic fossil tortoise of India, discovered by Captain Cautley and Dr. Falconer, supplies a fit representative of the tortoise which sustained the elephant and the infant world in the fables of the Pythagorean and Hindu cosmogonies.

Numerous attempts have at different times been made by a variety of authors to identify the two plants which in the authorised version of the Scriptures are translated Mustard Tree and Hyssop. That these attempts have not been so satisfactory to others, as to set the questions at rest, is evident from fresh plants being continually adduced, even in recent works, as possessed of the requisite characteristics. It may be inferred that these do not appear, to the author of this paper, to have been more successful than preceding endeavours, from his making a fresh, and which to many will appear a presumptuous attempt to determine what has baffled so many able inquirers. Few fields, however, are so barren, even after they seem to have been cleared by the most skilful reapers, as not to yield some grains to the careful gleaner. So, continued attention to any one pursuit, never fails to throw light, not only on itself, but also on other, and what at first appear but remotely connected subjects. Thus it has been in the study of ancient for the purpose of elucidating modern Materia Medica, and of both in connexion with the Botany of the East, that the author has been led to conclusions, which seem to elucidate some of the disputed points in Biblical botany.

The area, the geological features of which it is purposed to attempt a description of, so far as known, comprises peninsular India from Bombay on the west, and Ganjam on the east coast, to Cape Comorin, lying between the 8th and 20th degrees of north latitude. Its northern limit is skirted by the Sub-Vindhyan ranges, and the plains of Central India; while the remaining sides are washed by the ocean, and lie within the 72nd and 86th degrees of east longitude.

A s a strong feeling has been evinced by the Society that by means of graphic illustration the curiosities and monuments of antiquity in India should be rescued from oblivion, (a wish that has been most liberally met by the Honourable Company,) I have considered it somewhat conducive to the object in view to print the sketch which I took of the celebrated temple of Somnath during my visit to Girnar in 1838, and of which a description was given in the Royal Asiatic Society's Journal for October, in that year.

This question appears to have been first seriously agitated in 1826, in consequence of a reference from the Acting Political Agent in Meywar, Capt. Sutherland, to Sir C. Metcalfe, regarding certain Grasya chiefs of the Hill principalities, nominally independent, but from whom allegiance was claimed by the Oodeypore Government.

When I lately had the honour of reading a paper before the Society, on the Mustard Tree of Scripture, I ventured to make some observations on what I considered to be the requisites for, and the best mode of pursuing, as well as upon what we should admit as proofs in, such enquiries. I proceed now to treat of another Biblical plant, which is not less interesting than the Mustard Tree to determine. This is the Hyssop, frequently mentioned in the Old, and twice independently in the New Testament, and which, if we are to judge by the numerous attempts which have been made to ascertain the particular plant that is meant, is not less difficult to determine, than any one of the several unascertained plants of the Bible.

Geographical Position.—About nine miles inland of Pondicherry on the Coromandel coast, Lat. 11° 56′ N., are beds of limestone rising in gentle undulations, and running in a S.E. by E. direction, almost parallel with the coast, for a distance, as far as I was able to trace, of about four or fire miles. Of these strata no detailed account had been published up to the date of my visit in March, 1840. They are seen to crop out near the villages of Sydapett, Carassoo, Coolypett, and Vurdavoor, from a superincumbent tertiary lateritic grit imbedding large quantities of silicified wood, and of which a description has been given by Lieutenant Warren: who has, however, overlooked the fossil limestone. The beds of the latter dip very slightly easterly. The greater part of the surface of the limestone is concealed by the soil and vegetation. A short distance further towards the west it is again covered by beds of the silicified wood deposit, and both are underlaid by plutonic and hypogene rocks, which crop out near the village of Trivicary, and form the western boundary of the fossiliferous beds. Rolled and angular fragments of the hypogene rocks are scattered here and there over the limestone, as well as fragments from the silicified wood beds, and from the limestone itself; the surface of the latter has evidently been exposed by the denudation of the superincumbent beds. It appears in surface-worn tables traversed by innumerable fissures.

Since the year 1836 I have occasionally come in contact with a singular half-savage race of aborigines in Southern India, and have lately sent them a few questions, which, with their answers, I have the pleasure to forward to the Society. The information, though scanty, ia full of interest, as relating to the remnants of one of the many races that inhabited India prior to the Brahmanical invasion, by which it is more than probable they were compelled to flee to the rocks and caves for shelter, stigmatised in Hindu annals as demons and rakshasas.

So much has already been written on the topography of Aden by travellers who have visited the place, either from motives of curiosity, or on their way to more distant regions, also by individuals whose duties have detained them there, that I fear any information which I can add to what has already been made known, will be of little interest; however, in compliance with the request of a friend, I forward such remarks and observations as a permanent residence of six years has enabled me to collect.

M. Court, of Mahárájá Banjit Sing's service, in a Memoir on Taxila and Peucelaotis, a notice of which appeared in the Journal of the Asiatic Society in Bengal for August 1836, first communicated to the world the fact of the existence of a Bactro-Pali Inscription near Kapúr-dí-Giri in the vicinity of Pesháwer; of which, indeed, he gave a few letters copied by himself.

For above a month past, I had been trying at intervals, but without success, to decypher the Kapur-di-Giri Rock Inscriptions, which were brought to Europe by Mr. Masson; all of which had been copied by sight, and of which some also were fac-similes impressed on calico, in the manner which Mr. Masson has described. About ten days ago, on examining the copy of that portion which forms the back or south side of the rock, I remarked a group of letters of frequent occurrence, representing, according to the value attached to such of the characters as correspond with those on the coins of Bactria, the word piyasa; I found that the group was repeated frequently, and that in every case it was preceded by three letters which I could not identify. I had not the resource of a cloth impression, as Mr. Masson had found it impracticable to apply the calico to that part of the rock; but on comparing all the different examples together, I judged that the same group was always intended: in some cases the first letter took the form of di, as read on the coins; the second I read r; and the third n; this would make the word Diranapiyasa.

Thinking that the Gańeśa Puráńa might throw some light on the origin of the Saiva worship, I lately took it up to examine it in that relation, I had not proceeded far in this investigation before I was fortunate enough to meet with two legends, which I conceive have a distinct reference to the rise and fall of Buddhism in India. One of these is contained in the first, and the Other in the second khanda or division of the Puráńa; and to their consideration I shall devote this paper, after a few brief general remarks on the work itself;

It is a matter of no small difficulty to give a general view of the Religion of India, and so to arrange the different Deities composing the Hindu Pantheon, as to place before the student of Hindu Mythology a connected and harmonious system of the religious belief of the natives of Hindustan. Brahmá for example is styled the Creator of the Universe, and yet almost totally disregarded, not even a single temple being erected to his honour, although creation is one of the chief grounds of religious worship. Vishnu in the system stands forth as the Preserver, but in the eye of his votaries consisting of myriads in every part of the country, the world owes its origin, as well as its preservation to him; and Siva, though systematic writers tell us he is to be regarded as the author of Destruction, and the third God of the Hindu Triad, is worshipped by millions as the Supreme God, the Preserver as well as the Destroyer, the Imparter equally with the Taker away of life. Again, no small proportion of the Hindu nation ascribe the origin of the system of the Universe to a female divinity, whom they consider the Mother of all the Gods, and to whom also they attribute a principal share in its government.

The fact that fossils are found at Perim has been noticed by Baron Hugel, Captain Fulljames, and others.

In a paper published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, May, 1836, Captain Fulljames, who has obtained certain of these fossils, has accurately described the general appearance of the island, and the matrix in which the greater portion of the fossils are found, viz., a conglomerate of sandstone, clay, and silex. In addition to what has been written on the subject, I would observe, that the appearance of the island at the ebb of spring tides is extraordinary; and accounts for, if it will not countenance, the legend, that Perim was formerly connected with the main.