"The Sultan Mahomed Shah bin Luteef Shah, 55.

"On the reverse

"There is no other strength but in the Omnipotent, the author of the World and Religion."

"From which I conclude that this beautiful coin is one of Mahomed Shah III., King of Ahmedabad, who reigned from A.H. 944 (A.D. 1538) to 961 (A.D. 1853-4). He is called in Prinsep's Tables "Mahmood bin Luteef," but no such name is known on this side of India. In Ferishta and the Miratee Ahmed, as well as on this coin, the name is evidently "Luteef." I have never seen the coin in any numismatic description, and look upon it as very valuable. In my private collection is a copper coin of this same king, which was found at Cambay, and also two silver coins of this dynasty, one of Muzuffer Shah II., and the other of the last king of Ahmedabad, viz. Muzuffer Shah III., which were found at Ahmedabad. The characters of these very much resemble this one, but they are neither so perfect nor so beautiful. Those of Muzuffer Shah III. have the legend in Sanscrit as well as in Arabic."

The Rev. Dr. Wilson, Honorary President, having observed that he thought the former coin from the same parcel which had been mislaid was different from that examined by Mr. Frere, the Secretary was directed, in forwarding a copy of Mr. Frere's report to Government with the gold coin, to state that, if there were any different from the one returned, the Society would feel grateful to Government for being allowed to examine those also.

Dhunjibhoy Framjee, Esq., then read his paper on the "Authenticity of the Iranian Family of Languages," of which the following is a short abstract :

"The author stated that it was the first of a series of papers on this subject which he intended to bring before the Society. He confined himself on the present occasion to the Zend language, questioning the opinion of W. Schlegel, Sir W. Jones, Richardson, Van Kennedy, and Mr. Romer, that the language was fabricated by the Parsis after their emigration from Persia. He maintained that the language did formly exist in Persia. He strengthened this assertion by saying that we meet with several Zend characters on blocks of stones at Behistun in Persia as well as with the cuneiform inscriptions. He advanced various ancient and modern authorities in support of his observations, forming his argument, more or less, on the representations of the following writers :

"Plato, Aristotle, Theopompus, Hermippus, Strabo, Pliny, Eusebius, St. Clement, Adelung, Henry Lord, Gabriel de Chinon, B. Taverner, D. Sanson, Chevalier Chardin, E. Burnouf, E. Rask, H. Brockham, Sir G. Ousley, Sir H. Rawlinson, N. L. Westergaard, Dr. Rhode, H. H. Wilson, A. Trayer, D. Shen, Dr. Hyde, A. Du Perron, J. F. Klenker, Dr. John Wilson, F. Bopp, C. Lassen, Heeren, F. Spiegel, and others.

"He maintained that the Zend language was introduced by Zoroaster into Bactria, the ancient capital of Iran, in the reign of Gushtasp or Hystaspes. He argued that as Plato, Aristotle, Theopompus, and others who lived four centuries before Christ, showed a knowledge of the sacred language of the Parsis, the language must be of very remote time. He observed that, had the language been forged by the modern Parsis, it could scarcely have stood the test when examined by the light of comparative philology. He made some observations on the views of Mr. Romer and others on the subject, and concluded by saying that some learned Orientalists are very much mistaken in believing that a language so copious and expansive as the Zend could be forged by the modern Parsis."

The Rev. Dr. Wilson, Honorary President, at the close of the reading of Mr. Dhunjibhoy's paper, observed that he was sure that it would meet with the indulgence of the members of the Society, even though it dealt almost exclusively with European authorities, and added nothing to their representations and reasonings on the matter to which it referred. This he did on the ground that it is desirable that European scholars should know the position which the modern Parsis are desirous of occupying in reference to the history of their own religion and literature. It was not necessary to submit the article to rigid criticism. The questions at which it glanced are all coming to a rapid solution, and they are best in the hands of those who are able and willing to treat them on their own merits.-8th October 1857.

ANNIVERSARY MEETING.

MONDAY, 30TH Nov. 1857.

The Secretary, at the request of the President, read the following report of the committee of management for the past year:—

GENTLEMEN,-During the past year only three resident members have been elected, and no non-resident member.

There have been 127 books and pamphlets presented to the Library, and fifteen donations for the Museum.

Sixteen Original Communications have been read at the monthly meetings.

To the Library, 128 works, or 200 volumes, have been added by purchase, and 231 works or 543 volumes, consisting of about an equal number of octavos, quartos, and folios, have been rebound and repaired respectively.

The total number of periodicals, newspapers, calendars, army lists, and almanacs, received by the Society during the year, has been 88, viz. 56 Literary and Scientific, of which 23 are presented by the Societies who published them; 29 newspapers (European and Indian); and ten calendars, including almanacs and army lists, &c.

The printing of the XXth number of the Society's Journal, which completes the 5th volume, and extends up to November 1856, was concluded in July last, and issued the month following.

The subject of procuring a new catalogue of the books in the Library has continued to occupy much of the attention of your Committee, and it was finally arranged that two should be made-one alphabetically, according to the authors' names (which, of course, would require that all anonymous works should be entered under their own name, and not that of the author), and the other arranged according to the subjects treated of in the work; and your Committee were in hopes that they had secured the services of a gentleman fully competent to the work, who would complete it for Rs. 1,000 for his own remuneration and the pay of clerks.

On the 27th June your Committee were led to expect that, with the concurrent attention of the Librarian, one or two clerks for a month or two, would suffice, and they therefore reckoned upon procuring the catalogues for Rs. 1,100; and supposing the work had been begun in July, were led to expect that it would be finished by December.

But after further consideration, it was found that it would take at least four months to prepare the catalogues, and that two or three clerks would be required during that time. This, then, would very considerably increase the expense, which, for printing the two catalogues alone, would amount to Rs. 2,272; and it being evident that the Society's funds, unless some great increase of income or reduction of expenditure took place, would not bear such a heavy outlay, those members of the Committee who met on the 11th September determined that it was impossible for the Committee to recommend this disbursement, and that they would themselves, if possible, with the assistance of the Librarian, complete the alphabetical catalogue now under preparation.

As causes of the present low state of the Society's funds, the Committee would observe that in November 1852 the subscription of nonresident Members was reduced by one half, viz. from Rs. 30 to Rs. 15, without its being followed by any increase, but, on the contrary, by a decrease in their number since that period. Also at the same meeting it was resolved that a copy of each future number of the Journal should be distributed gratis to all members, instead of on payment of Rs. 2 as before; while the balance in favour of the Society being then large, the disbursements for new works and the rebinding and repairing of old ones for the Library has been kept up at a greater rather than a diminished rate.

The Committee would, therefore, recommend that henceforth the Society's Journal should be paid for by members as formerly.

Proposed by the Rev. Dr. Wilson, Honorary President, seconded by II. P. St. George Tucker, Esq., C.S., and carried unanimously :"That the Committee's report be received, and the best thanks of the Society voted to them for their valuable services during the past year."

The balance-sheet of the Society's accounts for the past year having been laid before the Meeting, togther with a list of the names of members in arrears, the Secretary was directed to again request the latter to liquidate their subscriptions.

Proposed by Dr. Leith, seconded by the Rev. G. Cook, and carried unanimously:"That the best thanks of the Society be also voted to the auditors."

The President then mentioned that the Society had been induced by him last year, at the Honorary President's recommendation, to forward an application to Government that the services of Vishnoo Shastree should be secured to aid in deciphering the cave-inscriptions, and thus, being in some measure answerable for the appointment, it would be satisfactory to the Society to know what the Cave-Commission were doing.

The Honorary President in reply stated that, a report would in due time be made to Government of their proceedings; but that in the meantime he had much pleasure in informing the Society that very satisfactory progress had been made in deciphering the inscriptions of Karli, Salsette, and the Konkan, and that the Shastree, under his direction, was laboriously engaged in grouping their words, with a view to preparing and verifying a vocabulary which might be applied to the whole of them combinedly. He also mentioned that two copper-plate grants had lately been made out, the contents of which might soon be communicated to the Society.

The following gentlemen were then elected for the Committee of Management, Museum Committee, and Auditors respectively, for the ensuing year; the President, Vice-President, and Secretary being considered re-elected :

Resolved." That, in accordance with the recommendation of the Committee of Management, members be called upon respectively to pay for their number of the Journal as formerly." The business of the meeting having been concluded, it was adjourned to Thursday, the 10th December next.

FROM THE 30TH NOV. 1857 TO THE 29TH NOV. 1858.

The President read the following result of his examination of 25 silver coins dug up in the new road between Dhundooka and Ahmedabad and forwarded for report with the 65 coins mentioned at p. xxxix :

"I had entirely overlooked the accompanying 25 coins when reporting on the 46 coins sent to Government on the 8th October last (see p. xxxix.) "These coins appear to be all of the same reign, although 13 of them are so much defaced that I can hardly trace their characters; the remaining 12 I have cleaned; and from the eight which I have separated, I make out the legend on the reverse to be :-

Parama Bhagavata Rajadhiraja Shri Kamara Gupta Mahendrasya. "These coins are evidently not all from the same die. The head on some of them being, as Mr. Thomas remarks (Journal Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XII., p. 65), "but little changed from the Sah type," while on one of them, in which the "" before the Gupta leaves little