From the Secretary of State for India :-The Sacred Books of the East, translated by various Oriental Scholars, and edited by F. Max Müller. 3 vols., 8vo. Oxford, 1879.

Containing in Vol. I, translated by F. Max Müller, Part 1 of The Upanishads, as follows:-The Khândogya-upanishad, the Talavakâra-upanishad, the Aitareya-âranyaka, the KanshîtakiBrahmana-upanishad, and the Vâgasaneyi-samhitâ-upanishad.

Vol. II. The Sacred Laws of the Aryas, as taught in the Schools of Âpastamba, Gautama, Vâsishtha, and Baudhâyana ; translated by Georg Bühler; Part 1 containing Âpastamba and

Gautama.

Vol. III.-The Sacred Books of China, the Texts of Confucianism; translated by James Legge; Part 1 containing the Shû King, the religious portions of the Shih King, the Hsiao King.

From the Author :--L'Écriture et les Inscriptions Sémitiques. Par Ph. Berger. 8vo. Paris, 1880.

Being the combination of two articles published in "L'Encyclopédie des Sciences Religeuses," and now issued in a separate form.

From the Author :-Notice sur les Caractères Pheniciens, destinés à l'impression du Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum. Philippe Berger. Paris, 1880.

Reprinted from the "Journal Asiatique," Janvier, 1880.

From the Author:

Raccolta dei Segni ieratico Egizi. Per Simeone Levi. 8vo. Torino, 1880.

In a collection of fifty-six lithographic plates, properly arranged, are grouped variant forms of Hieratic writing, with their hieroglyphic and phonetic values. Each character is numbered, and a careful index is added of the manuscripts and other sources from which the different forms have been obtained.

From the Author :-Observations sur Trois Cylindres orientaux. Par M. Joachim Menant. 8vo. Paris, 1880.

Extrait de la Gazette des Beaux-Arts. Décembre, 1879.

From the writer:-Tabellen zur babylonisch-assyrischen Geschichte. Von Dr. Fritz Hommel. Three Sheets, Nos. II, III, and IV.

The following were nominated by the Council for election at the next meeting on May 4th:

George William Bartram, R.E., Tunbridge Wells.

Rev. Jonathan P. Carey, Tiverton, Devon.

Benjamin Arthur Heywood, M.A., Red Lion Square, W.C.
William Chickall Jay, Wimbledon Park.

E. Wollaston N. Knocker, Dover.

Rev. Randolph H. Mc. Laughlin Berens, M.A., Chislehurst,
Kent.

George Samuel, Regent's Park, N.W.

The following were submitted for election as Members of the Society, having been nominated on March 2nd :

William John Belt, Bedford Square, W.C.

Miss Collette, Beyrut.

John Dixon, H.M. Vice-Consul, Beyrut.
Rev. J. Elphinstone-Robertson, Leatherhead.
Assadour Karabegof, Russell Square, W.C.
Mrs. H. Smith, Beyrut.

Villiers Stuart, of Dromana.

Richard Francis Weymouth, D. Lit., Mill Hill, N.W.
Thomas Wonnacott, F.R.I.B. A., Farnham, Surrey.

The following paper was read by the Secretary :

"Description of the so-called Tomb of St. Luke at Ephesus." By Prof. G. Weber.

This communication resulted from the papers on the same subject read before the Society at the meeting held February 5th, 1878,2 and a correspondence printed in the "Academy" during July and August in the same year.

In a series of letters were contained the results of a careful examination and survey made by Prof. Weber, in order to find out if the building is of purely Christian character, as stated by Dr. Richter1 and Mr. J. T. Wood, or if it is an ancient tomb converted into a place of Christian worship, as described by Mr. Simpson and others.3

166 Academy." 2 Trans. Soc. Bib. Arch., vol. vi, p. 329.

344 'Academy."

The writer commenced by quoting what has been written on the subject by Fr. Adler, which quite agrees with the supposition that there exist the remains of two separate buildings of different epochs, but expressing the opinion that from the treatment of the carvings on the door-jamb, "both of which is in true ancient style," "the Christian origin and the traditional designation are out of the question." Mr. Weber stated that with regard to the traditional designation of a tomb of St. Luke, there could be no tradition, since Mr. Wood was the first who gave the building that name in 1865.

A full and careful description, with measurements, was then given, which showed that the early building had been circular, as supposed by Mr. Simpson, with an interior passage concentric with the outer wall, from which a number of cells radiated outwards. Upon clearing away a quantity of the débris that closed up the passage, a second small cell, placed at right angles to the first, was discovered on the west side; also evidences that there existed another similar one on the south side. From this it would appear that, when complete, four cells had been built from the passage, placed nearly to the four cardinal points, that on the east side having been cleared away to make way for the Christian chapel, cut into the older monument, Mr. Weber supposed, about the fourth century.

On the north side, remains of a flight of steps still exist, leading up to the platform, between the sixteen surrounding columns and the centre pillar of the monument.

Drawings by M. Weber, and photographs were exhibited; and from the fragments of ornamentation found at the place, and the architectural details of the building itself now remaining, it evidently appeared to have been a Greek monument, probably of the first century or earlier, a portion of which had been at a later time adapted and enlarged so as to form a Christian shrine or chapel. The cross and bull on the door-jamb were discussed; and although the former was admitted to be possibly an addition of Christian times, it was contended that the bull was that commonly known as the "Carian bull," and not the bull of the country, as had been stated by Mr. Wood. It was argued that it, with the panels of the door-jamb, were all that now remain of the ornamentation upon this portion of the ancient construction. This and other reasons were given why the bull could not possibly be the emblem of the Evangelist, which did not take a place in Christian art until many centuries later.

A letter from Mr. Edward Falkener was read, in which he discussed the original use of the monument, and expressed the opinion that it was a family burial-place. Mr. Falkener also pointed out that the building was to be found marked in the sketch plan published in 1862 in his work on Ephesus.

Other interesting features were pointed out, which will be given, as well as plans and drawings, in a future part of the Transactions.

M. Ernest Rénan, who expressed his satisfaction in being present at a meeting of the Society, thought that even with some proofs forthcoming, and these ought to be most carefully scrutinized, great care should be exercised in attributing an ancient monument to any particular person; but that in the present instance there appeared to be no proofs that the monument in question had been in any way connected with St. Luke. He had himself visited the building when Mr. Wood was in Ephesus, and thought that there could be no doubt that its origin was not Christian. With regard to the bull on the door-jamb, claimed as the symbol of St. Luke, it must be remembered that the attribution of these cherubic signs to the four Evangelists was of comparatively modern date, and that the signs themselves do not appear generally in use in art until the fifth century.

Remarks were added by Mr. Hyde Clarke and the Chairman.

The following paper was read by the writer:"Preliminary Notes on the Characters, Phonetics, and Language

of the Akkadians and the pre-Akkadians." By Hyde Clarke. An examination was made of various hieratic and cuneiform characters having two or more dissimilar meanings-as goat, fish, boat; house, speak; face, field-and for which corresponding words were found in other languages. In the next section the Akkad phonetics were examined, and words exhibited with the same sound and meaning in other languages, being of the same class as those just referred to. Upon the copious materials hereby afforded, the author proceeded to deduce that the words and characters were not of Akkad origin, but derived from some language or languages of earlier date, and connected with the epoch of the foundation of syllabic characters, from which were derived the cuneiform, the Khita, the Egyptian, the

Chinese, as well as the American characters. The comparative philology of the Akkad was affirmed to be not exclusively Ugro-Altaic, but, as shown by the author previously, in affinity with many other so-called Turanian languages. The examples, however, here given being from some African languages, Mr. Clarke assigned the original character to some white race migrating from the highlands of eastern Africa to Asia, being displaced in Africa by their negro subjects, and afterwards in Asia by the white Aryans proceeding from High Asia. The languages included the Vei, &c., the Mandanga class, Bola, Pulo, Bornu, Houssa, &c. The Vei alphabet was considered to be possibly ancient, and not modern.

THE NEXT MEETING OF THE SOCIETY will be held at 9, Conduit Street, Hanover Square, W., on Tuesday, May 4th, 1880, at 8.30 p.m., when the following papers will be read :

I. "Libation Vase of Osor-ur, preserved in the Museum of the Louvre" (No. 908). By Paul Pierret.

II. "A New Monument of Tirhakah of the XXVth Dynasty." By Samuel Birch, D.C.L., LL.D., &c., President.

III. "An Examination of the Ideograph." By Robert Brown, junr., F.S.A.