jects in their order, and trace the characteristic features of the whole.

The limits of our review preclude us from accompanying him through the various departments of phyfiology and medicine, metaphyfics and logic, ethics and jurifprudence, natural philofophy and mathe matics, from which the religion of nature has in all nations been the fublime and confoling refult.' But we fhall tranfcribe the fourth article, as extremely curious in itself, and affording anfwers to profeffor Playfair's questions, which may be acceptable to other mathematicians.

P. 179.- I have already had occafion to touch on the indian metaphyfics of natural bodies according to the most celebrated of the afiatic fchools, from which the pythagoreans are fuppofed to have borrowed many of their opinions; and as we learn from Cicero, that the old fages of Europe had an idea of centripetal force and a principle of univerfal gravitation, (which they never indeed attempted to demonftrate,) fo I can venture to affirm, without meaning to pluck a leaf from the never-fading laurels of our immortal Newton, that the whole of his theology and part of his philofophy may be found in the Vedas and even in the works of the Sufis: that moft fubtil fpirit, which he fufpected to pervade natural bodies, and, lying concealed in them, to caufe attraction and repulfion, the emiffion, reflection, and refraction of light, electricity, calefaction, fenfation, and mufcular motion, is defcribed by the hindus as a fifth element endued with thofe very powers; and the Vedas abound with allufions to a force univerfally attractive, which they chiefly afcribe to the fun, thence called Aditya or the Attractor; a name defigned by the mythologists to mean the child of the goddess Aditi; but the most wonderful paffage on the theory of attraction occurs in the charming allegorical poem of Shirin and Ferhad, or the Divine Spirit and a Human Soul difinterefedly pious; a work which, from the first verfe to the last, is a blaze of religious and poetical fire. The whole paffage appears to me fo curious, that I make no apology for giving you a faithful tranflation of it: "There is a ftrong propenfity, which dances through every atom, and attracts the minuteft particle to fome peculiar object; search this univerfe from its bafe to its fummit, from fire to air, from water to earth, from all below the moon to all above the celeftial spheres; and thou wilt not find a corpufcle deftitute of that natural attractability; the very point of the first thread, in this apparently tangled skein, is no other than fuch a principle of attraction, and all principles befide are void of a real bafis; from fuch a propenfity arifes every motion perceived in heavenly or in terreftrial bodies; it is a difpofition to be attracted, which taught hard fteel to rush from its place and rivet itself on the magnet: it is the fame difpofition, which impels the light ftraw to attach itself firmly on amber; it is this quality, which gives every fubftance in nature a tendency toward another, and an inclination forcibly directed to a determinate point." These notions are vague, indeed, and unfatisfactory; but permit me to afk, whether the last paragraph of Newton's incomparable work goes much farther, and whether any fubfequent experiments have thrown light on a fubject so abflrufe and obfcure: that the fublime aftronomy

and exquifitely beautiful geometry, with which that work is illamined, fhould in any degree be approached by the mathematicians of Afia, while of all europeans, who ever lived, Archimedes alone was capable of emulating them, would be a vain expectation; but we muft fufpend our opinion of indian aftronomical knowledge, till the Surya Siddhanta fhall appear in our own language, and even then (to adopt a phrafe of Cicero) our greedy and capacious ears will by no means be fatisfied; for in order to complete an hiftorical account of genuine hindu aftronomy, we require verbal tranflations of, at least, three other fanferit books; of the treatife by Parafara, for the first age of indian fcience, of that by Varaha, with the copious comment of his very learned fon, for the middle age, and of those written by Bhafcara, for times comparatively modern. The valuable and now acceffible works of the laft mentioned philofopher, contain also an univerfal or fpecious arithmetic, with one chapter, at leaft, on geometry; nor would it furely be difficult to procure, through our feveral refidents with the Pishwa and with Scindhya, the older books on algebra, which Bhafcara mentions, and on which Mr. Davies would juftly fet a very high value; but the fanferit work, from which we might expect the most ample and important information, is entitled Chetrader fa, or a View of geometrical Knowledge, and was compiled in a very large volume, by order of the illuftrious Jayafinha, comprising all that remains on that fcience in the facred language of india: it was infpected in the weft by a pandit, now in the fervice of lieutenant Wilford, and might, I am perfuaded, at Jayanagar, where colonel Polier had permiffion from the raja to buy the four Vedas themselves. Thus have I answered, to the best of my power, the three first queftions obligingly tranfmitted to us by profeffor Playfair; whether the bindus have books in fanferit exprefsly on geometry, whether they have any fuch on arithmetic, and whether a tranflation of the Surya Siddhanta be not the great defideratum on the subject of indian aftronomy: to his three last questions, whether an accurate fummary account of all the fanferit works on that subject, a delineation of the indian celeftial fphere, with correct remarks on it, and a description of the aftronomical inftruments used by the ancient hindus, would not feverally be of great utility, we cannot but answer in the affirmative, provided that the utmoft critical fagacity were applied in diftinguishing fuch works, conftellations, and inftruments, as are clearly of indian origin, from fuch as were introduced into this country, by muffelman aftronomers from Tartary and Perfia, or in later days by mathematicians from Europe.'

Art. 12. A Difcourfe delivered at a Meeting of the Afiatic Society, on the 22d of May, 1794, by Sir John Shore, Bart., Prefident. Of this just tribute of respect, offered by the new prefident to the memory of his predeceffor, our readers will find an interefting extract, comprehending the greater part of it, in the twenty-fourth volume of the Analytical Review, page 512.

Art. 13. A Treatife on the Barometer. By F. Balfour, Efq.-This is a curious article. The refult of a series of obfervations on the barometer, made by the author, every half hour, both day and night, for a complete lunation, at Calcutta, in the month of april, 1794, was as follows:-1. That, in the interval between ten at night and fix in the morning, there exifted a prevailing tendency in the mercury

to

to fall. 2. That in the interval between fix and ten in the morning, there exifted a prevailing tendency in the mercury to rife. 3. That in the interval between ten in the morning and fix in the evening, there exifted a prevailing tendency in the mercury to fall. 4. That in the interval between fix and ten in the evening, there exifted a prevailing tendency in the mercury to rife.' As fimilar tendenses have been obferved to prevail on the oppofite fide of the globe, (fee Dr. Mofely's Treatife on Tropical Difeafes, p. 550-556) it feems fair to conclude, that fuch a law of nature exifts in certain latitudes, when confequently no correct philofophical inveftigation, or just prognoftication concerning the atmosphere, can be formed without giving it a place.

Art. 14. On the Duties of a faithful Hindu Widow. By H. Colebrooke, Efq.-Of the religious rites and ceremonies of the hindus none has excited greater or more general attention in Europe, than the practice of widows burning themselves on the funeral pile of their deceased hufbands. But our compilations, as Mr. C. informs us, and as might be expected, betray great want of judgment, information he should have said, in the selection of authorities, and contain much errour blended with truth. To obviate this, he has induftriously collected from fanferit books all the ceremonies effential to this awful rite. We are glad to find, that the martyrs of this fuperftition have never been numerous, and that now they are very rare.

Art. 15. On the Traces of the Hindu Language and Literature, extant among the Malays. By W. Marfden, Efq.-The connection between the fanfcrit and malayan languages had been noticed by fir W. J., in his ninth annual difcourfe, and now Mr. M., author of the Hiftory of Sumatra, makes it evident from the number of fanfcrit words, thoroughly incorporated in the latter, from the hindu arrangement of the letters, which the malays have adopted, but principally from the frequent allufions in their writings to the Mahab barat and the Ramayan. To this intermixture he thinks the malayan dialect is indebted for it's fuperiority over the other branches of that widely extended parent language, which prevails from Madagascar, on the one fide, to Eafter ifland, on the other, a space of full two hundred degrees of longitude.

Art. 16. A Catalogue of Indian Plants, comprehending their Sanferit, and as many of their Linnear, generic Names, as could with any degree of Precifion be ascertained. By the late Prefident.-Of about 420 plants contained in this catalogue fir W. J. was not able to identify more than one half, fo much have the pandits themfelves forgotten the ancient appellations: but as it is a matter of importance to literature and science, to all who wish to read the poets, or confult the phy ficians of India, fuch perfons we hope will feize the opportunity, ere it be for ever loft, and complete the labours of the president on this interefting fubject.

Art. 17. Botanical Obfervations on felect Indian Plants. By the late Prefident. This article has a double claim on our attention, from it's intrinfic merit, and as being the last compofition read to the Afiatic Society by it's illuftrious founder. The plants, feventy-eight in number, were felected for their novelty, beauty, poetical fame, reputed use in medicine, or supposed holinefs.' The author's great aim was to ascertain the true indian appellatives, for which investiga

tion, neither Rheede, Rumphius, nor Koenig, was fufficiently verfed in the hindu literature; and though the european botanist may be fatisfied with accurate defcriptions, yet fuch will not ferve as a key to the poetical and medical writings of the eaft; and the travelling phyfician, who fhould hunt for an indian plant in the woods, by it's botanical character, without afking for it by it's indigenous name, would resemble a geographer, who, defiring to find his way in a foreign city or province, fhould never enquire by name, for a ftreet or town, but wait with his tables and inftruments for a proper occafion to determine it's longitude and latitude.' The claffical or fanferit appellations and fynonyma, therefore, are firft given, then the names in the vulgar dialects, and laftly the linnean genera, accompanied with defcriptions from living fpecimens, when thofe of former botanifts appeared inaccurate or defective, and illuftrated by frequent references to ancient compofitions, and to fill exifting opinions. A fimilar plan, if adopted in the continuation of Dr. Roxburgh's fplendid work, would, we think, be a confiderable improvement; but for fuch a task it is not easy to find a perfon fo well qualified as fir W. J. His defcriptions, which are in english, do him no lefs credit as a difciple of Linnæus.

Art. 18. A Defcription of the Cuttub Minar. By Enfign J. T. Blunt, of the Engineers.

Art. 19. Aronomical Obfervations, made on a Voyage to the Andaman and Nicobar Iflands. By Lieutenant H. Colebrooke.

Art. 20. Aftronomical Obfervations, made on a Survey through the Carnatic and Myfore Country. By the fame.

Art. 21. Table of Latitudes and Longitudes, of fome principal Places in India, determined from aftronomical Obfervations. By Mr. Reuben Burrow. Communicated by Lieut. H. Colebrooke.

Art. 22. On fome extraordinary Facts, Customs, and Practices, of the Hindus. By the Prefident.-This is the only communication, except the above mentioned eulogium on his predeceffor, with which fir J. S. has favoured the fociety. He pleads want of leifure as his excufe; want of health alfo might, perhaps, have been added, for we are forry to understand, that on this account, he has fince been obliged to return to England. The customs here enumerated are certainly extraordinary, and more particularly fo when we confider the scene where they prevail; were they not, indeed, well authenticated from official documents, fuch inftances of gloomy fuperftition, and unbridled paffion, might be deemed utterly inconfiftent with that humanity and mildness of difpofition, fo generally afcribed to the natives of Hindoftan. The first practice, mentioned by our author, is called dherna, which may be tranflated caption or arret. It is founded on the inviolability of a brahmen, and is made use of to gain a point that cannot be obtained by any other means. • The brahmen, who adopts this expedient, proceeds to the door, or the house of the perfon, against whom it is directed, or wherever it may moft conveniently intercept him; he there fets [its] down in dherna, with poifon, or a poignard, or fome other inftrument of fuicide in his hand, and threatening to use it, if his adverfary fhould attempt to moleft or pafs him, he thus completely arrefts him. In this fituation they both remain fafting, till the inftitutor of the dherna

obtains

obtains fatisfaction. The next caftom is denominated erecting a koor, that is, a circular pile of wood, with a cow, or old woman placed on it, the whole of which is confumed together. Then follow inftances of parricide, in feveral of it's deepest degrees. It muft appear fingular, that all these were perpetrated by brahmens, and that the victims of their violence were not the objects of their refentment, but were generally facrificed with their own confent, and with a view of bringing down vengeance on the offenders. One tribe is charged with the atrocious cuftom of destroying their female progeny; and recent inftances are on record of perfons having been put to death for the fuppofed practice of forcery and witchcraft.

Art. 23. Defcription of the Yak of Tartary, called Soora-Goy, or the Bufby-tailed Bull of Thibet. By Lieutenant S. Turner. With a Plate.

Art. 24. A Defcription of the Fonefia. By Dr. Roxburgh. With a figure.

Art. 25. Aftronomical Obfervations, by W. Hunter Efq.

Art. 26. A Differtation on Semiramis, the Origin of Mecca, &c. From the Hindu facred Books. By Lieut. F. Wilford. That the mythological fictions, and metaphyfical fyftems, of ancient Greece, were derived from the eaft, has been always known and admitted by the learned, but the felicity of tracing them individually in the original fanferit was referved for our own days, and our own countrymen. The extenfive territories acquired by Britain, in the centre of Hindoftan, afford unrivalled opportunities for becoming acquainted with it's literature, and fortunately feveral gentlemen have lately embraced the propitious juncture, and leaving the fole pursuit of fordid lucre to the general herd, have devoted themselves to literary and fcientific researches. Among thefe lieutenant W. holds a diftinguished rank, and it will not be neceffary for us to add any thing refpecting the prefent article, after quoting what fir W. J., in his tenth annual difcourfe, fays of it's author, and Mr. Davies, another gentleman, well known to oriental fcholars. We may expect the most important difcoveries from two of our members; concerning whom it may be safely afferted, that if our society should have produced no other advantage than the invitation given to them for the public display of their talents, we fhould have a claim to the thanks of our country, and of all Europe.'

Art. 27. On the Andaman Ifles. By Lieut. R. H. Colebrooke.-The geographer and naturalift are confiderably obliged to lieut. C. -for his entertaining and feemingly accurate account of these ifands, which, till lately, were extremely little known. This he accounts. for from the ferocious and fanguinary difpofition of the inhabitants, a race of men the leaft civilized, perhaps, in the world,' which has made seamen prefer foundering in the main ocean, to being caft away on thefe coafts. Among the productions of the Andaman islands, two deferve particular notice: a tree, which grows to an enormous fize, one having been found to measure thirty feet in circumference, producing a very rich dye, that might be of ufe in manufactures: and the celebrated edible nefts, an article of commerce in the China market, where they are fold at a very high price.'

Art