The return of oil from a naree of safflower seeds, if good, is 1 or 1 seer but sometimes they yield nothing. The price of seed is 1 R. 11 As. per mun and oil 20 Rs. per mun.} There is no demand in the town for cocoa-nut oil. The nuts are nets to the press across the desert from Jeysulmeer chiefly by the Rajah of that principality and are worth 18 Rs. the mun. If good, they yield half their weight of oil; the average return is one-third or a half. (To be continued.) Report of the Curator (HENRY PIDDINGTON Esq.) of the Society's Museum for May. For the month of May, I have to report as follows:-Geological, Minerological, and Palcontological Departments. We continue to catalogue and arrange in these departments. I have been able, by the kindness of Mr. Prinsep, to recover three more of Dr. Voysey's note books amongst the papers of Mr. J. Prinsep, making in all 5 books of notes, from which I trust we shall be able to extract much valuable information relative to our collections; and it is only thus, by collecting slowly, putting together piece by piece, and collecting all with the series of specimens, that we shall be able to establish any thing like order, I regret deeply to state that I can obtain no trace of Captain Herbert's catalogue of his Himalaya specimens. Ornithological and Mammalogical, &c.-Nothing new. Osteological. We have been able to acquire here two Samurs and a Neelghye for the trifling sum of 78 Rs.; both are desiderate in our collection. The Neelghye is killed for the purpose of obtaining its skeleton. Botanical.-I have been fortunate enough to discover a box of Himalaya mosses, sent down from Simla in 1838, by Mrs. Siddons. Upon testing these, I find that, of 18 sorts, at least a dozen give very fine, and some of them brilliant colours (crimsons and crimson browns), so that they are thus of themselves of much promise as dying lichens; and will I hope give rise to a spirit of enquiry to this hitherto neglected branch of the resources of India; specimens of the lichens and a box of the test liquors are on the table. I have embodied my remarks in a paper for the Journal, of which spare copies are also available, and now on the table. I beg to suggest its early communication to the Agricultural Society, with a set of specimens for their information. Museum of Economic Geology.-From not being able yet to procure our cases from the native mistry we have not been able to finish our arrangements. We have obtained several valuable additions to this department, which I notice in the donation, amongst which are an excellent series, from the iron ore of Burdwan to the forged metal, by Mr. Wm. Prinsep; American lead ores from Mr. Tregear, with ores and specimens of various kinds from Ajmeer, by Captain Thoresby, and the Nizam's territory from D. Walker (M.A.). A very valuable, though not a showy contribution, is one of a specimen of fire-brick from Futtyghur; presented by Dr. Angus on the part of Dr. Hunter. We have been able to make a very interesting discovery in this department. In some soils brought from Chedooba by Captain Halstead of H.M.S. Childers,' and referred to me for reporting upon, I recognised one resembling the curious SeaIsland Cotton soil of Georgia, which looks like a mixture of sand and charcoal (specimens of both are upon the table.) Upon a careful analysis they prove to be identically the same, and a special report has been made on the subject to Government. It is highly satisfactory, that, almost at its very outset, the Museum of Economic Geology should thus have given the most practical proof possible of its utility, by doing full justice to this valuable discovery of Captain Halstead's; for I need not remark that this soil was hitherto considered unique in the world, and thus was supposed to give the Americans a natural monopoly of the production of Sea-Island Cotton. We now know that it exist in a country where cotton is a regular crop ; and almost at our doors! The additions to the Museum during the present month have been as follows: Conchology.-A shell called by the Chi nese Shew-cha from Chu Captain Rankin, Beng. Vols. Purchased. W. Prinsep, Esq. Curator. specimens of Himalaya Lichens in the Society's collection, Museum of Economic Geology.-Soils and minerals from Che->From Goverment dooba, .... Fire-brick from Futtyghur,. Dr. Hunter. Ore, flux, slag and manufac tured iron; from the Burd-W. Prinsep, Esq. wan Iron-mines,.. ..... Lead ores, from the Grossic mine, United States, **** } V. Tregear, Esq. Copper and other ores and Museum, 1st June, 1841. Captain Thoresby, J. Walker, Esq. NOTE.-I insert this report in this No. with reference to a further notice on Chedooba soils which will appear in No. 114, and to which the above remarks are inductive. B JOURNAL OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY. Report on the Island of Chedooba.-BY EDWARD P. HALSTEAD, ESQ. Commander of her Majesty's Sloop 'Childers.' (Continued from page 377.) DIVISION V. Manners and Customs, Education, Language, and Religion. The population of Chedooba is, with few, and trifling exceptions, entirely Mug, and from their isolated position, its inhabitants afford perhaps a truer exhibition of the character of these people than their brethren of the main land, or of Ramree, whose intercourse with their fellow subjects of different parts of the Peninsula, has by no means been attended with benefit to their original and national character. The Mugs of Chedooba, are a simple, moral, and inoffensive race, of frank open manner, cheer. ful, and forgiving disposition; exhibiting much independence of feeling, the consequence of a thorough contentment with their lot; respectful to their superiors, though perfect strangers to the crouching servility of the Hindoo; throughout their character, exhibiting those traits, which are most readily appreciated, and admired by ourselves, some which might even be copied with advantage, and which, if duly fostered and encouraged, offer with his freedom from all the obstacles of caste a ground work whereon to elevate the Mug high, if not the highest, in all the benefits of European civilization of all the natives of the East, subjected to our rule, from whom in almost every point of character, as in appearance he differs most widely; in the last particular less to his advantage, than in the No. 114, NEW SERIES, No. 27. 3 G |