Saman is about 2 miles west of Soj, on a mound, with a jheel, and is entirely built in the said mound. It is the residence of Kullyan Sing, agent for the Rajah of Mynpoorie, and might repay a visit.

Proceeding still further west, we came to Kishní, on the metalled road from Futtyghur to Etawah. Here was one large mound covered with buildings in occupation, and so nearly inaccessible archæologically; and a smaller mound from which I was told large square bricks were excavated. I found here a heap of broken Hindoo deities, but not a trace of Buddhist remains.

Near Kúrhul I also saw a round mound from which they said large bricks were taken, but neither at Kishní nor at Kúrhal did I see an ancient brick either lying about or built into any structure.

The oldest coins I could get were some copper ones of the Delhi kings, but I have no doubt but that Hindoo punch coins.are sometimes found. This line of country is worth carefully exploring, and as a road from Kurhal to Kishní is in course of construction, others will find it an easier matter than I did.

Notes on the Carvings on the Buddhist Rail-posts at Budh Gaya. By C. HORNE, Esq. C. S.

In submitting to the Society the accompanying drawings of the more remarkable of the carvings on the Buddhist rail-posts at Budh Gayá, some from the court-yard of the mahant, but chiefly from the little temple by the tower, I would beg to draw attention to some

of them

PLATE, No. IV. Firstly.-The boat scene, almost identical with the one figured by Cunningham in the Bhilsa Topes.

Secondly.-The rest of the upper portion is of the same sheet, all of them copies, doubtless of Buddhist rails, pillars, and buildings. Here we find the round and pointed arch, but this argues nothing, when we remember that there were imitations of wood work and of thatch and bamboos as in the cave of the rock temples of Barabur close by.

Thirdly. The central compartments are curious, but need little remark. At first I took them for astronomical emblems as signs of the zodiac, but I do not think they are.

Fourthly. The lower ornament is nearly the same in all.

Memo.-Although drawn one over the other-it does not follow that the identical three were upon one and the same rail-post.

PLATE NO. V.-The figure shewn as No. 2, to the left, is rather unusual. It wants all the refinement of Buddha, and does not, I think, represent him. There is another such figure let into the wall, as you enter the lower room in the great tower on the right hand, inside the doorway. The fifth sketch puzzled me. It is perhaps intended to represent a good trick. To the extreme left is, what I believe to be, the only remnant yet found in Benares of a Buddhist rail. It is much defaced, and obliterated with dirt and ghee, and stands nearly opposite to the door of the golden temple on the left hand of the street.

The demon face to the extreme left of the centre one much resembles the Sarnath demon face; whilst the cornice is very bold, free, and handsome. The single demon face inside the brick tower, left, above the floor of the highest chamber, must have been built in, when the tower was built, and I should not assign any great age to it.

The portion of the Singhásan or idol shrine drawn nearly to scale, and which shews the holes into which were set the fastenings of the metal covering, is very curious. It exactly corresponds in style to the whole of the exterior plaistering of the great tower, and in the event of the arches having been declared to be coeval with the tower, I must amend my former opinion, and would hold that the tower was rebuilt, interiorly arched, and wholly plaistered at or about 500 A. D.— the date of Amara Sinha, when the original Buddhist railing included both the Bo tree and the tower.

In conclusion, I may remark, that although my drawings are very defective, yet the original carvings are very rude, and clearly betoken their early execution.

The Pegu Pagoda.-By Capt. H. A. BROWNE, Deputy Commissioner of Rangoon.

[Received Nov. 28th, 1866. Read 5th Dec. 1866.]

Every ancient Pagoda in Burmah has its Thamaing or "sacred chronicle," giving an account of the relics or quasi-relics which it was built to enshrine, the names of the kings, rulers or other distinguished personages by whom it was erected or has since been repaired or embellished, in short its history from its foundation down to a recent time. The commencement of those chronicles is of a more or less mythical character; the founding of each particular pagoda being connected, if possible, by its historian with some event in the life of Gandama, who is fabled to have visited these regions after he became a Buddha. Some gleams of real history may be detected even in the mythical portions of the narratives, but later on the chronicles are frathful contributions to the history of the period. To disunite some of these from the obscurity of the Hpoongyee's book-chests, and give a compendious description of their contents, will not be an uninteresting task, and the results may be useful to the author who will some day write "The History of Burmah," as well as interesting to the general reader.

One of the most ancient and famous among the Pagodas of Burmah

is the graceful structure known as the Shwe Hmawdaw Scos cc

Ꮳ

at the town called, by Europeans, Pegu, and by Burmans, Pago :

or Paigoo ပဲကူး, but formerly known as Hanthawadie ပဟံသာဝတိ,

which, since the decline of Thatoon 2 twelve centuries ago, has been the capital of the Talaing nationality.

Hanthawadie is derived from the "Hantha" (Goose or Brahminee Duck), the national bird of the Talaings. Concerning the manner in which this bird came to be selected by the Talaings as their emblem, Pago" appears to be of Burmese not Talaing derivation. It is or Beau-thief, from some old legend

The name 66 said to be a corruption of " Paikho"

connected with the place.

ပဲပိုး

The name of the pagoda "Hmawdaw" is a corruption of the Talaing Hpot-daw which is interpreted in Burmese as Bhoorabyan," a flying Bhoora.

"winged" or

the following fable is narrated. When Gaudama, in the eighth year after he became a Buddha, was on a preaching tour in these parts, he passed by the hill on which Hanthawadie was afterwards built, and there seeing two "Hanthas," which with joined wings paid him obeisance, he foretold that 1116 years after his death, there would be built on that spot a town which would become the capital of a race of monarchs and an important city. As he foretold, so it came to pass. On this site, which is just outside the eastern wall of the present town, the original founders of the Talaing kingdom of Pegu, Thamala and Wiemala, built the old city of Hanthawadie, about 573 A. D. The district, which took its name from the capital town, contained at its most floursihing period 32 cities or townships, and included the eastern half of the present district of Rangoon, with parts of Toungoo and Shwegyeen. The following are the names of the thirty-two cities.

1. Dengmai; 2. Zarayboon; 3. Hmawbyo; 4. Lagwonbyeng; 5. Akharaing; 6. Ma-oo; 7. Ramanago; 8. Ramawatie; 9. Hmawbee; 10. Hlaing; 11. Hpoungleng; 12. Htandawgyee; 13.. Deedwot; 14. Zeta; 15. Zoungdoo; 16. Hpa-aing; 17. Merengzaya 18. Tagnabhoung; 19. Meng-raihla; 20. Kawlieya; 21. Zainganaing.

The whole of these twenty-one townships are within the limits of the present district of Rangoon, and the names may all, with the exception of Nos. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 16, 18 and 19, be found in the Map of Pegu. Those which are not now traceable among the existing towns or divisions of the district, were situated as follows: No. 1. Dengmai, on the bank of the Sittang river, south east from Pegu. No. 2. Zarayboon, now known as Zwaiboon, in the same neighbourhood. No. 3. Hmawbyo, doubtful. No. 6. Ma-00, part of Akharaing. No. 7. Ramanago, the present town of Rangoon. No. 8. Ramawatie, the country round the present town of Rangoon. No. 13, Deedwot, north of Pegu. No. 14, Zeta, north of Pegu. No 16, Hpa-aing, on the bank of the Irrawady, opposite to Danoobyoo. This division existed up to the annexation of Pegu, when the circle of Hpa-aing was amalgamated with that of Tagay. No. 18, Tagnabhoung, between Hmawbee and Hlaing. No. 19, Mengrai-hla, next to Tagnabhoung.

The following are the cities which lie within the limits of the present district of Shwegyeen. No. 22, Koukmaw; No. 23, Ban-myo; No. 24, Doontsaran; No. 25, Kyeekya; No. 26, Tsittoung (Sittang); No. 27, Atha; No. 28, Ywongzaleng; and the remainder which are in the district of Toungoo, are-No. 29, Toonkhan, No. 30, Rainwari, No. 31, Baingta, No. 32, Wenghpyaing.

Below is a table shewing the names of the kings by whom these towns were founded and the dates assigned to the reigns of the kings. Name of King.

Name of City.

Date of Reign.