184 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI. 



" The Government of Bombay state in the resolution that they can see their 

 way to 2% lakhs towards the erection of a museum, but they do not say that 

 they are prepared to meet the heavy recurrent expenditure which would be 

 necessary to provide for the requirements of a scientific museum staff. To 

 ascertain what these expenses would amount to we can only refer you to the 

 report of the Calcutta Museum for 1902, in which the working expenses 

 considerably exceeded half a lakh per annum, irrespective of the gazetted 

 salaries. 



" The erection of a building that would be suitable for a museum, as well as 

 a public library (see Government Resolution) on a conspicuous site in Bombay 

 would cost, we should think, three or four times the amount mentioned in the 

 resolution. 



" The Bombay Natural History Society, which consists of about 900 

 members throughout India, Burma, and Ceylon, possesses very valuable collec- 

 tions gathered from the whole of the Oriental region, but they are essentially 

 working collections and are not suitable for public exhibition, the object of the 

 Society being in the direction of research rather than display, as is shown by 

 the character of its publications. 



" We note that it is intended to restrict the collections in the proposed 

 museum to the area of the Bombay Presidency, but if it is the intention of the 

 Government to undertake scientific research in all branches of local natural 

 history, this Society will be in a position to render material assistance, and will, 

 we need hardly say, be willing to do so." 



A PRINCELY OFFER. 



The Honorary Secretary stated that His Highness the Rao Saheb of Cutch 

 had offered to subscribe Rs. 1,000 a year, for three years, to this Society, if 

 it could see its way to engage an expert from Europe to make a marine zoological 

 survey of the Bombay Coast, including the Gulf of Cambay and the Runn of 

 Cutch. The cost of such an undertaking would, it was thought, amount to 

 about Rs. 92,000, or, say, Rs. 7,500 a year, for a period of three years, and the 

 task was consequently beyond the powers of this Society unless generous support 

 such as that offered by H. H. the Rao of Cutch, were forthcoming from 

 others. The Committee of the Society had already addressed letters pointing 

 out the advantages of such a survey to all the States which possess a sea 

 frontier on the Kathiawar and Konkan Coasts. 



GOVERNMENT GRANT, 



The Honorary Secretary stated that the Government of Bombay had made 

 a grant of Rs. 2,500 to the Society for the present year, and that they had 

 been good enough to promise to continue the grant (provided funds were 

 available) so long as the Society continued to publish the results of its investiga- 

 tions and researches on subjects of public utility. 



A vote of thanks was passed to the Government of Bombay for its 

 assistance. 



