110 Brafh of Mr B. H. Iloihjson. [AuG. 



The following obituary notice was read by Dr. A. F. Rudolf 

 Hoei'nle * : — 



In Brian Hougliton Hodgson the Society lias to deplore the loss of 

 one of its oldest and most distinguished members. He joined the 

 Society on the 24th April, 1833, as an Ordinary Member, and on the 

 6th July, 1858, he was elected an Honorary Member. He was, probably, 

 the largest contributor that the Society ever possessed. The papers 

 published by him in the " Society's Asiatic Researches" and " Journal " 

 amount to a total of 112 ; besides, he made large donations of exceedingly 

 valuable manuscripts and specimens of Natural History. In fact, 

 the progress of the Society during the whole period of his residence 

 in India, was intimately connected with him, and the Society showed 

 its appreciation of his services by voting him a bust on the eve of 

 his departure from India, on the 6th February, 1 844. He first came out 

 to India in 1818, " the year of Warren Hastings' death ; his term of 

 service was finished before Lord Hardinge became Governor-General, 

 and he survived into Viceroyalty of the second Earl of Elgin, dying 

 on the 23rd May of this year, in the ninety-fifth year of his age. Almos* 

 all his period of public work was spent in Nepal, where he was 

 appointed Secretary in 1820, and Resident in 1831." There, "by his 

 profound knowledge of the people, their country, language, and religion 

 he succeeded in making the British name not only feared but i-espected." 

 In 1843 he resigned the service, and returned home. Two years after- 

 wards, however, he came back to India, where he settled at Darjeeling 

 to continue his researches, till 1858, when he finally retired to 

 England. 



Brian Hodgson's chief merit lies in having utilised, with ex- 

 traordinary zeal and industry, the unique opportunities which he enjoyed 

 for the collecting of materials that helped to advance our knowledge of 

 India in the widest sense. Nor was his interest in things Indian 

 limited to any one department of science. Most of our knowledge of 

 Nepal we still owe to him. Though he was not allowed to explore 

 that country himself, — any more than Europeans are to this day, — yet 

 " by his personal infliience with the governing class, by interviewing all 

 strangers who visited the Court and sacred places of Nepal, and by 

 sending out native collectors in every direction, he was able to accumu- 

 late an immense store of trustworthy information aboiat the people and 

 the country. The results are to be found partly in the numerous papers 

 which he contributed to this Society ; but still more in the invaluable 

 collections of manuscripts, and specimens of Natural Hisioiy with which 



* See also an obituary notice by J. S. C. in The Academy, June 2, 1894. 



