30 Ammnl Addreas. [FkB. 



when they found themselves being slain by arrows shot from the dais 

 did not simply go out of the door and thns baulk Ulysses of his revenge, 

 A glance at the strncfcure of a large native honse settles this and other 

 minor difficulties and makes it clear tliat what is called the dais wiis 

 at the entrance of the hall, tliat the suitors were hopelessly trapped, 

 and that the poet had before him a vivid and consistent picture of the 

 scene which he describes — not the tissue of complicated improbabilities 

 which some of his critics have vainly imagined. I have said enough to 

 indicate a line of thought which seems to piomise interesting results. 

 It is perhaps not too much to hope that we may look for help in this 

 direction from the successful headmaster and accomplished scholar 

 who has now cast in his lot with the East. 



We have the rare privilege of welcoming in person here this 

 evening Lord Curzon of Kedleston the last on a long roll of distin- 

 guished Patrons of this Society the first being Warren Hastings whose 

 picture, side by side with that of Sir William Jones the first President, 

 faces His Excellency this evening. Lord Curzon comes to us with an 

 established reputation in science and literature and he has already 

 done us a service which I trust will serve to extend the usefulness of the 

 Society and will bring us into closer touch with scientific research 

 throughout the world. He has personally interested himself in a 

 superb scheme, initiated by the Royal Society and carried on by them 

 for many years from their own resources, for drawing up and publish- 

 ing an Index of scientific papers, so that any one who is working at a 

 particular branch of science shall be able to ascertain from the Index 

 everything that has been written on the subject with which he is con- 

 cerned. It is proposed now to reconstitute the Index on an Interna- 

 tional basis and in an improved form with effect from the year ]900 and 

 to entrust to this Society the Indian section of the work with, I may 

 add, what seems to Mr. Pedler and myself an adequate measure of 

 assistance from the Government of India. We trust that our action in 

 this matter will meet with the approval of the Council and I am sure 

 that you will join with me in the hope that under the auspices of our 

 new Patron we shall enter upon an era of wider influence and increased 

 activity. 



At the request of the President, Prof. C. Bendall made the fol- 

 lowing remarks on the results of his recent journey to Nepal in search 

 of Sanskrit Manuscripts and Inscriptions : — 



" Your Excellency, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I feel it 

 a quite unusual and special honour to be allowed to say a few words this 

 evening as to my recent visit to Nepal. Most of my hearers have some 



