24 MEMOIR OF 



Literary Society have solicited that I should take 

 that institution under the protection of government, 

 I trust that by uniting our efforts with those of the 

 Asiatic Society in Bengal, very considerable light 

 may be shortly thrown on science and general know- 

 ledge. The numerous remains of Brahminical struc- 

 tures in every part of the island, prove beyond a 

 doubt, that a colony of Hindus settled on this island 

 about the first century of the Christian era ; and 

 the materials of which they are constructed, induce 

 the belief that this colony must have emigrated from 

 the Coromandel coast. The beauty and purity of 

 these structures are entirely divested of that redun- 

 dancy of awkward and uncouth ornaments and sym- 

 ools which are found in India." His time was thus 

 constantly occupied either in official employments or 

 literary researches. In the latter he was assisted by 

 the talents of Dr Horsfield, and together they ac- 

 complished one of the most important measures for 

 promoting their researches, the re-establishrnent of 

 the Society of Arts at Batavia, of which Mr Raffles 

 was appointed president. This had been the first 

 Eastern Literary Society established by Europeans, 

 and under his fostering care it revived, and was of 

 much consequence to the history of these countries, 

 during the few short years which they remained 

 under the sway of the British arms, and the superin- 

 tendence of an active and enlightened governor. 



A short notice of the rise of a society of such 

 consequence in the East, arid so intimately connect- 



