February, 1909.] Annual Address. XXXi 
on the Mimansa Philosophy. As regards the Arabic and Persian 
manuscripts it is of the utmost importance that the works now 
collected should be carefully catalogued and described. This 
task will be speedily undertaken, as the grant has been revived 
for a further period of five years. It is, however, a matter of 
regret that we have not been able to make satisfactory arrange- 
ments for the search of Bardic chronicles, and every distinguished 
scholar who is really competent to undertake the work has foun 
himself preoccupied and unable to assist us in this important 
investigation, which, it is confidently believed, will tend to 
throw considerable light upon medieval Indian history, manners 
and customs. 
I feel that any address delivered on the present occasion 
would be rightly open to criticism and liable to the charge of in- 
completeness, if it contained no reference to the celebration of 
our 125th anniversary on the 15th of January last. The brilliant 
spectacle which was presented on that occasion is so recent and 
so fresh in the memory of all of us that a detailed description of 
that striking scene must be deemed superfluous. esire, how 
ever, to make a public acknowledgment of my personal grati- 
tude to all who assisted us on that memorable occasion, and to 
convey to them the thanks of the society. I trust it will be 
this period, and as I have always been an assiduous student of 
the contributions of our members—at least of such contributions 
as have been within the scope of my comprehension and have 
appealed to my imagination—I think I can, without much diffi- 
culty, recall to mind the most striking of the work which has been 
one by our contributors during the last quarter of a century. 
In the domain of Philology, Antiquities and Indian History 
I can recall the work of Dr. Hoernle on the Bower and Weber 
manuscripts, which has been truly of an epoch-making character 
throwing a flood of light on the extent and the character of 
ancient Indian civilization. I can also recall to mind important 
