xlvi Vice-President’s Address. [February, 1911. 
the rapidity with which manuscripts in the climate of this 
country are destroyed, renders it the imperative duty of the 
State to take early and adequate steps for their rescue and 
preservation. Ihave never concealed my opinion that the 
sums annually placed at our disposal are by no means adequate 
to meet the exigencies of the situation. The report of the pro- 
gress of the search during the last year in its two departments, 
under the respective direction of M. M. Haraprasad Sastri and 
Dr. Denison Ross, will satisfy the most superficial reader that 
the limited means under our control have been judiciously and 
effectively applied. In the field of Sanskrit literature, we have 
been able to secure manuscripts from 800 to 1000 years old, while 
six-hundred and twenty-five manuscripts have been examined 
with a view to acquisition, but, for want of funds, have not yet 
been purchased. Similarly, in the Arabic and Persian Depart- 
ment, though several valuable manuscripts were secured, not- 
ably a commentary on the well-known Arabic work Safia, our 
operations were considerably restricted on account of want of 
funds. We have also a faint indication of the valuable and 
hitherto unutilized materials for the history of ancient and 
mediaeval India which may be available if a vigorous search is 
instituted in the Rajput States, and among others it may yet 
be possible to recover the celebrated work Prithiraj Rasau in 
its pristine purity. I trust I may be permitted without impro- 
priety to dwell upon the circumstance that the onerous work 
which is done by distinguished scholars in aid of the search for 
these manuscripts is entirely honorary, and their labours have 
never been remunerated from private funds or public revenues ; 
this, I venture to think, substantially strengthens our claim 
upon the Government for additional funds to expedite the 
search and thus rescue from destruction materials for future 
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