28 General Meeting for February, 1904!. [Feb. 



European and Armenian names demand investigation for the same rea- 

 son. For all I know some one may have done this already; but the 

 results are hidden away in forgotten papers of this Society and are not 

 readily accessible. We want in fact some one to do for Calcutta in a 

 systematic fashion what Sir Walter Besant did for London — to tell the 

 story of its growth and development. If the facts are once cleared up 

 you will find that plenty of romance goes with them. 



I said above, and I fancy that no one will disagree with me, 

 that in matters of scholarship the centre of authority has now been 

 shifted to Europe. But mere scholarship is not every thing. It is 

 only a means to the higher end of reconstructing the life of the past. 

 In working towards this end students of the East have the great advan- 

 tage that the present is the past or at any rate is so full of survivals of 

 the past that it forms the only instructive commentary on the written 

 record. Here it seems to me is the most promising field for the future 

 researches of our Society. Let us admit that we are no longer supreme 

 in scholarship, but let us endeavour to ascertain and analyse the actual 

 facts of the present day — the customs, beliefs, superstitions and ritual 

 that have descended without material alteration from very remote times. 

 This may enable us to supplement and often to correct the conclusions 

 of European scholars, to add colour to their descriptions, to reconstruct 

 life in India as it was in the time of Buddha or perhaps even before 

 Buddha and, as I ventured to suggest here five years ago, to elucidate 

 not only Indian literature, but also those features in the life of the 

 Greeks and Romans, which form part of the common heritage of the 

 Aryans. If we attempt this, however, imperfectly we shall find for our 

 selves ample and attractive occupation and we shall be doing useful 

 work which no one else can do so well. 



The Chairman announced that the Scrutineers reported the result 

 of the election of Officers and Members of Council to be as follows: — 



President. 



The Hon'ble Mr. Justice F. E. Pargiter, B.A., I.C.S. 



Vice-Presidents. 



The Hon'ble Asutosh Mukhopadhyaya, M.A., D.L., F.R.S.E. 

 Major D. Prain, M.A., M.B., LL.D. 

 T. H. Holland, Esq., F.G.S., A.R.O.S. 



/Secretary and Treasurer, 



Honorary General Secretary: — J. Macfarlane, Esq. 

 Treasurer:— 0. R. Wilson, Esq., M.A., D. Litt, 



