J 904.] Announcement hy the President. 65 



Dacca, the Society will fulfil its duty under the trust better by lending 

 it for exhibition at the Hall. 



It rnay be mentioned here that other institutions, as well as private 

 persons, have been invited to contribute to the treasures to be exhibited 

 in the Memorial Hall, and have cordially responded. A full list of the 

 objects so given or lent is published by the Trustees of the Hall, 

 and three such instances may be mentioned here as lending countenance 

 (if any support be thought necessary) to the proposal which the Council 

 now lay before the members ; namely, the statues of Warren Has- 

 tings and Lord Cornwallis in the Town Hall, and the bust of Sir 

 Charles Metcalfe in the late Metcalfe Library (now the Imperial Library) 

 will be transferred to the Victoria Hall; and the fine picture of Sir 

 Elijah Impey in the High Court will be lent to the Hall. 



Before making its final decision, however, the Council took some 

 steps to ascertain the opinion of resident members, in order that 

 it might feel assured it might make the loan of the objects specified 

 with the grace that general and cordial approval would confer on the 

 loan ; and I am glad to say on behalf of the Council that the proposal 

 has obtained wide appreciation among members, while we have been 

 enabled to safeguard the just pride of the members in the Society's 

 memorials of those very distinguished men, of whom it does not 

 possess duplicate memorials. Fortunalely there are only two such cases, 

 namely, the picture of "Warren Hastings and the bust of James Prinsep ; 

 and the Council have resolved to have copies of these made. There 

 will then be the original and a copy of each, as also there are of 

 the picture of Sir Wm. Jones in middle life. As regards the picture of 

 Warren Hastings, which belongs to the '* Home Bequest," the Society 

 would be better discharging the trust it has undertaken, if the original 

 is exhibited at the Victoria Hall. As regards the other two objects 

 the Council has deferred the business of deciding whether the original 

 or the copy should be lent to the Hall, till the copies are obtained ; 

 though I may perhaps add that it appears to be generally held, that 

 only the originals could be lent consistently with a due appreciation of 

 the Memorial Scheme and the Society's share in it, 



I have now therefore to report on behalf of the Council to the mem- 

 bers, that the Council has resolved to contribute the objects which I have 

 mentioned, in order that they may be lent to the Victoria Memorial 

 Hall for an indefinite period for public exhibition there. 



It will be understood from what has been mentioned of the Society's 

 history, that the Council's present resolution does not involve any 

 revolutionary, nor even any novel, idea ; indeed it falls far short of the 

 proposal which the Society itself advocated and pressed on the Govern 



