1884.] Letter from Professor Hceckel. 85 



qui a ete l'ancetre et qui est restee le modele de toutes les autres Societ£s 

 Orientales. Je vous prie de croire, Mousieur le President, que je suis 

 profondement penetre de ce sentiment. 



Veuillez, je vous prie, Monsieur le President, agreer l'expression 

 de ma gratitude sincere et de mes sentiments bien respectueux. 



Emile Senart. 



Prof. Ernst Hseckel writes : 



" The Asiatic Society of Bengal has been pleased to render to me an 

 extraordinary and most valuable honour, in conferring on me the degree of 

 a Centenary Honorary Member of the Society. Amongst a great number 

 of honorary distinctions, which have been conferred upon me during 

 thirty years of scientific labour, I esteem this peculiar honour as one 

 of the highest, and I hasten to express for it my most deep and sincere 

 thanks. My pleasure in it has been so much the greater, as this distinction 

 comes from the most distinct scientific body in Asia, in which I admire the 

 highest development of Anglo-Saxon energy and scientific industry under 

 the difficulties of tropical life. 



" I regret very much, that during my stay in Ceylon I was pre- 

 vented from performing my intended voyage to Calcutta, and enjoying the 

 numerous interesting and instructive means of science which the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal there would have offered me. The greater 

 is my satisfaction, that I am now able, to enter into a most valuable 

 scientific connection with it." 



Prof. Sayce writes : 



" I must beg you to convey to the Asiatic Society of Bengal my sense 

 of the great honour I have received in being elected an Honorary Mem- 

 ber of so distinguished a body." 



The Secretary read a letter from Mr. Cecil Bendall of the British 

 Museum, of which the following is an extract : 



" I beg to acknowledge the receipt of Vol. VI, Pt. II of Dr. Rajendra- 

 lala Mitra's " Notices of Sanskrit MSS." accompanied by a letter from 

 you, stating that further numbers will be supplied. I request you to 

 tender my very hearty acknowledgments to all those to whom I may be 

 indebted for this unexpected, but most acceptable, present. 



" I take this opportunity of calling your attention to a statement con- 

 tained in the volume just named, at pages 5 and 13 of the appended 

 report addressed to yourself. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra there says, ' The 

 task [of publishing facsimiles of old MSS.] is now formally taken up by 

 the Palaaographical Society of London and the artistic resources of 

 London enable that Society to publish such excellent facsimiles, that I 

 have not thought it expedient to follow my plan to the extent originally 

 contemplated...' 



