I I.' Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 



this footing till2t>th January last, when ii appeared that the Government 

 had sanctioned what could be regarded neither more nor less than the 

 restitution of our salary, at the same time placing funds for the purpose 

 at the disposal of the Society. Conceiving that the stipulations insisted 

 on by the Society would only have the effect of rendering the office of 

 Curator a dead letter, as far as the objects of the Government, and the 

 interests of science are concerned, we declined to comply with them. 

 We give the report as we received it. 



S T E T MONUMENTUH ! 



To Dr. J. M ' Clelland. 



We beg leave to inclose for your perusal the Report of the Com- 

 mittee of Papers of the Asiatic Society regarding the duties of the office 

 of Curator to the Museum. 



The Report is based on the resolutions of the last Meeting, as set 

 forth in paragraph No. 2. 



We will be obliged by your communicating to us your decision as to 

 accepting or declining the appointment. 



17 t/i February, 1840. Officiating Secretaries Asiatic Society. 



That the office of Curator to the Society's Museum be held in future 

 on the following conditions. 1st. Two hours at least to be devoted daily 

 to the duties of the Museum. 2nd. Monthly Reports to be made to 

 the Committee of Papers. 3rd. The objects of Natural History belong- 

 ing to the Society's collection not to be removed from the Museum. 

 It was further decided that the Committee of Papers should report to 

 the next Meeting on the nature and extent of the duties the Curator is 

 to undertake, with reference to the office as held in other Museums. 



The Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal may be considered to 

 embrace two very distinct departments. 1st. That of Oriental Anti- 

 quities. Literature. Architecture, and Numismatics. 2nd. That of Natu- 

 ral History. 



It would be of great importance to secure, were it possible, the ser- 

 vices of a Curator conversant with both these divisions, but such a 

 combination of acquirements is so rare, that the Society must trust the 

 arrangement, elucidation, and preservation of the articles appertaining 

 to the first division to the honorary services of the " Oriental" Secre- 

 tary, the Librarian, and Pundits. 



In the department of Natural History, it should be borne in mind 

 that the Curator's great object should be to arrange and extend the 

 Society's collections, so as to make these available for the information of 

 the Student, conducive to the general illustration and advancement of 

 Science, and worthy of the place the Society holds among learned insti- 

 tutions. Viewed in this light, it is of far more importance to the Society-. 



