1833.] Asiatic Society. 323 
X.—Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 
Wednesday Evening, 26th June, 1833. 
The Hon’ble Sir Epwarp Ryan, President, in the Chair. 
The proceedings of the last meeting were read. 
Mr. C. E. Trevetyan and Mr. E. J. Ravensuaw, proposed at the last 
meeting, were elected Members of the Society. 
The Secretary submitted the following Report of the Committee appoint- 
ed on the 27th March, for determining the best mode of continuing the 
publication of the Asiatic Researches. 
Report of a Special Committee appointed on the 27th March, 1833, to consider the 
best mode of publishing the future volumes of the Asiatic Researches. 
The statement which Baboo Ram Comut Sgn, the native Secretary, submitted 
to the Society, at the Meeting of the 27th March, 1833, and which led to our ap- 
pointment as a Special Committee, was calculated to discourage the printing of the 
Society’s Researches altogether, by shewing that they had been unsuccessful in a 
pecuniary point of view, and had absorbed in the course of many years a large por- 
tion of the Society’s funds. To this argument we cannot on the fullest considera- 
tion give our assent. The reputation of the Society, its,character, nay indeed its 
very existence depends upon the publication of its Researches, and this is the chief 
object of the contributions of its members. Neither can we coincide with the 
Baboo in recommending, that the Transactions, if printed at all, should be printed 
in England. The expence will now be nearly the same in both countries ; but the 
convenience of reference to authors, and of supplying matter for the current volume ; 
and of arranging the papers while in the press, are fully sufficient motives for giving 
a preference to printing in India: and the pride of a national and independent ex- 
istence should still further determine us to this course ; the moment we transfer 
the printing of our Researches to England, we commit an act of felo de se, and 
merge at once into the subordinate character of a branch of the London Asiatic 
sostety as has been the fate of the Literary Societies of the two sister presi- 
encies. 
With regard to our present means of maintaining the publication of our Re- 
searches, we may state, that the present income of the Society is Sa. Rs. 400 per 
mensem: out of which at least 100 rupees may be set apart to cover printing ex- 
pences, and this in the three years usually devoted to each volume will be ample 
for plates as well as letter-press. But as every measure of economy is called for, 
under existing circumstances, we strongly recommend that the octavo form be 
substituted for the quarto volume. 
It will be remembered, that an octavo edition of the first twelve volumes has al- 
ready been published in England, and this has probably found a more extensive 
circulation among the public than the badly printed volumes of the Calcutta edi- 
tion. The new series therefore will fall in very well with the English edition, and 
be the cause of an increased sale. It is possible that some English Bookseller may 
undertake to reprint the intermediate volumes, 13 to 18, in octavo, to complete the 
series. 
We concur in opinion, that the Medical Society should be called upon to contri- 
bute to our funds, for the use of that portion of our apartments permanently occu- 
pied by their Library, &c. and we recommend that an application be addressed to 
them to that effect. 
It has been suggested by one of our Members that we should make the Museum 
a source of incgme, by charging for the admission of strangers to inspect it: but 
the majority of us deprecate the principle of such a charge, as tending to close the 
doors of knowledge to many who may be least able, though most willing, to seek 
it in our Library and Museum. 
We are inclined however to approve of the suggestion of another Member, that 
a composition for the quarterly subscriptions should be allowed. The amount of 
composition at the Royal Society is fixed at 50 guineas, or ten years’ subscription. 
