496 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Junk, 



2. The Right Honorable the Governor General of India in Council fully admits 

 that the public of Europe and of Asia have incurred a heavy debt of gratitude to the 

 Society for the persevering and successful efforts it has made for more than half a 

 century to developethe literary resources of Asia, and to ascertain and collect objects 

 of scientific and antiquarian interest. His Lordship in Council feels also, that al- 

 though the publication of these results, through the Researches of the Society and in 

 other works of wide circulation, has contributed largely to the advancement of general 

 science, and has given to the labours of its members all the utility that such diffusion 

 could impart, still, without a museum and library in which the products of art and 

 nature, and especially coins and other interesting remains of antiquity, might be 

 collected for the personal examination of the more curious ; one important means 

 of deriving benefit from those labours must still be wanting. 



3. His Lordship in Council is further sensible that the expense of establishing 

 such a museum, with its necessary adjuncts, cannot be expected in this country to 

 be met by voluntary contributions from the limited number of persons who take an 

 interest in such pursuits ; and therefore, although the Society has already done 

 much towards preparing the ground for such an establishment, that it cannot be 

 maintained in the creditable and useful condition necessary for the attainment of the 

 objects desired, unless aided liberally by the Government, in like manner as similar 

 institutions in Europe are supported from the public treasury. 



4. But although his Lordship in Council acknowledges all these claims on the 

 liberality of Government, he yet feels precluded from giving his immediate sanction 

 to the specific annual grant solicited by the Asiatic Society in this instance, without 

 previous reference to the Honorable the Court of Directors, to whom however it is 

 his intention, in forwarding your representation, to submit a strong recommendation 

 in its favor. 



5. There are many circumstances which induce the Governor General in Council 

 to consider that the proposition submitted on this occasion is peculiarly one to be 

 decided by the home authorities, rather than by the Local Government. In the 

 first place, the Honorable Court of Directors are themselves at considerable expense 

 in keeping up a museum and library at the India house, and though his Lordship in 

 Council concurs with you in thinking that such institutions in Europe, however 

 perfect, do not supercede the necessity of providing similar in India likewise, — with 

 reference especially to the spirit of literary inquiry and scientific research which it 

 is desired to excite and encourage amongst the native youth of India; still the 

 fact that the Honorable Court have a separate institution of their own, points to 

 the propriety of making them the judges of its sufficiency or the contrary for Indian 

 purposes ; moreover, were the Government of India to sanction a specific annual 

 grant for a museum and library in Calcutta under the management of your Society, 

 such a grant would reasonably be made a precedent for similar applications from 

 learned societies at other presidencies, and his Lordship in Council is not prepared 

 to decide without a reference to England upon the relative claims of such societies 

 with reference to the circumstances of the institutions themselves and of the pre- 

 sidencies and places where they may be established. 



6. His Lordship in Council feels convinced that the Society may rely with con- 

 fidence on the liberal disposition of the Honorable Court and on its desire to pro- 

 mote and encourage objects of public utility, especially such as have a tendency to 

 advance knowledge and to extend the spirit of research, now peculiar to European 

 nations, to the population of the countries under their Government: his Lordship in 

 Council has therefore the less hesitation in referring the Asiatic Society's present 

 representation to the decision of the home authorities. 



I have the honor to be, &c. 

 Council Chamber, } H. T. Prinsep, 



28th June, 1837. ) Secy, to Govt. 



The Secretary then proposed, as the application to Government might 

 be considered for the present at least as having failed, that the museum 

 should he placed upon a reduced scale, retaining the services of the Messrs. 

 JBouchez as assistant Curators, and profiting by the voluntary attend- 

 ance of Members who take an interest in the subject to supply the place 

 of a paid Superintendent. He recommended the fixing of two mornings in 

 the week at 6 a. m. as visiting mornings, which would obviate the incon- 

 venience of such attendance ; he thought a few minutes of co-operation 

 and instruction to the assistant who was acknowledged to be skilful in the 

 preparing and setting up of specimens, would suffice to maintain the 

 museum in an efficient state; and he would issue invitations to all natu- 



