1862.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, 431 



Carried unanimously. 



The nomination of the Hon'ble W. Grey to be a member of the 

 Council, vice the Right Hon'ble S. Laing, was confirmed. 



The Council reported that they had appointed Colonel It. Strachey, 

 a Vice-President, and Mr. J. G. Medlicott, a member of their body, 

 in the place of Mr. Oldham who has left India. 



With reference to the announcement made at the last meeting, the 

 Council reported that they had addressed the following letter to 

 Government on the subject of the projected Government Museum : — ■ 



From the Secretary to the Asiatic Society oe Bengal. 

 To E. C. Bayley, Esq., 



Secretary to the Government of India, 

 Home Department. 

 Dated, Asiatic Society's Booms, Calcutta, June ISM, 1862. 



Sir, — I am desired by the Council of the Asiatic Society to reply 

 to your letter No. 2564, dated the 22nd May, informing the Society 

 that His Excellency the Governor-General in Council is now prepared 

 to consider the offer made by the Society in 1858, relative to the 

 foundation of a public Museum in Calcutta, to which the Society's 

 collections might, under certain conditions, be transferred. 



2. The Council cordially thanks His Excellency in Council for 

 the liberal proposals that he has made to the Society, and for the 

 strong additional proof that he has now given of the interest the 

 Government of India takes in the advancement of science by offering 

 to establish a Museum in this city to be maintained by the State. 



3. But the Council regrets that it is unable to give an immediate 

 reply to the offers thus made. The resolution of the Society which 

 authorized the Council to enter into communication with the Govern- 

 ment on this subject was passed in May, 1857, and the whole matter 

 has now been in abeyance for several years. The Council therefore 

 feels that no real decision can be communicated to the Government 

 until the entire subject has again been fully brought before the 

 members of the Society, and re-considered according to the regular 

 forms of procedure. At the same time the Council, being generally 

 disposed to concur in the propriety of carrying out in their main 

 features, the proposals made in 1858, believes that it will be useful 

 and will tend to an early decision of the questions involved in your 

 letter, if it states the impressions of its own body on these questions 



3 L 



