1864.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 77 



of the future management of the museum should be decided before 

 new engagements are entered into. 



The Council are of opinion that it is by no means necessary to 

 wait for the transfer of the collections to the new museum building 

 in order to give effect to that portion of the proposed arrangement 

 which relates to the internal management of the museum. With a 

 proper staff of curators and assistants, the museum may be retained 

 for some time to come in the present building, and with some increase 

 of available funds, the present collections and such additions as may 

 be expected in the interval, may be kept in a state of good preserva- 

 tion, and be made available for the purposes of science, even though 

 they cannot be entirely displayed to casual visitors. 



I am accordingly directed to solicit that the Government will take 

 * No. 180, dated 18th June, into earl J consideration the proposi- 

 1862 * tions of the Council communicated 



in my former letter,* with a view to determining the conditions on 

 which the proposed transfer of the Society's museum may be finally 

 agreed to. 



I have, &c. 



(Sd.) W. S. Atki^so^t, 



Secy. Asiatic Society. 



No. 5503. 



From E. C. Batlet, Esq., Secy, to the Govt, of India, To W. S. 

 Atkinson, Esq., Secy. Asiatic Society of Bengal. 



Bated Fort William, the 1st Sept., 1863. 



Home Department. 



Sie, — With reference to your letters of the 13th April last, and 

 18th June, 1862, I am desired to state that his Honor the President 

 in Council is not unwilling to enter at once upon the consideration of 

 the arrangements suggested in the last named letter, instead of post- 

 poning it until the Government may be in a position to erect a fitting 

 building to contain a Government Museum. 



2. But before doing so, the President in Council desires to offer 

 some observations upon the rules suggested by the Council of the 

 Society as the basis of a plan for the transfer of the Society's museum 

 to Government, to be submitted for the approval of the Society at 

 large. 



