91 



Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 



(Friday the 2]st January, 1842. j 



A Meeting of the Society was held at its Rooms, at the usual hour, on Friday the 

 2lst January, in consequence of an adjournment from a previous Meeting, on which 

 evening a sufficient number of Members to proceed upon the important business before 

 the Society was not present. 



The following letter, conveying the resignation of the Honorable Sir Edward 

 Ryan, as President of the Society, was read : — 



Court House, December 20, 1841. 



Sir, — I regret to find that it will not be in my power to attend the next Meeting of the Society, 

 and I must therefore beg of you to tender for me my resignation of the office of President. 



I cannot quit a Society on which I have so long presided, without expressing my deep sense of 

 the uniform kindness and consideration with which the Members have been pleased to regard my 

 humble efforts to discharge the duties of an office, which, if I had properly weighed my own 

 qualifications, I ought perhaps never to have accepted. 



It is highly gratifying to me to know, that however unworthily your chair may have been filled, 



by the exertions of your most able and excellent Secretaries the Society, during the last nine years, 



has greatly extended the reputation which it early attained amongst the learned Societies of Europe, 



under the auspices of its Eminent Founder. 



I have the honor to be, 



Sir, 

 Your obedient humble servant, 



Edward Ryan. 

 To Henry Torrens Esa. 



Secretary to the Asiatic Society. 



The Honorable H. T. Prinsep stated, that as this letter had been referred to the 

 Committee of Papers, it had been deemed proper to convene a special meeting of 

 that body, at which it was determined that the following resolutions be proposed to 

 the Society for adoption at their present meeting : — 



Read the resignation by the Honorable Sir E. Ryan, of the Chair of the Society. 



Submitted by the Honorable H. T. Prinsep, Esq. and seconded by the Honorable Sir J. P. 

 Grant— That it seems to the Committee advisable, that the late President be requested to sit for 

 his picture in England, to any eminent artist wliom he may select as fitting for the purpose. The 

 size of the picture to be Kitcat, in order to correspond with the pictures of the other eminent men, 

 as Sir W. Jones, Lord Wellesley, Lord Minto, &c. &c. already in possession of the Society. 



Resolved— That this proposition be recommended for adoption to the Society, as a proper mode 

 of recording the sense entertained by that body, of the value of Sir Edward Ryan's long and 

 able services in the Chair, and the interest with which he has always regarded its proceedings in 

 all branches of Science. 



Proposed by the Honorable W. W. Bird, Esq. and seconded' by the Honorable Sir J. P. 

 Grant, that the Honorable H. T. Prinsep, Esq. be recommended to the Society as a Member 

 highly qualified by his high general attainments, and his known zeal in the pursuits of Oriental 

 literature, as well as by his long standing in the Society, to take the Chair vacated by the 

 Honorable Sir Edward Ryan. 



Resolved — That the proposition be submitted accordingly. 



H. Torrens, 

 Secretary to the Asiatic Society. 



