958 



Asiatic Society. 



[Nov. 



To W. B. O'Shaughnessy, Esq. M.D. 



Officiating Secretary to the Asiatic Society. 



No. 1280. 



General Dept. 



Letter from the Honble. Sir E. 

 Ryan, Kt. President of the 

 Asiatic Society, dated 21st 

 June, 1837. 



Ditto to ditto, dated 28th June, 

 No. 261. 



Ditto from Secretary Asiatic So- 

 ciety, 10th July. 



Ditto to ditto, dated 26th ditto, 

 No. 328. 



Ditto from ditto dated 12th ditto, 

 1838. 



Ditto to ditto, dated 18th ditto, 

 No. 844. 



(Para: 81 to 87) 



Sir, — With reference to the correspondence no- 

 ted in the margin, I am directed to transmit to you, 

 for the information and guidance of the Society, 

 the accompanying Extract from letter No. 17, of 

 1839, from the Honorable the Court of Directors, in 

 the Public Department, dated 18th September. 

 I am, Sir, 



Your most obedient servant, 



Council Chamber, H. T. PRINSEP, 



26th December, 1839. Secy, to Govt, of India. 



Extract from letter No. 17 of 1839, from the Honorable the Court of Directors in the 

 Public Department, dated the 18th September. 



Applications from the Asi- 

 atic Society of Calcutta to 

 the Government for assist- 

 ance. 

 Letter of 30th Aug. 1837. 



Forwarding correspon- 

 dence with Sir Edward 

 Ryan, the President of the 

 Society, soliciting the aid of 

 Government to the amount 

 of rupees 200 per mensem, 

 in maintaining the museum 

 of antiquities and natural 

 history already commenced 

 by the Society, but which 



Para. 81. Your letter of the 30th August, 1837, for- 

 wards an application from the Asiatic Society of Cal- 

 cutta soliciting the aid of the Government for the exten- 

 sion and maintenance of their Library and Museum, 

 submitted to you with a letter from Sir E. Ryan, the 

 President of the Society. 



82. The objects of the Society, as set forth in their 

 resolution of the 7th June, 1837, and their President's 

 address, are the means of providing for the services of a 

 professional naturalist to superintend and systematize 

 their collections — of defraying the cost of preserving — of 

 collections of curious and instructive 



must fail without such aid ; 



also requesting permission displaying the 



to purchase antiquities, ma- r J ° 



nuscripts, and objects of na- articles already made— and of procuring additional ob- 



tural history and science j ects illustrative of the geography, antiquities, statistics, 



to the extent of rupees 800 . . , . * " .V . ', . . .: 



mineralogy, conchology, botany, and natural history 



of India. In order to accomplish these purposes they 

 estimate that in addition to their own available resources, 

 an annual expenditure of 10,000 rupees is necessary. 

 Although however specifying this sum as the amount of 

 the aid which they are desirous of receiving, they leave 

 it to you to fix the extent of any grant which you may 

 deem it expedient to afford. 



83. In your reply to the President of the Society you 

 acknowledge the claims of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 

 to the gratitude of the public, both in Asia and in Europe, 

 for the persevering and successful efforts it has made, for 

 more than half a century, to investigate and illustrate the 

 literature, science, and natural and artificial production? 

 of the East. You recognize the advantages which may 



per mensem, on the engage- 

 ment that the objects shall 

 be placed at the disposal of 

 the Government if the Court 

 .should decline to sanction 

 the measure. The subscrip- 

 tion of rupees 200 per men- 

 sem was sanctioned, and it 

 was intimated, with regard 

 to the latter application, that 

 the Government declined a 

 fixed grant, but would be 

 ready to receive recommen- 

 dations for the purchase of 

 objects of more than com- 

 mon interest. 



Letter of Ylth Sept. 1838. 



Reporting that the Go- 

 vernment had acceded to 

 the application of the So- 

 ciety by giving retrospec- 



