Oct. 1844.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. ciii 



request that the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, will supply the Government with such 

 information regarding the antiquities, the state of the liberal and mechanic arts, 

 and the native customs of this Presidency, as the Museum and collections of the 

 institution may afford ; besides suggesting such means as may occur to the Society, 

 for enabling Government the better to comply with the wishes of the Hon'ble Court. 



1 have the honor to be, Sir, 



Your most obedient servant, 



(Signed) A. Turnbull, 



Under Secretary to the Government of Bengal. 



PUBLIC DEPARTMENT. 

 No. 15 of 1844i. 

 Our Governor General of India in Council. 



Para. 1. — We forward to you the copy of a letter dated 8th April 1844, address- 

 ed to us by the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, bringing to our 

 notice the state of those interesting monuments of Antiquity, the Cave Temples of 

 India, and soliciting our interposition to preserve them from all such causes of injury 

 and decay as may be obviated by means within the authority of our Indian 

 Government. With reference also to the peculiarly perishable nature of the paint- 

 ings in the Caves of Ajunta, the Society is anxious that carefully executed copies of 

 them should be made before it is too late, and as those drawings are the only authentic 

 records that exist of many of the usages of the people of India at the probable date 

 of their execution, it would no doubt be little creditable to an enlightened Govern- 

 ment to suffer them to perish without an effort to perpetuate their subjects by faith- 

 ful and artistic delineation. We therefore recommend it to your special consideration 

 to determine upon and adopt such measures, either by the occasional employment of 

 some of our talented officers, when the calls of the public service permit of it, or 

 by such other means as may appear to you to be best calculated to ensure the pro- 

 curing of good copies of the paintings in the Caves of Ajunta, and of drawings of the 

 other Caves : using such means also for the protection of the Caves themselves against 

 dilapidation, as may be consistent with any use to which they may have been legi- 

 timately applied. 



2. We take this opportunity also of apprising you, that we are desirous of collect- 

 ing a series, as ample as possible, of delineations (accompanied by short explana- 

 tions) of various objects of interest and instruction, illustrative of the state of tho 

 liberal and mechanic arts in India, and of the phases, character and condition of its 

 various tribes and people, comprising architecture, implements, costumes, &c. for 

 our library, frequent reference being made to it, (at present with little advantage,) 

 for such sources of information. We should think it possible, that moderate en- 

 couragement on your part would readily obtain an abundant supply of such materials 

 from different individuals in the service of the Company. 



