314 



Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 



(Wednesday Evening, VHth April, 1843 J 



Present. 



Sir J. P. Grant, Knight, 



Sir W. H. Seton, Knight, 



Lieutenant Colonel, W. N. Forbes, C. B. 



H. Torre ns, Esq. 



R. Houstoun, Esq. 



Captain A. Broome, 



N. B. E. Baillie, 



S. G. T. Heatly, Esq., and others. 



The Honorable W. W. Bird, President, in the chair. 



The President opened the business of the evening by expressing his 

 thanks to the Society for electing him as its President. He observed, that 

 he was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, member in India ; that he 

 felt both pride and gratification in the honor conferred upon him, and 

 would use his best exertions to uphold the credit of the Society, which had 

 attained so much celebrity in the estimation of the scientific world. The 

 President observed, that although he could not promise much, individually, 

 to the Society in scientific matters, yet from his position in Society, he was 

 satisfied that he could influence largely valuable contributions. That he 

 had been in some measure successful in this hope, in as much as he had 

 prevailed upon Mr. H. Torrens, the late Honorary Secretary, to continue 

 his labors as such for the Society, aided by a stipendiary Sub-Secretary. 

 This point was not of immaterial importance when the difficulty of pro- 

 curing men of scientific attainments, and with the other qualifications 

 requisite to fit them for the multifarious duties of Secretary to the Society 

 was considered ; and this was feelingly illustrated by the President in the 

 case of their late illustrious Secretary, Mr. J. Prinsep, who sacrificed his 

 life in the ardour of his scientific researches to benefit the Society. The 

 President concluded by referring to a memorandum which had been prepar- 

 ed at his request, for the future conduct of the business of the Society by 

 the Honorary Secretary, and which was read as follows : — 





