208 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Feb. 



How deeply this indifference is to be deplored may be gathered from a single fact 

 recorded by Dr. Allan Webb, that the invaluable remains of antiquity at Ajunta are 

 daily, nay hourly, being lost to the world, not merely from the inevitable effects of 

 time and exposure, and from the absence of all measures to preserve them, but from 

 the worse than Gothic barbarism of casual visitors, who wantonly destroy the fresco or 

 remove it in fragments for the gratification of the most idle and depraved curiosity I 

 " Whole yard-lengths of the painted or written inscriptions, says Dr. Webb, were 

 lying in water on the floor, but were still legible when I visited these temples in 

 1836. If therefore written records be most valuable, as the Vice-President and 

 Secretary of the Asiatic Society seem to consider them, how important to lose no 

 time in securing these precious records ! The rude boar spear of the hunter, or the 

 Gothic curiosity of some casual visitor will strip whole walls for some one favourite 

 head ! I have found in Bombay whole groups that had thus been despoiled .'" 



Painful as it is to listen to such details as these, it is yet more so to reflect that 

 on their communication, no active measures were taken by the Committee to 

 stay the work of destruction ! The mouths of the caves are stated by Dr. 

 Webb, to be nearly closed with rubbish, which both directs the water into them and 

 prevents its exit ; and the removal of this at once was strongly urged as the first 

 measure of preservation that should be recommended for the adoption of Govern- 

 ment. I am not aware, however, that even this suggestion was acted upon ! 



Let us not however, dwell with vain regret upon time and opportunity lost, but 

 rather arouse our energies to immediate exertion worthy of the Society that has 

 already achieved so much in Indian archceology. The question for us this evening 

 to consider is, what can be done now ? And though for the most part made in 

 reference to the peculiar case of the Ajunta caves, there are suggestions in the 

 minutes of the Committee which, I humbly conceive, the Society cannot do better 

 than act upon at once. Amongst these the recommendations, that a duly qualified 

 person be deputed by Government to make accurate drawings of the painting, 

 sculpture, inscriptions, and other remains of antiquity scattered throughout the 

 country, and to adopt such measures as may seem essential, for the better preserva- 

 tion of such objects henceforward, is one so obviously appropriate that the Society 

 will, I think, concur in approving it. This point has been very fully considered in 

 an able minute by Captain Kittoe, who I need not remind the Society has already 

 distinguished himself by his zealous and indefatigable antiquarian researches, to which 

 the past volumes of the Society's Journal bear ample and lasting testimony. This 

 officer concludes an excellent minute evincing great knowledge of the subject combined 

 with untiring zeal, by proferring his personal services through the Society to Go- 

 vernment, for the investigation and delineation of all objects of antiquarian interest 

 wherever found ; a field too vast, perhaps, as sketched by himself, for any 

 single individual, however energetic ; but to a portion of which his talents and zeal 

 might undoubtedly be directed with the happiest results. 



That Captain Kittoe's offer was not acted upon, arose I believe, in part from the 

 circumstance of that gentleman having been appointed soon after to a very important 



