1847. J Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 389 



that the accounts were now printed for the first time since 1842. They 

 were printed for general information, and although they had doub-tless 

 been submitted to regular meetings every year by his distinguished 

 predecessor, still the Society at large had had no opportunity of examin- 

 ing them, and he considered every item fairly open to investigation. 

 As to the number of Dr. Cantor's drawings completed, he believed it 

 to be 13 or 14. Mr. Muller, the accountant, could say whether vouchers 

 were in existence or not. He however begged permission to disclaim 

 all responsibility for himself or his colleague Mr. Laidlay for any of the 

 expenditure on account of the "Burnes or Cantor drawings," all of 

 which had been entered upon previous to his election, and all further 

 outlay upon which had been stopped on his suggestion, on his taking 

 charge of the office. Mr. Piddington was at the time the executive 

 officer of the Society in the arrangements made, and that gentleman 

 could of course give any explanation required. He had only to add 

 with reference to the intention of the Committee to publish the Cantor 

 drawings in connexion with the Journal, that it was intended that any 

 such cost should be included in the sum of 350 lis. monthly set apart 

 for that periodical. 



Mr. Mutter stated that on his being appointed accountant in July, 

 in succession to Mr. Bolst, he found the papers of the Society in such 

 confusion that he had the utmost difficulty in bringing them into any 

 order. The vouchers he received were all without number or classi- 

 fication. He could not speak positively as to the existence of vouchers 

 for the payments now under discussion, but at the next meeting he 

 would be prepared with every information on this subject. 



Mr. Btyth, Curator in the Zoological Department, begged permission 

 to disavow all responsibility regarding the publication of the Burnes' 

 drawings, which he looked upon as equally discreditable as works of art 

 and in a scientific point of view. He had never been consulted as to 

 their publication, although from his office in the Society his advice might 

 have been naturally looked for. 



Mr. Piddington, on being called upon, said that the history of the 

 Burnes' drawings was, briefly, that being sent to the Society from Go- 

 vernment, their publication was determined upon by the Society at a 

 regular meeting, and a Committee named, of which he had been Secreta- 

 ry; to superintend the work, he being at that time only a member and not 



