394 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 4 



7. The final acceptance of any terms, which the Government 

 may see fit to offer, must, under the Eesolution, rest with the 

 Society at large, and it will not be necessary for the Council at 

 present to enter into any detailed consideration of the arrangements 

 that might, in their opinion, be best suited for such, an Institution ; 

 but it may be convenient if they explain generally the footing on 

 which they think a Public Museum might be constituted in Cal- 

 cutta. 



8. The first question to be considered, is, that of locality. Such 

 a Museum as is contemplated would probably, to say the least, be 

 as much frequented by Europeans as by Natives. The majority of 

 its visitors would not be the pupils of any scholastic institution. 

 Those who would derive most benefit from it would be persons who 

 having acquired the first elements of knowledge elsewhere, would 

 use the Museum and its adjuncts as aids in the further pursuit 

 of their enquiries. The Museum, therefore, should be conveniently 

 situated for all classes, and being itself a marked evidence of progress 

 in civilization, it ought to find its abode in the best part of the city. 

 The Council is of opinion that the Society's premises, which are its 

 own property, afford a very suitable locality. The situation is one 

 of the most desirable in Calcutta, and the fact that large numbers of 

 Natives of all classes now visit the Society's collections, is evidence 

 that it is not found inconvenient to the native population. 



9. A Museum like that contemplated ought not to be viewed as 

 a portion of any merely scholastic arrangements. Once classified, 

 catalogued and arranged, the valuable specimens which would form 

 the main series of such a public Museum, must not be removable, 

 and more especially must not be subjected to the risk of breakage 

 and loss which their use in the common class rooms would entail. 

 From the many duplicates, however, which every such collection af- 

 fords, a perfectly effective, though limited set of specimens in each 

 department could readily be supplied for lecturing purposes. A 

 Public Museum of the kind contemplated would form a most valuable 

 and a most essential portion of all complete educational arrangements, 

 but, in the opinion of the Council, it ought not to be made subordi- 

 nate to any individual School or College. It should, they think, be 

 viewed rather as an adjunct to the Universit}', than as a part of any 

 mere collegiate plan. It ought to be, as it were, the general library 



