1859.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 405 



transfer its Geological and Palaeontological collections to the Geolo- 

 gical Museum, thereby at once relieving itself of the cost of main- 

 taining them and rendering a considerable amount of room avail- 

 able for other purposes, the President in Council is prepared to 

 renew the proposal made to that effect in my letter No. 1071 dated 

 the 11th July, 1856, to which the Society at that time declined to 

 accede. 



I have, &c. 



(Sd.) C. Beadon, 

 Secretary to the Government of India. 

 From the Secretary to the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 

 To C. Beadon, Esquibe, 



Secretary to the Government of India, 



in the Some Department. 

 Asiatic Society's Booms, Calcutta, dated 6th April, 1859. 

 Sir, — The Council of the Asiatic Society having had under con- 

 sideration your letter dated December 8th, 1858, desire me to ex- 

 press the great satisfaction with which they have received the 

 anouncement it contains that the President in Council recognizes 

 it as a duty of the Government to establish in the metropolis an 

 Imperial Museum, although this announcement is coupled with an 

 intimation that at present the project cannot be entertained unless 

 the Society can shew that it may be adopted without incurring any 

 considerable expence. 



The Council do not wish to disguise the fact that a considerable 

 outlay will ultimately be required in order to establish and main- 

 tain a public Museum on a scale befitting the requirements of 

 Science and worthy of the Metropolis of India. 



But a sum which the Council think could not be considered by 

 the Government considerable, would enable the Society to maintain 

 their existing collections in satisfactory order till the Public Muse- 

 um can be established, and provide for their exhibition and their 

 natural extension. 



These collections will eventually if the proposed scheme be car- 

 ried out, form the nucleus of the Public Museum, and the Council 

 venture to think that the expenditure which is now required for 

 their preservation and exhibition, might therefore, consistently with 



