1856.] Proceedings oftlie Asiatic Society. 571 



Report. 



The Council has to report on the proposition made by the letter 

 from Government, dated 11th July last. It has also had under its 

 consideration the letters from Mr. Secretary Beadon to Mr. Secretary 

 Grey, and to Mr. Oldham of the same date, and that of Mr. 

 Oldham to the Secretary of the Society, dated 19fch July last. 



The majority oftlie Council, consisting of the eight following Mem- 

 bers, viz. Drs. Spilsbury, Walker and Macrae, Captain Young, 

 Messrs. Grote and Allen, and Baboos Ilamgopaul Ghose and 

 Eajeudralal Mittra, are decidedly adverse to the proposed transfer 

 of the collections in question to the Government Museum. They 

 conceive that such a transfer, if made, would be irreparable, that it 

 would be inconsistent with the terms on which thoso collections have 

 been acquired by, or presented to, the Society, and would be likely 

 to injure irretrievably the future prospects of the Society. 



The minority, consisting of the following six Members: — the 

 President, Messrs. Beadon and Samuells, Drs. Boycott and Thom- 

 son, and the Secretary, are in favour of the proposed transfer, but 

 upon such conditions as the following : — 



1st. — The separation of the Society's collections from those be- 

 longing to Government, and their identification as the property of 

 the Society. 



2nd. — The free access to and use of them by every Member of 

 the Society in as ample a degree as he now enjoys those privileges. 



3rdly. — The right to resume them should the Society be here- 

 after minded so to do. 



These conditions, however, if this view be adopted, would have 

 to be discussed and settled more formally between the Government 

 and the Society. 



The minority is of opinion that such a course, whilst it would 

 secure the property of the Society, would render its collections more 

 generally useful. 



In this state of things the Council recommend, that the question 

 should be referred to the Society at large, and that the correspon- 

 dence considered by the Council, and the minutes of the different 

 Members of Council who have expressed an opinion thereon, be 

 circulated with the proposition. 



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