Annual Report for 1903. 



The Council have the pleasure to state that the financial 

 position of the Society continues satisfactory, as may be seen by 

 the Treasurer's Balance Sheet. 



The number of members at present is 145, including the 

 following gentlemen elected during the year. 



Dr. Abbott, 



Mr. Eric Maxwell, 

 ,, George Maxwell, 

 „ W. H. Craddock, 

 „ A. H. Burn Murdoch, 

 „ E. W. Birch, 

 „ W. Makepeace 

 „ A. S. Haynes, 



Mr. F. C. Marshall, 



„ R. D. Hudson, 



,, F. W. Douglas, 



„ W* S. Gibson, 



„ T. C. Hunks, 



„ Hon. H. F. Deshon, 



„ Rev. H. C. Izard, 



„ S. MOORHOUSE, 



They have to express their great regret at the loss by 

 death of Mr. A. W. O'Sullivan, long a member of the Society 

 and at one time the Secretary, and also of Mr. D. H. Wise and 

 Mr. James Driver. 



Only one Journal No. 39 was published during the year' 

 but another will be shortly in the hands of the members. An 

 important article hy Mr. R. Shelford of Sarawak Museum on the 

 Musical Instruments of Borneo illustrated by a large number of 

 plates will follow as soon as it can be printed. 



Referring to the resolution passed at the general meeting 

 last year to procure and publish Malay Manuscripts, the Coun- 

 cil desire to state that they have kept the matter in view, but 

 up to the present no Manuscripts considered worthy of 

 publication have as yet been obtained. Two important Manu- 

 scripts however have recently been offered to the Society by 

 Mr. George Maxwell, and it is hoped they may appear in the 

 course of this year. 



The Library was rearranged and is being catalogued, 

 Many books, journals and pamphlets were received and a num- 

 ber were bound. 



During the year a letter was received from the Royal 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal stating that the members of that 

 Society had decided that the members of the Straits Branch of 

 the Royal Asiatic Society should have the right of admission to 

 the Society's meetings whenever they were in Calcutta. 



The Society has now attained its twenty-fifth year having 

 been founded on Nov. 4, 1877, and it may be noted that in spite 

 of early prophecies of its soon becoming extinct it has steadily 

 thrived to the present day. 



The Treasurer's statement of accounts is appended . 



