[ xxi ] 



Two of the events of the past year, enumerated in the Secre- 

 tary's Report, seem to claim special mention. One was the recep- 

 tion by the Society of Professor Nordenskjold and his companions 

 in the "Vega" on their homeward voyage, after having accom- 

 plished the North-East passage from Europe to China. 



The other, which I consider of particular importance, is the 

 publication by the Society of a new edition of the Hiknyat Ab- 

 dullah. This requires somewhat more consideration, because the 

 action of the Council in the matter is liable to be challenged. 

 There is the question, which was raised at one of our Meetings 

 about another matter, whether it is within the scope of such a 

 Society as ours to publish anything but the articles originally 

 communicated to us and our own transactions. JN"ow, if any consider- 

 able risk of pecuniary loss were involved in such publication, I 

 should think that it would not be right to undertake it. But in 

 this case we were secured, by the the kind co-operation of the 

 Educational Department in consenting to take over a considerable 

 portion of the edition at a fixed price. Being thus secured against 

 sinking the subscribers' money, we have been enabled to do, for a 

 most important piece of Malayan literature, just what was done by 

 the liberality of Governments and enlightened individuals at the 

 beginning of the Renaissance for many of the Greek Classics that 

 had been nearly lost. We have brought it out again iuto the light 

 of day, and have put it within the reach of those who may be bene- 

 fited by it. 



There is no doubt that the efforts of Government, of religious 

 bodies, and of benevolent individuals to spread education amongst 

 the people here are beginning to bear fruit, and that the natives 

 are slowly awakening to the advantages of acquiring knowledge. 

 But they have very few books, and the desire for them is not suffi- 

 ciently strong as yet to make them willing to incur much labour or 

 expense in procuring them. This must be done for them, probablv 

 for another generation at least. JSfow there are few books which 

 they are so likely to read as the story of Abdullah the Munshi, 

 who, with a singularly pure diction, and in a most popular style, has 

 given a slight and partial, but still a very truthful sketch, of a most 

 important period in the history of these Settlements, illustrated, as 

 one may say, with the most graphic pictures of life and manners in 

 a time which is fast passing out of memory. The restoring and 

 circulating of a book of this kind is likely to be a stimulus both to 

 those who are themselves acquiring the elements of learning, and to 

 those who are setting their children to do so. It is also not impro- 

 bable that it may have the effect of teaching the natives to value 

 other remains of their own literature which are still in their pos- 

 session, and even of encouraging some of the most cultivated 



