14 Proceedings of the. Asiatic Society. [Jan. 



has never ceased to take a deep interest in its welfare and success, 

 I hope I may be permitted without presumption to take a cursory 

 view of the changes which have taken place in the constitution of 

 our body, and of those which must be anticipated ; and I would 

 fain hope that such a review will not be without interest and value. 



The report of the Council read to you this evening will have 

 made you acquainted with the numerical condition of our Member 

 list at present. It shews that we have on our rolls now 427 Mem- 

 bers of whom 294 are in India, while the large number of 133 

 represents those away from this country. It will be seen also, on 

 comparing these numbers with those of former years, that there 

 has been a large increase in the number of these absent members, 

 to some extent due to more liberal rules for leave, sanctioned during 

 the year, so that, while we had an addition during the year of 42 

 new members, — and the total number of members now on the list is 

 larger than it has ever been — there has been actually a diminution in 

 the number of paying members of 11. Hitherto it has been the prac- 

 tice to retain on the Member-roll, the names of those who had been 

 members, but who had left India. Very many of these never had 

 any intention of returning to this country. And the retention of their 

 names in the list largely tended to give to the Society an apparent 

 strength which it in reality did not possess. Such absent members 

 have not been in any way contributing members, and have therefore 

 not added to the support of the Society. The new rules this evening 

 sanctioned will I trust tend to reform this. They provide that any 

 person, who has been a member, can on leaving this country secure to 

 himself, during his absence, the publications of the Society by payment 

 of 12 rupees per annum, and can resume his membership rights on 

 his return ; while the names of such as leave the country, and do not 

 within three years from the date of leaving express their wish to continue 

 members, shall be, after the lapse of that time, struck off the rolls. 

 It is hoped, that in this way, the managing body of your Society will 

 be able to know with a much nearer approximation to accuracy, than 

 can now be attained, the real amount of income and support to be 

 derived from the members. The anomaly of continuing on our rolls 

 the names of many, who have ceased to be in any way connected even 

 witli India, will be removed, while every encouragement is at the 



