1869.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 15 



same time held out to induce others to maintain a real, and I may 

 add a profitable, association with the Society. 



I have said that the number now on the rolls is larger than at any 

 previous period of the Society's existence. And in so far as this is the 

 case, we may, I think, fairly congratulate ourselves on the fact. 

 Undoubtedly this has been largely brought about by the wise measure 

 of reducing the amount of the annual contributions required from 

 members, which, long anxiously and earnestly urged upon the Council, 

 was at last sanctioned in 1859; since that time the number of members 

 has increased from 180 to 427. It seems to me that we might, with 

 great wisdom go further still in the same direction. Looking either to 

 the value of the publications of the Society (the only return which non- 

 resident members receive for their contributions), or the amount of 

 subscription demanded from members of similar Societies in Europe, 

 and the comparatively greater advantages which members of such Soci- 

 eties enjoy, I think the Asiatic Society of Bengal would do wisely 

 to reduce still farther the monthly contributions from its members. 



But while congratulating you on this increase of number, there 

 seems to me another and a more important point of view, from which 

 to study the numerical results given in the Council's report. Gentle- 

 men, the Asiatic Society of Bengal is to this day, I may say, the 

 only Society in this portion of the Indian Empire, specially devoted to 

 the cultivation of pure science. Its publications, extend in an unbroken 

 series over more than eighty years. Devoted to Oriental Literature, 

 Science, Antiquities, Geography and Art, they form a repertory of 

 the most valuable and curious information on every subject connected 

 with this Empire, and are, as I believe, one of the grandest monuments 

 of British dominion, and one of the noblest proofs of British intelligence 

 in the East. Without them, no student can satisfactorily investigate 

 the learning, the languages, the history of this empire. They contain 

 the life-long labours of some of the greatest discoverers in, and some 

 of the noblest contributors to, Oriental knowledge. The Society is 

 still vigorously pursuing the same course. And yet among the many 

 thousands of educated Europeans in this country, and the many 

 thousands also of well informed Native gentlemen, this, the chief and 

 almost the only scientific Society in this part of the Empire, counts 

 its supporters and contributors by only a few hundreds ! 



