20 Proceedings of 'the Asiatic Society. [Jan. 



be reduced to a minimum, how this can be cut down, and that left out, 

 or even to decide whether it be possible to publish at all. At the com- 

 mencementof my tenure of office, it was very seriously discussed, whether 

 it would not be necessary to suspend the publication of your Journal 

 entirely for a time. And you are, gentlemen, indebted to the libera- 

 lity of your officers for several of the plates which illustrate your 

 publications, during the past year, which the funds of the Society could 

 not have afforded. This is not as it ought to be : and I would throw 

 myself on the feeling of justice and honour of the members, and 

 ask them to prevent a repetition of it. There was at the com- 

 mencement of the year, a total amount due from different members to 

 the Society, very nearly equal to a whole year's income ! Strenuous 

 exertions have been made to call in these sums, but with only very 

 partial success. We have reduced the amount by only about Jth of 

 the whole. I would ask your aid in this matter. Letter-applications 

 have been made repeatedly to all who are thus indebted to the Society, 

 but believing that such have frequently miscarried, or been overlooked 

 in the pressure of other business, the Council have resolved to print 

 now and send to all the members of the Society, a list of the names and 

 of the amounts due ; and we hope that the attention of the members 

 may thus be drawn more effectively to the facts. 



Gentlemen, if the Society could now realize the amount due to it 

 from its members, not only would all existing debt be at once removed, 

 but we could add considerably to our actual and permanent income ; we 

 could greatly enlarge the Journal, and improve our library, and could 

 thus greatly extend the advantages which we offer to our associates. In 

 connexion with this question of income and expenditure, I may an- 

 nounce to you that, with the hearty co-operation of the Finance Com- 

 mittee of your body, a new system has been introduced of calling in all 

 bills, and discharging them, monthly. You will see in the accounts 

 an item of income derived from the savings thus effected by the pay- 

 ment of cash for work done. But the main advantage resulting from 

 this system is, that the Council know exactly from month to month, 

 how the affairs of the Society stand, and can at once pievent any 

 accumulation of liabilities. The necessity for such a step will 

 obvious, if I mention that on urgently calling for the immediate 

 ubmission of all outstanding accounts, several were produced, whic 



