1869.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, 43 



The year just closed, has witnessed very signal proof of the 

 hearty desire of the Government of this country to disseminate an 

 intelligent knowledge of its history and literature. At a cost, which 

 to some few may appear enormous, but which is in reality scarcely 

 commensurate with the vast interest of the enquiry, sanction has been 

 given to the examination and actual repetition by exact and full-sized 

 models of parts of the more interesting architectural remains of the 

 country. For some time past, the Government of the Upper Provinces 

 have been from year to year, at considerable cost, doing much for the 

 preservation and renewal of the many glorious remains, which give 

 such a magic interest to the great cities of those provinces. What 

 student of the architecture of former dynasties, (and in what way can; 

 the genius of any distinct race be more satisfactorily studied than in 

 its architectural remains) has recently visited Delhi or Agra, and has 

 not felt grateful for the enlightened spirit in which the magnificence of 

 their buildings has been preserved and renewed, unsightly obstructions 

 removed, and the grandeur and gigantic nobleness of conception which 

 mark these erections made patent to every visitor. And now the Go- 

 vernment of India have gone further, and while carefully preserving these 

 noble monuments of former civilization, have determined that their most 

 striking beauties shall be repeated in Europe, for the admiration of every 

 one who can admire gracefulness of outline, massiveness of design, and 

 wondrous skill in execution. In addition to this, skilled enquirers have 

 been deputed to investigate, measure, and describe, some of the more 

 ancient and less known remains in various districts. Our own active 

 member, Rajendralala Mitra, has but recently returned from Orissa, 

 with a large mass of detailed information on the curious remains in 

 that district, which we trust he will be enabled to make public soon. 

 With great regret, we know that his visit to those malarious jungles 

 has resulted in a very serious illness, which has prevented his being 

 present among us this evening. 



Lieut. Cole, R. E., who is also one of our members, has in a 

 similar way been engaged in the examination of the highly interesting 

 architectural remains of Cashmere. And we look with great interest 

 for a more detailed and careful description of these very curious 

 buildings from his pen. So curious and so different are they from 

 any other type, that Cunningham classed them as belonging to a 



