1866.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 121 



classics ; and second, to point out the close connection that existed 

 between the Society and the principles involved in this movement. 



He had seen it stated, he said, in the public prints, with reference 

 to the reasons assigned at the last meeting of the Society, for postpon- 

 ing the resolution now before the Society ; that " it was negatived, 

 because this Society, once the most famous in the world as the crea- 

 tion of Sir William Jones and supported by James Prinscp, Wilkins, 

 Colebrooke, Leyden, and H. H. Wilson, had not even read the address, 

 and the Council could not supply them with a copy." Mr. Macleod, 

 it was added, must be ashamed of his would-be admirers, and it asked 

 " if there was no genuine scholar in the Society to redeem its reputa- 

 tion ? " Now he was prepared to show that there was no apathy on 

 the part of this Society in this matter. The reply of the Lieutenant- 

 Governor was first published in the Lahore Chronicle, very few copies 

 of which journal reached Calcutta, and no sooner had notices of it 

 appeared in other newspapers, than he had very many applications 

 from members of this Society for permission to peruse it, but copies 

 of this paper could not be obtained here. A resolution, however, 

 somewhat similar to that now before the meeting, was at once drawn 

 up and submitted to the President of the Society : but it was thought 

 that more publicity should be given to the views of Mr. McLeod 

 before any movement were made by the Society. He then had a 

 copy of the Lieutenant-Governor's reply published in a daily paper ; 

 but it is known to all, that the official duties of every one in India 

 are so arduous, that they have not always leisure to read all that 

 appears in the daily papers, on the day that it is published, and thus, 

 frequently, valuable information is lost sight of. He stated that he had 

 immediately addressed several parties at Lahore, soliciting that a large 

 number of copies should be sent to the Society ; and .that, finally, not 

 obtaining them, he had addressed the Lieutenant-Governor himself. 

 The Lieutenant-Governor, a few days ago, forwarded twelve cojDies 

 of the address and his reply, and the memorandum which the Secretary 

 had just read to the meeting ; and the following extract from his 

 letter will satisfy the meeting, that the delay in placing this docu- 

 ment within their reach, and in bringing forward this resolution, was 

 not attributable to any want of zeal in the cause Mr. McLeod had so 

 ably advocated. Here Major Lees read an extract from a private 



