140 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [June, 



V. Mr. D. Waldie, brought forward the following motion, notice 

 of which was given at the last meeting : — 



" That Rule 51 be made to read as follows :— The Council for the 

 time being shall before the General Meeting of Dece?nber, cause to be 

 prepared a sufficient number of printed balloting lists, according to 

 the form in the appendix, which shall contain the names of those 

 persons whom they recommend to be appointed members of Council 

 and office-bearers for the year ensuing, with blank columns in which 

 to place other names. These balloting lists shall be laid before the 

 members at the December Meeting." 



Mr. Waldie said — The change consisted, as would readily be seen, 

 in simply providing that the balloting lists should be laid before the 

 members at the monthly meeting in December preceding the 

 annual meeting in January, instead of on the evening of election 

 itself. The apparent object of the rules was that the Council should 

 recommend who should constitute the Council and Office-bearers for 

 the ensuing year, but that the Society at their meeting should elect 

 whom they thought fit, and all that was proposed was that the means 

 should be adapted to carrying this into effect. He (Mr. W.) did 

 not think that the means hitherto employed, so far as he had seen, 

 were adapted to secure this. The Society had no previous knowledge of 

 the names of those who were to be proposed for the new Council ; these 

 were submitted to the members at the meeting with, no doubt, the 

 power to alter them, but they had no opportunity of exchanging 

 opinions as to any desirable alteration ; and though occasional altera- 

 tions were made, from the absence of any power of consultation or 

 combination there was the smallest probable chance of any of them 

 being effectual, and as a matter of fact practically the old Council 

 elected the new one. So far as he was himself concerned, he had 

 hitherto felt not the slightest objection to it, as on all occasions he 

 had approved of the lists in their entirety, but he could easily con- 

 ceive that he might on some future occasion wish to insert some 

 name or names that were not in the Council's list, and probably other 

 members might wish the same : indeed, the alterations occasionally 

 made shewed that such was the case. Beside, it ought to be remem- 

 bered that silence was not always satisfaction : not very long ago a 

 member had expressed dissatisfaction with the small attention pai 



