1868.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 253 



The President laid on the table, the report of a Sub-Committee ap- 

 pointed to revise the rules of the Society. The Members were aware, 

 as it had been announced to the Society, that a Sub-Committee had 

 been appointed, and that to it, some propositions which had been made 

 for alteration in some of the rules, had been referred for consideration 

 with the general subject. This Committee, composed of two Members 

 of the Society not Members of Council, and two Members of Council, 

 had held successive meetings, and had considered the rules seriatim, as 

 well as generally, and their careful and detailed deliberation had resulted 

 in drawing up a revised set of rules, in which the principal alterations 

 were alterations of arrangement, with also some changes in principle. 

 The Committee had met frequently, and on successive days, with a 

 view to completing the important duty confided to them at the earliest 

 practicable date, and they submitted their report sometime since. 

 But, the intervention of the holidays, and the consequent absence 

 from town of many Members of the Council, had rendered it impossi- 

 ble to have, in the Council, that full and careful discussion of the 

 proposed rules which was, in every point of view, desirable. The 

 Council had gone through a portion of these proposed rules, and had 

 made several changes, so far he might say chiefly verbal changes. 

 And it was wished that the Council's report could have been laid 

 before the meeting this evening. This was as he said impossible. It 

 was therefore determined by the Council at its last adjourned meeting 

 on the subject, held only the day before, to lay before the meeting the 

 draft rules as proposed by the Committee, and ask the Society to 

 allow the question to be brought up for final discussion at the Annual 

 General Meeting. This meeting would not take place until the 

 middle (or a little later) of January. And it was believed that there 

 would be ample time to have the final report of the Council on these 

 draft rules ready, quite in time to be circulated to the Mofussil mem- 

 bers, so that the required two months shall elapse after the issue of 

 the papers, before the Annual General Meeting, 



It was of essential importance that this matter should be brought to 

 a conclusion as soon as practicable, not only with a view to removing 

 doubts as to what the rules of the Society are, but for another reason 

 also. The copies of the rules as now existing are exhausted ; there 

 are none to give to the new Members of the Society, while it would be 



