A REVIEW 



Of the Forty Years' Work of the Society. 



An Address at the Annual General Meeting of Feb. 28th 



1917. 



By Walter Makepeace. 



In attempting to estimate the work done by the Society during 

 these forty years reference has been made (1) to the minutes, which 

 luckily have been regularly preserved, although extremely brief at 

 times. Mr. Burkill the Secretary has compiled an index which was 

 of great assistance; (2) the Index to Journals 1-50, compiled nine 

 years ago by the late Mr. W. D. Barnes. A work awaiting some 

 member is the index of the following numbers, which should follow 

 the same plan, and if not published at once, should be ready for 

 publication when No. 100 is issued; (3) The papers themselves as 

 a criterion of the subjects dealt with and as assessing the zeal of 

 the members in carrying out what is perhaps the most important 

 function of the Society, namely the record of investigations oi sub- 

 jects connected with the Straits of Malacca and the neighbouring 

 countries. By diligent study of the Journals issued new members 

 are put in touch with what has already been done, have suggested to 

 them lines of study and investigation, are saved much original re- 

 search, become imbued with the spirit of the best of the past mem- 

 bers, and will also, I am convinced, be filled with admiration at the 

 industry of those who laid the foundations of the Society. The 

 indices of the various numbers issued since No. 50 are useful for 

 the same end as Mr. Barnes's index, with which they should be 

 read. 



The original Asiatic Society of Bengal was founded by Sir 

 William Jones (1746-1794) a Puisne Judge, and the date of its 

 foundation was Jan. 15th, 1784. The Centenary of the " Asiatick 

 Society " was celebrated by the publication of a Centenary Review, 

 a bulky volume Part I dealing with the History of the Society, 

 Pint II will) Archaeology, History, Literature, etc., Part III with 

 Natural Science. As the original society the A. S. of B. is our 

 parent, I may quote these words from the founder's letter: "in 

 the fluctuating imperfect and limited erudition of life such en- 

 quiries and improvements could only be made by the united efforts 

 of many, who are not easily brought, without some pressing induce- 

 ment or strong impulse, to converge into a common point. 





