4 INAUGURAL ADDRESS 



The work done by Mr. .Logan and the gentlemen who were 

 associated with him covers a great deal of ground. There are 

 some very valuable papers upon the Geography both of Malaya 

 as a whole, and of various portions of it; as well as most inter- 

 esting accounts of tours undertaken by individuals, in which 

 Geographical notes are interspersed among other facts which the 

 tourist observed and recorded. There is some Geological infor- 

 mation — and some account of the Mineral treasures of the dis- 

 trict, both those that are known and those that are supposed to 

 exist. There are useful notices of the Natural Products, and of 

 the Modes of Agriculture, especially of the methods of treating 

 the most important articles of commerce. The science of Ethno- 

 logy is largely dealt with by Mr. Logan himself, and his pa- 

 pers upon the various aboriginal races will probably continue to 

 be the most reliable authority upon the subject of these races, 

 which are, as usual, fast disappearing as civilization spreads 

 inland. A great deal of information is supplied concerning the 

 Languages and Dialects of the numerous nations living within 

 the district ; with copious vocabularies, forming a very substantial 

 contribution to the science of Comparative Philology. Then 

 there are chapters of History both of the European Colonies, and 

 of the ^Native States. There are examples and translations of 

 Native Literature, amongst which I must mention a most in- 

 teresting abstract of the " Sejara Malayu, " or Malay Annals, by 

 the present Attorney-General, the Hon'ble Thomas Braddell, 

 which puts that curious piece of Malayan antiquities and his- 

 tory within the reach of the English reader. There are "papers 

 upon questions affecting Health, such as Dr. Little's discussions 

 of the effects of opium, and of the causes of the local forms of 

 fever. And, lastly, there is a large collection of statistical in- 

 formation upon the subjects of Population, Trade, Weather, and 

 Temperature. 



I have not touched upon a great many of subjects that are 

 discussed in this Journal, such for instance as Natural Llistory, 

 upon every department ot which attention was bestowed by some 

 one or other of the writers ; but I think I have said enough to 

 shew that, even during Mr. Logan's time, a great deal of know- 

 ledge was acquired and preserved. Much, too, has been done 

 subsequently by Government Officers, by private individuals, 

 and by distinguished travellers such as Wallace and others. In 

 fact what is known of South-Eastern Asia only appears small, 

 when it is compared with what remains yet unknown. That 

 residuum is indeed vast, and it is for the purpose of endeavour- 

 ing to diminish it, that the Straits Asiatic Society has come into 

 existence. 



