6 



CEYLON BRANCH ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



position which has been gained, by a cordial union among 

 themselves, sacrificing all mere personal feelings and inter- 

 ests to the general welfare of the Society, and continually 

 desiring that it should yield the greatest amount of be- 

 nefit to the cause of literature and the arts of which it is 

 capable. What indeed is to be feared is, the entrance into 

 the Society of what may be called the village politics, the 

 little party spirit of the place, and the train of evils which 

 party spirit engenders. The miserable fate of former liter- 

 ary and scientific bodies in the Island, as well as the present 

 condition of our ordinary intercourse in social life — these 

 show the character of the danger to which we are exposed, 

 and should put every one on his guard. What the old King 

 of Numidia said to his sons Abherbal and Hiempsal, and 

 his adopted son Jugurtha, when leaving to them his new 

 formed kingdom, now about 2000 years ago, is still in sub- 

 stance true; — Non exercitus, neque thesauri prsesiclia regni 

 sunt, verum amici, quos neque armis cogere, neque auro 

 parare queas: officio et fide pariuntur. Quis autem ami- 

 cior, quam frater fratri? aut quern alienum fidum invenies, 

 si tuis hostis fueris? Equidem ego vobis regnum trado fir- 

 mum, si boni eritis; sin mali, imbecillum. Nam concordia 

 parvse res crescunt, discordia maxumse dilabuntur. 



In this view the Society has been fortunate in its incor- 

 poration with the Royal Asiatic Society; and we have in- 

 deed already experienced the benefits of this union, in the 

 liberal donations received from the parent and affiliated So- 

 cieties, and in their warm, frank and encouraging expres- 

 sions of sympathy with us in our prospects and exertions. 



Our Library has been materially advanced by those do- 

 nations, and with respect to the Museum of the Society, 

 which is of course but in its infancy, and which is to be 

 advanced rather by our own exertions than by contributions 

 from abroad, members should bear in mind that its purpose 

 is to contain not only specimens of the natural history of 

 Ceylon, but also models and specimens, illustrative of the 

 arts here, as well as prints and drawings illustrative of the 

 scenery, buildings, and local usages; besides a cabinet of 

 coins. 



Let us now attend to the actual working of the Society, 

 in relation to papers contributed. 



These we find were on the following subjects, viz; — On.- 



