xvi 



JOURNAL R. A. S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. III. 



communication with the Society, in order to arrive at a full under- 

 standing of the points upon which it may be considered that the mother- 

 country is not now sufficiently informed. 



I have earnestly to request, that you will use all the means within 

 your power to promote the views of the Society of Arts, and favour 

 me, if necessary, with any suggestions which you, or other competent 

 persons, may consider better calculated to aid the full development 

 of those views. 



I have, &c, 

 (Signed) E. B. Lytton. 



Governor Sir H. G. Ward, &c, Ceylon. 



Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. 



Adelphi, London, July, 1858. 

 Sir, — I am directed by the Council of this Society, to bring before 

 your notice the desirableness of obtaining periodically from the more 

 important of our Colonies, accurate statements of their resources, and 

 the bearing such resources may have upon commerce. This Society 

 has always taken a deep interest in the welfare of the Colonies, and 

 if the information sought was obtained, the Council would propose to 

 hold periodical meetings of this Society to discuss it, devoting, say one 

 meeting to each Colony, and publishing accounts of such meetings in 

 the Society's Journal, which is issued weekly, and distributed without 

 charge among the Members, upwards of two thousand in number. 



The Council conceive that such information would be reciprocally 

 useful to the Colonies and to this Council, and that much useful know- 

 ledge for commercial purposes would be then circulated, which would 

 be otherwise likely to remain dormant. 



The Council direct me respectfully to request, if you should approve 

 of what is proposed, that the Colonial Office may forward to the Gover- 

 nors of the Colonies, letters from the Council of this Society, with a 

 recommendation to the Governors to give effect to the wishes of the 

 Council. The Council, in addressing the Governors of Colonies, would 

 request them to ascertain what competent persons in each Colony would 

 be willing to furnish such a report as is suggested, and to put him 

 in direct communication with the Society. 



I have, &C; 3 

 (Signed) P. Le Neve Foster, 



Secretary. 



To the Right Hon'ble Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton ) Bart, m.p.. 

 one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, Colonial Office, 

 Downing Street. 



