The Rev. Barcroft Boake, who acted as Secretary, opened the 

 proceedings by stating that he had reason to believe that the public in 

 Ceylon entertained a very low opinion of the value of the labours of 

 the Society, and, that he would therefore read the following extract 

 from a letter which he had received by the last Mail from Sir Emer- 

 son Tennent, in order to shew the opinion entertained by one so emi- 

 nent in literature, respecting the value of the Journal recently pub- 

 lished by the Society 



" To-day, the Post brought me the No. of the Journal of the Ceylon 

 Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for 1865-6, and I am indebted to 

 you for a rare treat. I have done what I can seldom do, I have read 

 it almost twice over, before I could lay it down. I never in any one 

 volume, got so much genuine and new information about Ceylon. In 

 addition to your own excellent contributions, which I already know 

 so well, there is that extraordinarily clever paper of Silva G-ooneratne, 

 Mudaliyar, on Demonology, full of observation and knowledge. Then 

 Mr. D'Alwis on the Origin of the Sinhalese Language, abounding 

 in learning and good sense. In fact every paper in the No. is 

 excellent, and I have heartily to thank you for remembering me in 

 sending it." 



Mr. J. D'Alwis stated that he had received similar letters from 

 several eminent European Orientalists, and especially from the Secre- 

 tary of the Parent Society, expressing the interest with which the 

 numbers of the Ceylon Journal are received in Europe. 



The following Resolutions were then adopted : — 



1. — That twelve copies of the Journal be sent to Messrs. Triibner 

 and Co. ; and the same number to Messrs. Williams and Norgate, to 

 be disposed of, at 5s. each. 



2. — That a sum of Thirty Pounds, or such smaller sum as the 

 Treasurer may report to be available, be set apart for purchasing books 

 of reference on Natural History, and that Mr. Holdsworth, Mr, F. M, 

 Mackwood, Mr. H. Nevill, and Mr. W. Ferguson, be requested to act 

 as a Sub-Committee, for laying out that sum to the best advantage. 



3. — That the Secretary be requested to communicate with the 

 Secretaries of the Parent Society, the Bombay Branch, and the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal, for the purpose of completing the imperfect sets of 

 the Journals of those Societies which are at present in the Library, 



