No. 46. — 1895.] jubilee commemoration. 71 



years, during which the study of the Pali books has become 

 general, have not placed us in a position to produce a sketch 

 of the Southern Buddhism, which should be in any consider- 

 able degree better than that first one. The writer gives an 

 outline of the Dhamma Sa?igani, one of the more difficult 

 Pali treatises, summarizes the contents of the Vinaya Pitaka, 

 dwelling in detail on certain early portions, and in particular 

 abridging the life of Gautama as it is gWen in the Malta 

 Wagga, as far as the delivery of the sermon of the Wheel of 

 the Law ; sketches the rest of the Buddha's life, and discusses 

 the theory of Nirwana, as consisting in the cessation of 

 existence. It is impossible for us not to feel gratified, as 

 Members of this Society, that we did not leave it to others 

 to take the first step in a study for which we, as residents in 

 Ceylon, are especially responsible. 



This was followed by a Paper by Mr. Knighton on the 

 translated literature of Ceylon, which very properly invited 

 attention to the Mahdivansa and Rdjdivaliya and a few 

 other books, but contributed nothing original except a little 

 graceful criticism. 



Mr. Mac Vicar comes next with a Paper on the voice and the 

 use of the Roman alphabet to express Sinhalese letters, advo- 

 cating Sir W.Jones's system of diacritical marks. It contains 

 the result of a good deal of reading and some acute remarks. 

 The writer notes, among other things, what is a curious 

 difference — if it is the case — between the roar of the lion and 

 the mew of the cat. Both of them produce their effect by 

 uttering in succession all the three principal natural vowel 

 sounds — as the writer considers them— but while the king 

 of beasts begins with the mouth open and ends with the 

 lips nearly closed on the thinnest vowel, his humbler 

 brother begins with the " i " sound and proceeds to the 

 broader and deeper. 



Mr. Capper struck another vein and opened with some 

 notes on the " Kuruminiya," or cocoanut beetle, the long 

 series of contributions to practical science, which has 

 included many useful Papers, up to Mr. Elliott's on the 



