NO. 46. — 1895.] JUBILEE COMMEMORATION. 73 



was, and how promptly from the first the Society addressed 

 itself to all the divisions of the object which it had proposed 

 to itself by its title as a Society founded "to institute 

 and promote inquiries into the History, Religions, Literature, 

 Arts, and Natural Philosophy of Ceylon, together with the 

 social condition of its present and former inhabitants." The 

 Art of Ceylon is the only topic among these which was not 

 dealt with in that first year. 



Second Year. 



The records of the second year show that distinct 

 progress was made upon all these lines. Sir Emerson 

 Tennent became President, Mr. Justice Stark Vice-President, 

 but it was by the latter that the Annual Address was 

 delivered. 



It was natural that Sir E. Tennent should be made Presi- 

 dent, it was perhaps equally natural that — engaged as he may 

 already have been in collecting materials for his important 

 book, though this was not published till 1859 — he should not 

 take any very practical part in its proceedings. I do not find 

 record of any Paper contributed by him, or even of his 

 delivering any Presidential address. 



The Address which was delivered in his place by Mr. 

 Justice Stark, among much that was exactly what it should 

 be, contains some expressions which show plainly enough 

 that it had not yet occurred to the promoters of our Society 

 that it was other than a European one. The natives of this 

 country, Sinhalese and Tamils, were treated as the objects 

 of inquiry, not as being themselves among the inquirers. 

 There were indeed on the list a few gentlemen of native race, 

 notably Mr. Casie Chitty, but they were officers of Govern- 

 ment, about whom it might be taken for granted that they 

 would look at most matters from the European point of view. 



Members of the Society will no doubt with satisfaction 

 contrast in this respect the present composition of the Society 

 with its earlier limited character. So many of us are now of 

 Sinhalese or Tamil race that it can be no longer mistaken 



