No. 46. — 1895.] jubilee commemoration. 75 



de Alwis to produce his important Papers in vindication of 

 the literature of his nation. 



Dr. Gygax, who must have been one of the most earnest 

 promoters of the Society on its scientific side, read a Paper 

 on the Colouring Matter of the Cocoanut Husk ; and Dr. Palm, 

 in a first Paper on the Dutch System of Education in Ceylon, 

 led the way in that useful work of utilizing the Colony's 

 wealth in Dutch records and histories, in which he has been 

 so well followed by several in our own day, notably by Mr. 

 F. H. de Yos and Mr. D. W. Ferguson. 



The Library. 



Meanwhile the Library was augmented by new gifts : in 

 the direction of meteorology the Committee brought in its 

 report, and the purchase of instruments, to be lent by the 

 Society to various observers, was authorized ; while in the 

 commencement of a cabinet of minerals and one of coins 

 was laid the true foundation of this great Museum. This 

 work was carried on, and the interest of the Members in it 

 was kept up, not by occasional public Meetings only, but by 

 monthly Meetings of a less formal character — Meetings for 

 conversation, held, as I gather, in the houses of Members. 

 The extension of the Society has now perhaps rendered such 

 Meetings impracticable ; but it is easy to imagine that they 

 must have given the Society a more prominent place among 

 the interests of each Member, than we can now expect it to 

 assume except with a few. 



In the following year a Statistical Committee was formed ; 

 the collection of minerals was enlarged, chiefly I suppose, by 

 the energy of Dr. Gygax, who read a good Paper on the 

 Mineralogy of Ceylon ; and in the direction of meteorology 

 suggestions were thrown out for the erection of an Observa- 

 tory in Colombo. 



Meanwhile literary contributions came in, chiefly from the 

 Members whom I have already mentioned — and the example 

 was set by Mr. A. 0. Brodie, then at Puttalam, of Civil 

 Servants at outstations giving the Society the benefit of 



