78 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIV. 



having promised on the part of Government a sum of £450 

 (or of £513) towards the enlargement of the building which 

 the Society used ; bat for reasons which do not appear in the 

 Society's records this grant was not paid ; and in 1865 it 

 seems to have been definitely withdrawn. There can be no 

 doubt that this withdrawal, disappointing as it must have 

 been, was a most fortunate thing ; for it left the way open 

 for the execution of a larger scheme. 



In 1869 and 1870 there was a revival of interest. Mr. H. 

 Nevill became Secretary, and many Members joined, among 

 them being, in 1870, Col. A. B. Fyers, R.B., Surveyor-General, 

 to whom, next to its original founders, the Society owes its 

 greatest debt. The two following years produced good 

 Papers : Mr. T. W. Rhys Davids, Mr. L. F. Lee, Mr. Nevill, 

 and Dr. Legge being contributors, also Mr. Capper ; and Mr. 

 Louis de Zoysa, afterwards a Maha Mudaliyar. 



In 1871 Mr. William Ferguson read a Paper on Reptiles, 

 the first of his many valuable contributions. 



The Founding of the Museum. 



We have now arrived at the time of Sir William Gregory. 

 He became Patron in 1872, and in reply to a deputation led 

 by Col. Fyers, who had become President, expressed himself 

 as favourable to the project of a Museum in the Circular 

 Walk "in which provision might be made for the Society's 

 Library, and rooms for the Committee, as well as free access 

 to the Museum by Members." 



The Annual Meeting of that year, held on November 7, was 

 the occasion of an admirable Presidential Address by Col. 

 Fyers. He had to deplore the loss of Mr. W. Skeen, who 

 had been, he said, a principal pillar of the Society, and the 

 departure of Dr. Legge from Colombo. He gave an able 

 resume of the Papers of the year, and, while urging the 

 necessity of a Museum, took care to insist on the privileges 

 which were therein to be reserved for Members of this 

 Society. 



