No. 47.— 1896.] 



PROCEEDINGS. 



241 



GENERAL MEETING. 

 Colombo Museum, January 9, 1897. 



Present : 



The Lord Bishop of Colombo, President, in the Chair. 



Mr. C. M. Fernando. 

 Mr. F. Lewis. 



Mr. H. Bois. 

 Mr. J. B. Call. 

 Mr. J. Ferguson. 



Mr. J. Harward and Mr. G. A. Joseph, Honorary Secretaries. 

 Visitors : ten gentlemen. 



Business. 



1. Read and confirmed Minutes of General Meeting held on 

 November 14, 1896. 



2. The Chairman then called on Mr. Harward to read Mr. Bell's 

 Report on Sigiriya, which the Government had placed at the disposal 

 of the Society. 



Mr. Harward, before reading Mr. Bell's Paper, made a few 

 introductory remarks on the Rock, which has of late years excited so 

 much interest. 



The present Report, he said, was a continuation of that of last year, 

 prepared by the Archaeological Commissioner on this famous site. 

 The stronghold of Sigiri-gala was first used by Kasyapa I. in order to 

 escape punishment for patricide ; and while there the exile converted 

 the Rock into an elaborate royal residence. 



Mr. Bell's examination of the Rock, as Archaeological Commissioner, 

 was begun in 1895. His first year's exploration resulted in two 

 principal lines of discovery — first, that at the foot of the Rock there 

 was a fortified city ; and secondly, that at the top there were, concealed 

 by jungle and long grass, the remains of very considerable buildings 

 which must have been originally used by royalty. 



In 1896 Mr. Bell devoted himself to continuing excavations on the 

 summitj and further clearing and surveying the extensive area of the 

 ancient Sigiri-nuwara - whilst his Head Draughtsman (Mr. D. A. L. 

 Perera) commenced to make facsimile copies of such frescoes as still 

 remain. 



3. Mr. Harward then proceeded to read the following Paper : — 



* The Report was accompanied by three albums of photographs, a series 

 of composite photographs giving various views of Sigiri-gala, the fresco 

 • caves, frescoes, and excavations ; facsimile copies in oils of some of the 

 frescoes : and plans of Sigiri-wiavara, &c. 



p 2 



