ISTo. 48.— 1897.] PROCEEDINGS. 



5 



LIBRARY. 



The additions to the Library during the year numbered 278 volumes. 

 The acquisitions are chiefly exchanges received from other Societies. 

 The Library is indebted for donations to the following : — The 

 Government of Bengal, the Secretary of State in Council for India, 

 United States Department of Agriculture, the Ceylon Government, 

 the Director of Public Instruction, the Government of India, the 

 Government of Bombay, the Government of Punjab, Calcutta Sanskrit 

 College, the Government of Madras, Harward University, the 

 Government of Queensland, the Government of North-West Provinces 

 and Oudh, and to Messrs. D. W. Ferguson, G. A. Joseph, and Dr. H. 

 Trimen. 



Additional shelf accommodation has been provided, by which the 

 books have been rendered more accessible and the congested state of 

 the Library relieved to some extent. Some of the books stored away 

 in cupboards can now be conveniently consulted. The want of space 

 for books, referred to in previous Reports, is still a most pressing 

 question, and seriously interferes with the proper administration 

 and development of the Library. No adequate remedy for this state 

 of things can be expected until additional space has been procured by 

 the long delayed extension of the Museum building. 



J OURNALS. 



One number of the Society's Journal has been published during the 

 year ("Vol. XIV., No. 46, 1895), which contains, in addition to the 

 Proceedings of the Council and General Meetings, the following 

 Papers : — 



(i.) "Gleanings from Ancient Tamil Literature," by the Hon. P. 

 Coomaraswamy. 



(ii.) " King Serikuttuvan of the Chera Dynasty," by the Hon. P. 

 Coomaraswamy. 



(iii.) " Interim Report on the Operations of the Archaeological Survey 

 at Sigiriya in 1895," by H. C. P. Bell, C.C.S., Archaeological 

 Commissioner. 



(iv.) " A Sketch of the Early History of the Ceylon Branch of the 

 Royal Asiatic Society," by the Lord Bishop of Colombo, 

 President. 



The Journal for 1896 is ready, and an advance copy is laid on the 

 table. 



Archaeology. 



The Archaeological Commissioner favours the Council with the 

 following synopsis of the work done by the Archaeological Survey in 

 1896 :— 



General. 



The Archaeological Vote for last year was Rs. 35,000 — covering 

 Salaries of the whole staff, Transport, Labour, and Miscellaneous 

 charges (grants to other Provinces, photography, epigraphical work, &c). 



With this sum the Archaeological Commissioner was enabled to push 

 on operations at Sigiriya (Central Province) vigorously for a second 

 season, and to further continue the hunt for ancient sites and 

 inscriptions in the North-Central Province. 



But at Anuradhapura itself steady advance in excavating the vast 

 ruin-strewn area still untouched has unfortunately been again retarded 



