No. 48. — 1897.] PROCEEDINGS. 



123 



that view had been forced on himself by the contrast between what 

 they saw around them on the walls this evening, in the variety as well 

 as ability of the art displayed, and that presented by any of the 

 paintings or illustrations elsewhere in Ceylon at the present day. 

 The art at those Buddhist temples— if art it could be called — seemed 

 (as with temple figures and illustrations in Egypt) to be stereotyped 

 for 2,000 years. 



As regards access to the summit, Mr. Bell knew of no more than a 

 dozen Englishmen, all told, who had climbed the Rock previous to 

 1895 ; while he also incidentally mentioned that 20,000 persons at least 

 had reached the top during the past three seasons — so great was the 

 improvement in the means of ascent. 



They would hope that, under increasing encouragement, 'the 

 Archaeological Survey — with which Mr. Bell's name will ever be 

 identified — would progress satisfactorily, and that Mr. Bell would have 

 many more Papers of interest to read to them. 



They had to thank His Excellency and the Government for permit- 

 ting the Paper to be read before the Royal Asiatic Society. 



He would now move that Mr. Bell receive a very hearty vote of 

 thanks {applause). 



6. Mr. C. M. Fernando said that the very same accident which had 

 made Mr. Ferguson propose the motion had obliged him to second it. 

 And taken rather suddenly, he was sorry that he was not able to say 

 as much as he should wish about Mr. Bell's work with regard to 

 the Archaeological Survey of the Island. But this much he could say, 

 that as a Sinhalese he was very thankful to Mr. Bell for helping to 

 elucidate the ancient history of the country ; and thankful to the 

 Government of Ceylon for giving Mr. Bell the opportunity of doing so. 



He might also be excused if he expressed satisfaction at those fine 

 frescoes. Not only had the copies been done by a Sinhalese artist, but 

 the originals, in his opinion, had been painted by Sinhalese themselves. 

 Some two years ago, when Mr. Bell's work at Sigiriya first came 

 before the Royal Asiatic Society, he (Mr. Fernando) had ventured to 

 make the suggestion that these frescoes were drawn, not by " exotic " 

 artists — as Mr. Bell would have them understand — but by Sinhalese 

 artists. 



He must say he had very slender material to substantiate that 

 suggestion. Those materials were two copies of frescoes at Ajanta, 

 and they related to the history of Ceylon, One of them depicted 

 the introduction of Buddhism into Ceylon by Mahindu. Another 

 fresco depicted the bringing of the Tooth-relic into the Island. The 

 Ajanta paintings, Mr. Bell had said, closely resembled the figures they 

 saw before them. He, therefore, hazarded the suggestion that it was 

 not Tamil [sic] artists who came to Ceylon and painted those frescoes, 

 but Sinhalese artists who went over to India (laughter). His Excel- 

 lency might think that was rather a bold theory for a young man like 



