20 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). 



'[Vol. XIX, 



report published for 1904-05, it will be seen that the Committee 

 has done a useful work in encouraging systematic and methodical 

 study at the Oriental Colleges in Sanskrit and Pali ; that there is 

 no lack of students or competitors at the annual examinations ; 

 and that much general interest has been excited among Sinhalese 

 scholars in the object and working of the Committee. In this 

 connection, you will have noticed from the advertising columns 

 of the newspapers that our Honorary Secretaries have been 

 empowered by a gentleman who does not wish his name to 

 appear, to offer a prize of Rs. 50 for the best essay on one of the 

 following three subjects : — 



(1) Sumptuary Laws and Social Etiquette of the Kandyans. 



(2) Kandyan Music, including the Origin and History of Kan- 



dyan Music, the System of Notation, and the different 

 kinds of Airs and Songs, extinct and extant. 



(3) Kandyan Medicine. 



The object of the prize is to get Kandyans to describe Kandyan 

 customs that are going out of use and memory. The competition 

 shall be open to all, and the essays may be in Sinhalese or English. 



Our Society has always taken a great interest in the publication 

 of translations of the recoics of the Dutch in Ceylon, and owing 

 to the liberality of the Government in making a grant towards the 

 expense, very many and extensive selections have appeared in 

 our Journals from time to time. It is a question worthy of official 

 consideration as to whether this form of publication (rather than 

 an independent issue) should not be continued, so as to keep up 

 the connection with the Society and to maintain a certain degree 

 of uniformity. It is possible that a wider interest would be 

 secured in view of discussions which might take place over transla- 

 tions or selections read at General Meetings of the Society. At 

 the same time there can only be the fullest approval of the policy 

 which has led to the forme tion of a separate department to deal 

 with the Government Archives and the indexing of the Dutch 

 Records, under the very competent direction of Mr. R. G. 

 Anthonisz, who has been Examiner since July, 1899, and was 

 appointed Archivist and Librarian on 1st January, 1902. I have 

 tlarnt from Mr. Anthonisz that, before the^actual indexing of each 

 separate volume can be taken in hand, it has been found necessary 

 eo classify, arrange, and catalogue the records. There are in all 

 about 10,500 volumes consisting of the general records of the 

 Dutch Government, the Proceedings of the Political Council, the 

 Provincial Records of Galle, and the Thombus or Land Registers. 

 Catalogues of the General Records of the Island and of the Pro- 

 vincial Records of Galle have been completed ; but the General 

 Records, which are various, have still to be classified. Miss 

 Pieters is at present translating the Memoirs of the Governors and 

 Commandeurs. She will afterwards take up the Diaries for the 

 various years and the Resolutions of Council, in which a fairly 

 complete contemporary record of the translations of the Govern- 

 ment from 1640 to 1796 is preserved. Some of the Memoirs 

 translated are to be printed, and it is these that might with 



