No. 57.— 1906.] 



PROCEEDINGS. 



23 



full of interest, and which, we may feel sure, will prove one of 

 the best and most practical means of bringing home to the under- 

 standing of the general public the value of the work done by 

 the Archsgological Department of Ceylon, in which His Excellency, 

 our present Governor, has taken the deepest interest since it came 

 under his notice. 



Another piece of good work done under the auspices of the 

 Department is a very full " Index to the Maliawansa" on which 

 Mr. Still has been engaged for several months back, and which 

 will be found, I believe, very thoroughly executed. This 

 index, to be printed by Government, must prove a great boon to 

 students of the Mahdwansa, as well as useful to the intelligent 

 public. 



I trust further that the sanction of Government may be 

 received to a proposal which the Commissioner has long had in 

 view, namely, the publication of a representative series of 

 " Photographic Illustrations " of the ancient structures in Ceylon, 

 after the pattern of the series already published by the Indian 

 Government ; and that a commencement may be made of a 

 similar technical series of illustrations of art and ornament, like 

 the fine set published in India. 



This brings me to Art , and I am pleased to be able to remind you 

 that the Museum has now received the beautiful copies in oils of 

 the Si'giriya frescoes made by Mr. D. A. L. Perera, Head 

 Draughtsman, Archaeological Survey. They need perhaps proper 

 framing ; but a glance at them above the Museum staircase will 

 show what a great improvement they are on any representations 

 hitherto exhibited. 



I am also glad to record here that Dr. A. Coomaraswamy has 

 taken up the study of old Sinhalese (Kandyan) art, and, in 

 addition to pamphlets and articles already published, has in 

 preparation a large work on the subject illustrated by coloured 

 and photographic plates. A series of over a thousand photographs 

 have been taken with a view to this work. 



An appeal has also been made for the preservation and more 

 careful treatment of ancient buildings and historical works of art, 

 and it is hoped that something will be accomplished towards this 

 end, as the subject has been taken up by Government, and a regis- 

 ter of old buildings, &c, in the various districts is being made, 

 and these will be as far as possible protected. The continued 

 existence of, and the useful work promoted by, the Ceylon Society 

 of Arts, with its annual exhibition, is a subject for congratulation. 



Science and the Colombo Museum. 



The Mineralogical Survey of Ceylon, originally intended to last 

 three years, is to be continued to the end of the present year. It 

 has so far resulted in very considerable additions to our knowledge 

 of the Geology of Ceylon, and in the discovery of several minerals 

 new to Ceylon (some of economic importance) and of one or more 

 minerals new to Science. The new mineral thorianite is the first 



