No. 57.— 1906.] 



PROCEEDINGS. 



29 



periodical, " Annals of the Royal Botanic Gardens," for which 

 Dr. Willis is responsible. 



Dutch Encouragement of Agriculture. 



In connection with the promotion of various branches of 

 agriculture and of agricultural improvements, they had something 

 to learn from their predecessors the Dutch, for he found from a 

 Paper in one of their Journals that certain at least of the Dutch 

 Governors and their advisers were very liberal in recognizing 

 good work among the native headmen. For instance, it is record- 

 ed in the Minutes of the Dutch Council for 4th October, 1667 : — 

 4 ' Amongst other things that came before the Council on this day 

 was the subject of agriculture in the Galle District, and it was 

 resolved to reward those who were chief in. promoting the same in 

 the following manner :-— 



To the Commander, a silver jug weighing 200 Rds. 



To the Dissawe, a silver gorget and tray weighing 35 Rds. 



To his Assistant, 150 Rds. in cash. # 



To Lieut. Hans Jacob Boeff, 100 Rds. in cash. 



To the Native Chiefs, 150 Rds. in cash." 



Seed Testing. 



In agriculture and planting, if I ventured to make a suggestion 

 as to work to be done, it would be in reference to the " Testing of 

 Seeds." This is a very important matter for the planter and 

 farmer. In the United States and Australian Colonies much has 

 been done to establish " Seed Control and Testing Stations," 

 and there are useful little manuals published there, which might 

 well be consulted by the rubber and other planters of Ceylon. 



Medical, Engineering, Social Lectures, etc. 



It may be judged that with all the different periodicals and 

 scientific journals, departments, and associations to which I have 

 referred, the scope of our Society (originally standing almost quite 

 alone in the virgin field of arts, literature, and science in Ceylon) 

 has been necessarily narrowed very considerably. And, indeed, 

 there are several further societies and publications devoted to 

 special branches of study in Ceylon which may as well be includ- 

 ed in our list. There is the British Medical Association (Ceylon 

 Branch), one of the most active and useful of Colonial branches 

 as we learned the other day on the best authority, before which 

 was read His Excellency Sir Henry Blake's Paper on " Ancient 

 Theories of Casuation of Fever by Mosquitoes," a subject first of 

 all introduced to public notice by His Excellency at our last anni- 

 versary gathering, and which has since attracted much attention 

 in Europe and India, the latest reference being in a Paper by 

 Professor J. Jolly, dated Wurzburg, 21st November, 1905, which 

 appears in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great 



