No. 58.— 1907.] 



PROCEEDINGS. 



139 



Another important work undertaken by the Society, and 

 shortly to become available, is Mr. Ferguson s annotated transla- 

 tion of the parts of Barros and de Couto's History of Portuguese 

 India bearing upon Ceylon. 



I regret to say that it has not been possible for me to complete 

 the second and more practically important part of my Paper on 

 " The Coconut Palm in Ceylon : Its Spread and Cultivation in 

 Dutch and British Times ;" but I have a mass of material well 

 in hand, and must hope to overtake the compilation during the 

 present year. 



Meantime, it is a matter for congratulation — thanks to the energy 

 of our Editor, Mr. H. C. P. Bell, and of his co-Secretaries, Mr. 

 Harward and Mr. Joseph, and of the ready co-operation of the 

 Government Printer, Mr. Cottle, and his locum tenens, Mr. Richards 

 — that, for the first time in our history, I believe, the Journal for 

 the past year has been published immediately after its close, and 

 copies placed in the hands of Members before the Annual Meeting. 



I referred last year to the need of a full and final anthropological 

 investigation in reference to our wild or cave-dwelling Veddas, 

 and to the regret felt that the Cambridge " Anthony Wilkins 51 

 student had to go to the Andamans in place of coming to Ceylon. 

 Since then we have been interested to learn of the re-arrival here 

 of the Messrs. Sarasin for further investigation, and still later of 

 a, Lady Professor, Madame Selenka, from the Berlin Academy of 

 Sciences, with a competent Assistant in Professor Moszkowski to 

 make such study of the Veddas as time and opportunity will 

 permit before going on to Java. I learn from our Secretary, 

 Mr. Joseph, that he was able to place the Lady Professor and her 

 Assistant in communication with Mr. Herbert White, Government 

 Agent of I'va (a Member of our Council) and with Mr. E. F. Hop- 

 kins, Agent for the Eastern Province, both of whom have promised 

 to give every possible assistance in studying the manners, customs, 

 ceremonies, and language of the Vedda. Although fifteen years 

 ago the brothers Sarasin conducted their researches in Uva, below 

 Lunugala, it is now considered that there are few or no genuine 

 Veddas in this Province, they having intermarried with the 

 villagers. Our present visitors are therefore to pass into the 

 Eastern Province to two or three points where the officials consider 

 some real, unsophisticated Veddas are still to be found. We 

 trust success will attend the scientists efforts, but clearly the time 

 at their disposal will prevent exhaustive final work, and it is a 

 question worthy the consideration of the Council of this Society 

 as to whether the Ceylon Government should not be moved to 

 originate a full investigation ere it be too late for ever. 



It is very satisfactory to know that since I last addressed you it 

 has been decided that Colombo is to have a proper well-equipped 

 Observatory as befits its position as the great and most central Port 

 in the Indian Ocean. We are also rejoiced to see that the urgent 

 indispensable work of extending the Museum building — on the 

 design approved by Mr. Smither — is to be taken in hand this year , 

 a vote to account of Rs. 40,000 having been passed and the site 

 having been already marked out. It is quite clear that all the 



