NO. 50.— 1899.] PROCEEDINGS. 



79 



COUNCIL MEETING. 



Colombo Museum, June 20, 1899. 

 Present : 

 Mr. F. M. Mackwood in the Chair. 

 Mr. P. Coomaraswamy. I Dr. W. G. Yandort. 



Mr. J. Ferguson. 

 Mr. G. A. Joseph, Honorary Secretary. 



Business, 



1. Read and confirmed Minutes of Council Meeting held on Mareh 

 15, 1899. 



2. Read the following correspondence with the Colonial Secretary 

 regarding the indexing of the Dutch Records of Ceylon : — 



The Honorary Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, Ceylon Branch, 

 to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. 

 Indexing of Dutch Records of Ceylon. 



No. 63. C. B., R. A. S., 



Colombo, Match 20, 1899. 



Sir, — I am directed by the Council of this Society to represent to 

 the Government the desirability of undertaking and completing the 

 work of indexing the manuscript records of the Dutch administration 

 of the Island. 



2. It would appear that a rough index of a certain portion of the 

 records was made, which it was the intention of the Government to 

 amplify in time, but the index was lost. 



3. As regards the great body of the Dutch Records, it is therefore 

 impossible to ascertain with any certainty their true contents. 



4. An excellent Handbook of Madras Records by Mr. J. Tolboys 

 Wheeler, published in 1881, might serve as a precedent to the Ceylon 

 Government for the compilation of a similar summary of the Dutch 

 Records. 



5. The historical importance of, and interest attaching to, these 

 records have been illustrated from time to time by the translations of 

 extracts that have been published in the Society's Journals. 



6. The records, apart from being of interest to the students of 

 Ceylonesa history, are of special interest to the Government, as they 

 comprehend every incident of the administration of the country from 

 the largest question of State policy to the minutest details of social 

 life from 1641 (two years after the Dutch first established a footing in 

 Ceylon) to 1795, when their rule was displaced by the British. 



I am, &c, 



G. A. Joseph, 

 Honorary Secretary. 



