NO. 52. — 1901.] ANNUAL REPORT. 



5 



The Council still constantly receive applications from Institutions 

 for exchanges of our Journal. The Council regret having had to 

 refuse some exchanges during the year owing to the large number of 

 Societies already on the exchange list. 



Accommodation. 



The Council again directed the attention of Government to the 

 congested state of the Library, and the necessity for the Museum ex- 

 tension referred to in the Annual Reports of the Society for the last 

 ten years. A reply was received from the Government stating that 

 His Excellency the Governor " shares the regret of the Council that 

 other more urgent claims on public moneys have prevented the 

 provision of funds for the extension of the Museum." 



The need of relief for the overcrowded collections of books has 

 been a crying want for a lengthy period, and the Council trust that the 

 iong-def erred extension of the Museum building will be shortly under- 

 taken. Want of accommodation is seriously interfering with the 

 development and progress of the Libraries of the Museum and Ceylon 

 Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, and the collections of the 

 Museum. 



Journals. 



One number of the Journal has been published during the year (Vol. 

 XVI., No. 50, 1899). It contains, in addition to the Proceedings of 

 the Council and General Meetings, the following Papers : — 



(1) " The Custom of Polyandry in Ceylon," by R. W. levers. 



(2) "Antiquarian Discovery relating to the Portuguese in 



Ceylon," by G. A. Joseph. 



(3) "A Letter from the King of Portugal to Raja Sinha II.," by 



D. W. Ferguson. 



(4) " Governor Van Eck's Expedition against the King of Kandy, 



1765," translated from the Dutch by A. E. Buultjens, 

 B.A.Cantab. 



(5) " The Inscribed Mural Stone at the Maha Saman Devale, 



Ratnapura," by P. W. Ferguson. 



(6) " Alagiyavanna Mohottala, the Author of the 4 Kusajataka 



Kavyaya,' " by D. W. Ferguson. 



Council. 



Mr. F. M. Mackwood having been elected a Vice-President of the 

 Society, his place on the Council was filled by the appointment of 

 Mr. S. M. Burrows. Two Members of the Council of 1899, viz., 

 Messrs. E. S. W. Senathi-Raja and J. P. Lewis, M.A., having been by 

 virtue of Rule 16 deemed to have retired by least attendance, the 

 vacancies caused by their retirement were filled by the appointment of 

 Mr. E. E. Green, F.E.S., and Mr. E. Booth. 



Archaeological Survey of Ceylon. 



It is with feelings of satisfaction that the Council refer to the 

 progress that has been made during the year in the systematic survey 

 of the Archaeological remains of the Island. 



