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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XXI. 



was sent out to Ceylon to make a final study of Vedda traditions 

 and socialogy, completed his labours and left the Island in May 

 last. Your Council look forward with interest to the publication 

 of Dr. Seligmann's work, a foretaste of which was given to Members 

 in the illustrated lecture, entitled " Recent Work amongst the 

 Veddas," delivered at a Special General Meeting on May 25 last. 



Inland Fisheries and Cultural Operations at 

 Lake T amble gam. 



Your Council note with satisfaction that the Government has 

 seen its way to make some provision in the estimates for cultural 

 operations at Lake Tamblegam and for inland fisheries' investi- 

 gations. 



The "M aha wans a." 



Your Council's opinion was sought by the Ceylon Govermnent 

 as to the desirability of reprinting the Mahdwansa. In reply, the 

 Council stated that while it is most desirable that the translation 

 should be reprinted before this is done, it is also desirable that 

 the translation and notes should be thoroughly revised, edited, 

 and published, and suggested that scholars in India and Ceylon 

 should be consulted it as to how the book could be improved in 

 re-editing. A list of such scholars was called for and supplied. 

 It was pointed out by your Council that the actual work of 

 re-editing must necessarily be submitted to one or more scholars 

 resident in Ceylon^ whose knowledge of Pali and English qualify 

 them for the task, and that such editors should obtain the views 

 of the scholars named as to the ways in which the book can be 

 improved and rendered more useful both to scholars and general 

 readers. 



The Hon. Mr. P. Arunachalam, M.A., C.C.S., and Mr. Simon 

 de Silva, Gate Mudaliyar, Chief Translator to Government, were 

 nominated co-editors for Ceylon without remuneration, and 

 Professor Rhys Davids was asked to accept the post of Editor for 

 Europe. 



The following letter* from Professor Rhys Davids to the Ceylon 

 Government was sent to your Council which has recommended 

 that the suggestions contained in it should be adopted : — 



Sir, — I was enabled at the International Congress of Orientalists 

 held in August last in Copenhagen, and at the International Congress 

 of Religions held at Oxford in September last, to consult with many 

 of the leading scholars in Europe and America concerning the proposal 

 contained in your letter of J uly 4 last. 



It is scarcely necessary to state that the fact of the Government of 

 Ceylon contemplating a new revised translation of the Mahawansa 

 evoked very great satisfaction, the existing one being not only based 

 on an imperfect text, bat being so difficult to obtain in Europe, that 

 but few scholars can possess or have access to a copy of it. 



The scholars consulted by me were, without any exception, of 

 opinion that the best way to obtain a translation of a thoroughly 

 satisfactory kind would be to entrust the work to some one scholar of 



Dated November 20, 1908. 



