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



excessively mean advantage of me. I had gone away for a few 

 weeks to Indo-China, and, hardly was my back turned, before 

 Mr. Ferguson departed for Europe, and landed me in the position 

 in which I now find myself, without communicating with me his 

 intention before his departure. However, for this year at any 

 rate, I shall have very great pleasure in filling the post that has 

 been assigned to me, and none of you can share more heartily 

 than I do the hope that Mr. Ferguson will be back at the end of 

 the year, and will resume his old place as President of the Society. 

 jjl^I do not mean to detain you longer than I can help, but I would 

 endorse what Mr. Denharn (in seconding the adoption of the 

 Annual Report) has said as regards Papers. I think there are 

 many Members present , and many Members who are not present , 

 to-night who could unquestionably help the Society, and who 

 could supply us with very interesting matter, and I would make 

 a personal appeal to them not to hide their light under a bushel, 

 but to give Members of the Society the benefit of their knowledge. 

 I would also point out that though we are by way being a 

 learned Society, it is a mistake to think that a learned Society 

 must necessarily be a dull Society. Because a thing is interesting 

 it is not the slightest reason why it should be dealt with as though 

 it was heavy as lead, and Members who will supply us with 

 Papers interesting and suggestive and written in vital vivid 

 English will do a very great service to us. 



There is one point which, I feel sure, you will shed tears with 

 me about, and that is the very small number of Civil Servants 

 who appear to me to belong to the Society. I do not think that 

 it is a fair proportion, considering the very large number of Civil 

 Servants who are resident in Colombo, especially as it seems 

 to me that one of the primary duties of a Civil Servant is to know 

 the history and traditions of the country which it is his business 

 to serve. I hope that my brother officers in the Service will in 

 large numbers join the Society and become active Members of it, 

 and that appeal also I should like to make not only to Members 

 of the Civil Service, but to everybody in Ceylon who takes an 

 interest in the past, as well as the present and the future of this 

 very magnificent Colony. {Applause. ) 



18. The Hon. Mr. Arunachalam proposed a hearty vote of 

 thanks to the Chairman, whose term of office was destined to be 

 of the greatest benefit to the Society. He had explored many 

 fields — anthropology, history, religion, &c.,- — and his literary 

 reputation had spread far beyond the confines of this Colony. 

 They looked forward to benefiting from his rich store of know- 

 ledge, which he was able to present in such an interesting and 

 vivid form. The example of the Hon. Mr. Clifford and the appeal 

 he had just made ought to be an inducement and a stimulous to 

 the Civil Servants of the Island as well as to all others to join 

 the Society in greater numbers and to help it with learned and 

 interesting contributions. 



19. Mr. Feeudenberg seconded. 

 The Meeting then terminated. 



