Quarterly Meeting, May 20th, 1853. lxviL 

 QUARTERLY MEETING, HELD 20TH MAY, 1853. 



Present: — The Rev. D. J. Gogerly, in the Chair. 



The Hon'ble Justice Starke, Messrs. Skeen, De Zoysa, 

 Dr. Misso, and Dr. Lamprey. 



The second part of the Journal for 1853 was laid on the 

 table, and the Meeting was informed by Mr. Skeen that in 

 a few days the binding would be completed, when it would 

 be ready for distribution. 



Mr. Ondaatje's contributions and letters marked A, B, C s 

 were laid on the table and read. 



Dr. Kelaart's communication on some new Reptiles was 

 read and ordered to be printed in this Journal, 



Mr. Casie Chitty's paper on the Rhodyas and vocabulary 

 of their dialect was read and ordered to be printed. 



Mr. Gogerly read his paper on Budhism, in continuation 

 of a former paper; ordered to be printed. 



Mr. Justice Starke, reports that the book-cases are com- 

 pleted, and that the Catalogue of Books which were presented 

 and given to the Society, does not correspond with the books 

 actually in possession of the Society. 



Samples of Lithography done by the Society's Press were 

 next laid on the table. 



A vote of thanks was given to the Chairman, and the 

 meeting separated. 



A. 



Badulla, 10th May 1853. 



Dear Sir, 



Herewith I send you a coil of braid made with the black fibre from 

 the leaf-stalks of the Jaggery Palm (Caryota urens.) 



The "Rodyahs," or outcastes, manufacture the fibre into rope which is 

 of great strength. 



Is this article the same as the " Vegetable bristles" largly imported into 

 England for making brooms ? 



I also send you a small quantity of woolly material, found at the base 

 of the leaves, and which the Singhalese use as tinder. Professor Lindley 

 informs us, that a similar substance yielded by another species of Palm, 



