322 



Proceedings of the Madras Literary Society 



[April 



The whole subject having been referred to the Committee of Papers, 

 for the purpose of ascertaining from the Rev. W. Taylor, as directed by 

 Government, .vhether he was willing to enter on the undertaking, the 

 following letter, addressed to that gentleman, was read to the Meeting : 



Apartments of the Literary Society ; 

 Madras, bth December, 1836. 



Sir, — I am directed by the Committee of Papers of the Madras Literary Society 

 and Auxiliary Royal Asiatic Society to furnish you with the accompanying original 

 letter from the secretary to Government, together with its original enclosures, 

 and to request that you will give the whole correspondence your considera- 

 tion, and acquaint the Committee, for the information of Government, whether 

 } ou arc disposed to undertake the examination of the Mackenzie MSS. in the 

 manner proposed, and to arrange, translate and prepare for publication, any of 

 those documents which may be deemed worthy of such distinction, and, in general, 

 to superintend whatever may be undertaken regarding these MSS. with the sanc- 

 tion of Government, and under the auspices of the Madras Literary Society. 



The Committee avail themselves gladly of this opportunity of declaring their cor- 

 dial concurrence in the opinion expressed by the Committee of Papers of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal, as to your fitness for the task which you are invited to undertake ; 

 and, duly estimating the zeal and learning which you have displayed in your pub- 

 lished works on the languages and history of the South of India, they are glad to 

 be the medium through which you are invited to a literary employment, which they 

 have abundant reason to believe will be consonant to your tastes, and which must 

 be productive of results, highly interesting to the cause of oriental literature. 



Should you have it in your power to devote your time to the work indicated, and 

 if your inclination leads you to accept tho proffered employ, lam directed to re- 

 quest you will favour the Committee, at your earliest convenience, with a state- 

 ment of the personal remuneration which you think sufficient for the appropri- 

 ation of your time and labour, and of the establishment of pundits and writers, 

 which you consider necessary for your assistance, and any other particulars, 

 which your acquaintance with the MSS. in question may enable you to give, as. 

 to the expenses which may have to be incurred in the course of the undertaking, 

 I have the honour to be, 

 Sir, 



Your most obedient servant, 

 To the Robert Cole, 



Rev. W. Taylor. Secretary Asiatic Department. 



To which the following reply has been received: — 



To R. Cole, Esq. 



Sec. to the Asiatic Dept. of the Madras L. S. and J. /?. A. S. 



cjx\ tyc. 



Sir,— I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 5th instant, 

 and feel duly sensible of the honour which has been done me. 



In reply I have the pleasure to state that I am willing to accept of the proposed 

 office ; and to do my best towards filling it in a manner which shall be satisfactory 

 to the high and honourable authorities whence the proposition has, in so flattering- 

 ly distinguishing a manner, proceeded. 



