403 Proceedings of the Mad. Lit. Society 



[No. 38, 



the Madras University, and observes that the latter for reasons assigned 

 postpone the full consideration of the subject. 



1. The Right Honorable the Governor in Council has attentively 

 considered the propositions submitted in the foregoing letter in connec- 

 tion with the views expressed by the Honorable Court in their des- 

 patches on the subject of a Central Museum at Madras, and while he 

 warmly approves of the establishment of such an Institution, it does 

 not appear to him that those despatches convey any authority to this 

 Government to incur the expense necessary to provide a suitable Build- 

 ing and a qualified Curator for a Central Museum. 



2. In the 13th para, of their despatch of 20th May, No. 12 of 1846, 

 the Honorable Court, however express an opinion that in the first in- 

 stance the formation of a Central Museum at Madras should be the pri- 

 mary object, and authorizing as tbey do such small charges as may be 

 necessary for the formation of local Museums, subsidiary to the cen- 

 tral one, in places where Officers are to be found with the requisite 

 tastes and qualifications to take the charge of them, there can be no 

 doubt that they will be ready to sanction a reasonable allowance for 



' the main object. 



3. The services of a qualified Curator appear to be indispensable in 

 order to the formation of the intended Museum. 



4. It is clear that he must be a person of education, not merely ac- 

 quainted with the sciences and languages of Europe, but qualified in 

 the languages of the East — and the salary of such an individual must 

 be fixed on a handsome scale commensurate with his important duties. 

 He will also, it is presumed, require some establishment and a resi- 

 dence, which it would be most desirable should be in the building as- 

 signed to the Museum. 



5. The Governor in Council cannot take on himself to pronounce 

 what the salary of the Curator should be, but he certainly thinks not 

 less than a personal allowance of Rupees (500) Eive hundred per men- 

 sem, with (100) One hundred Rupees for an establishment, and a Re- 

 sidence. In his opinion the situation might be given to some qualified 

 Officer of the Civil or Military Service already holding an appointment 

 at the Presidency, and by this arrangement a reduction in the charge 

 might be affected. 



6. In their despatch No. 12 of 1S46, the Honorable Court suggested 

 that the Museum might be advantageously attached to the University, 

 but, for various reasons unnecessary here to detail, the Governor in 

 Council is disposed to think that for the present at least it would be 

 better that it be a separate Institution. Hereafter, when the Universi- 

 ty shall have been fully established, and a building suitable to it and 

 the Museum combined, shall have been erected, the Honorable Court's 

 suggestion may be acted on. 



