1 847.] and AvxiUary Uoyal Asiatic Society. 



18S 



Museums imperfectly arranged and insufficiently superintended would 

 not be calculated to have any extended utility. The benefit of such 

 Institutions depends mainly on the interest felt in the subject by 

 those entrusted with their management, and if left to the care of 

 Officers burthened with other duties, and not specially interested in 

 such pursuits, they would not be- likely to receive the degree of at= 

 tention which could render their establishment a public advantage. 



13. We think that in the first instance the formation of a central 

 Museum at Madras (which might be advantageously connected w'ith 

 the University) combining many subjects of interest, and creating by 

 degrees a general taste and appreciation of Science, should be the 

 primary object, and that such local Museums as it maybe expedient to 

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

 tastes and qualifications, should be considered chiefly as Repositories 

 for the collection and transmission to the central Museum, of the inter- 

 esting objects afforded by their respective localities. In such cases 

 we wdllingly authorize such small charges as may be necessary, or 

 as may contribute materially to the efficiency of the arrangements. 



iZ..o^..d,-That these You further transmit a List of all the 



Papers be coramuni- Scientific Reports which are on the records of 



cated to the Committee ^ 



of the Literary Society Government, and suf]^ffest that it would be de- 



who will be furnished ' 



with a list of all the sirable to place these and similar documents in 



Scientific Reports onthe ^ 



records of Government the hands of persons competent to test their 



with a view to the selec- , i . , 



tion for publication of value, and that authority should be granted for 



such as would answer , . 



any useful purpose, the prmtmg either the whole or selected Papers, it 



Government undertak- .„ . ^.^ . 



ing to defray any mo- being " clearly ot importance II scientinc inquiries 



derate expense on this , i i ,i /-i 



account. are to be encouraged by the Government, 



" that individuals should have access to the in- 

 " formation these papers contain." 

 15. We cannot think that the printing of more than a limited se- 

 lection of the Papers contained in the list could answer any useful 

 purpose, considering the subjects of some and the old date of a consi- 

 derable number. But we shall not object to any moderate expense 

 which it may appear to you advisable to incur for giving publicity to 

 any valuable information on the records of your Government. 

 (True Extracts.) 



(Signed) R. G. Clauke, 

 To Deputy Secretary to Government. 



The Committee of the Madras Literary Society 



and Auxiliary of the JRoyal Asiatic Society. 



