1847.] 



a?id Auxiliary Royal Asiatic Society. 



189 



The Meeting- having approved of the proposition of the Managing 

 XI!ommittee, a draft of letter which the latter intend to address to Go- 

 vernment on the subject was read, and with certain modifications of 

 , the 5th paragraph approved of, and passed by the Meeting. 

 To 



The Chief Secretary to Government^ Fort St. George, 

 Sir, 



Extract from a letter ^' ^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^'^ Manage 



Cou'^tSro^-eX^^^^ Committee of the Madras Literary Society 



20th May, (No. 13 of) ^nd Auxiliary of the Royal Asiatic Society, to 

 Copy of letter to Go- acknowledge the receipt of Extract from Minutes 



\'ernment from Major ^ 



General CuUen, (with of Consultation in the Public Department, dated 



amaexments,) dated 5th 



December, 1843 - 4th Auffust, 1846, No. 726, with the documents . 



List of the Scientific o ' ' 



Reports on the records therein recorded (as per marsrin ;) and, with re- 



of Government. ^ » '/ 



ference to the subject thereof to state for the in- 

 formation of the Most Noble the Governor in Council, that the Com- 

 mittee being of opinion that the Society's Museum could not be dispos- 

 ed of in a manner more likely to be practically useful, as well to Go- 

 vernment as to the Public, than by being made part of the Central 

 Museum at Madras, the establishment of which the Honorable the 

 Court of Directors have been pleased to sanction, determined to pro- 

 pose to the Subscribers that the collection should be offered, on cer- 

 tain conditions, to Government, with a view to its becoming the foun- 

 dation or nucleus of the proposed Central Museum. 



2d. This was accordingly done at a Special General Meeting 

 held at the College on Wednesday the 11th instant, and the Com- 

 mittee have now the honor, with the sanction of the Subscribers, 

 to offer their Museum to Government, upon the understanding, that if 

 the plan for establishing a Central Museum at Madras, should fail, or 

 if after being established it should be closed, or the collection dispers- 

 ed, the specimens presented by the Literary Society shall be again 

 placed at its disposal, and that all Members of the Society shall have 

 the freest possible access to the central Museum : which privilege the 

 Committee hope Government will be pleased to extend to the Mem- 

 bers of the Polytechnic Institution, which although not at present di- 

 rectly connected with the Literary Society appears an association for 

 similar jDurposes. 



3d. The Society's Museum though far from being a very extensive 

 collection, contains, as observed by Major General CuUen, in the 3d 

 paragraph of his letter to Government, specimens of the rocks and 



