A.PSIL — -sept. 1858.] Proceedings. 169 



would otherwise have had at their disposal. Some have been, 

 and are still, employed in active service in the North, while even 

 of those resident in Madras, several have been so much occupied 

 by the duties which have devolved upon them in consequence of 

 this state of matters, as to have had very little time at their dis- 

 posal for any thing else. And if this applies to Madras, it does 

 so in a much greater degree to the other Presidencies, from neither 

 of which have we received any direct contributions to our Annual 

 Exhibition; a large and varied collection however published in 

 the Bombay Amateurs' Journal is to be found in the Exhibition. 



An endeavour was made last year to induce the Societies of the 

 sister Presidencies so to fix the time of their respective Exhibi- 

 tions, as to enable the three Societies to interchange contributions 

 and thus render the Exhibitions more interesting. It is to be 

 regretted that the Bombay Society have never replied to the Secre- 

 tary's letter. The Bengal Society did so, and promised to consi- 

 der the subject when arranging about their own Exhibition for 

 this year. They appear to have overlooked the matter, however, 

 for although a requisition has just been received from them soli- 

 citing contributions for their Exhibition that is announced to take 

 place next month, they make no allusion to the proposal which 

 was made to them, nor have they sent a single picture for our 

 Exhibition. 



In our own Presidency, however, - there is every reason to be- 

 lieve that Photographers abound all over the country, and so great 

 is the demand for Photographic chemicals, that Messrs. Flynn and 

 Co. state that they have great difficulty in supplying it. This 

 circumstance alone proves what has been above stated, and consi- 

 dering the many objects of interest to the Photographer in this 

 Presidency, not only as regards Architectural remains and scenery, 

 but also as illustrations of Ethnological questions, considering the 

 great variety of races of the human family, the diversity of their 

 costume and habits, the implements used in their manifold occu- 

 pations, nearly all so different from what are used in Europe, it 

 must be admitted that circumstances are most favorable to the pro- 

 duction of a highly valuable and interesting class of Photographs 

 characteristic of the country and its inhabitants, and it would un- 



Yol. xx o. s. Vol. it. n. s. 



