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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CBYLON). [VOL. XVIII. 
fully known as can be desired, and valuable information with regard 
to that period might be obtained from records that may be preserved 
in China. His reference to Raigama also supplies information that 
is not possessed by many of us, who regard it as an obscure village, 
without any idea of its claim to having been the seat of so distin- 
guished a character in our history as Alakeswara. 
With regard to the observations just made as to the part the 
Buddhist Priesthood took to restore the throne to its rightful owner, 
it should be kept in view that they were invariably consulted in 
matters of importance affecting the State, and they must have been 
interested, in common with many others, in attaining this object, but 
they might not have dictated the measures adopted to get rid of the 
usurper, and his assassination might have been effected by others than 
the Priesthood. 
10. Mr. R. G. Anthonisz seconded the vote of thanks to Mr. 
Perera for his Paper, and the motion was carried with acclamation. 
11. Mr. J. Harwakd, in moving a resolution with reference to 
the resignation of th^ Hon. Mr. Everard im Thurn, said : I have 
been asked to propose a resolution to put on record our regret at the 
loss to the Society of the gentleman who occupies the Chair to-night, 
and who is President of the Colombo Branch of the Royal Asiatic 
Society. I am sorry this resolution has not fallen into worthier hands. 
Our two Yice-Presidents are away from Colombo, and those whose 
learning and attainments would have rendered them more suitable 
representatives of this Society on such an occasion are unable to be 
present with us to-night. This is hardly the place in which to enlarge 
on that warm-heartedness and personal charm which have made the 
Lieutenant-Grovernor so dear to many in Ceylon. I must confine myself 
to his relations with this Society. His connection with the Royal 
Asiatic Society began within a few days after his landing in Ceylon. 
We had just lost the services of one who had been our President for 
many years and whose place it was extremely difficult to fill — I mean 
the present Metropolitan of Calcutta. It was just when the Society 
was called upon to face this loss that we learned that Ceylon was going 
to have, as its Colonial Secretary, one who was distinguished in the 
scientific world, and who had devoted many years to the study of nature 
and man in the tropics. Mr. im Thurn would in any case have been 
welcomed as a Member of this Society, and would have been expected 
to take a leading part in its work and in the direction of its affairs. 
But, at that particular juncture, the Society felt itself called upon to 
invite him to become at one and the same moment a Member of the 
Society and its President. He has held that office for two and a half 
years. We had all hoped that he would hold it for a much longer 
period, and that with more time and leisure he would have been able 
to contribute to our Journal some of the results of his personal 
research. The needs of the Empire, however, have intervened, and 
Mr. im Thurn has been called upon to fill the highest official position 
in an important Colony before he could accomplish all that we expected 
and that he hoped. We are none the less grateful for what he has 
actually done. He has been unfailing in his attendance, both at the 
Meetings of the Council and at the G-eneral Meetings of this Society. 
In spite of the laborious and absorbing nature of his official work he 
has always found time to take an interest in the questions that have 
come before us. He has in fact been an ideal President for a learned 
