No. 55.— 1904.] 
PROCEEDINGS. 
:5ii 
Society, and I am sure that I am expressing the views of all of you 
when I say that there is no place in Ceylon where his presence will be 
more missed than in this room, and that if ever in the future he 
should return, in another capacity, there is no place where he would 
receive a warmer welcome. Ladies and Gentlemen, I propose this 
resolution : — 
" That the Members of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 
while offering their congratulations to the Hon. Mr. Everard im 
Thurn, M.A., O.B., C.M.G., on his appointment as Governor of Fiji and 
High Commissioner of the Western Pacific, wish to place on record 
their regret that he is obliged to resign the office of President of this 
Society, and their gratitude for the constant interest which he has taken 
in its work." 
12. Dr. WiLLEY, Director of the Colombo Museum, seconded the 
resolution, and in doing so said : Ladies and gentlemen, I consider it a 
great privilege to be called upon to second the resolution which has been 
so ably proposed by .\ f r. Harward. I do so with great pleasure, and at the 
same time with not a little sense of responsibility. This must be almost 
the last, if not quite the very last, public function in Ceylon at which 
Mr. im Thurn will assist before his departure for Fiji, and the words 
which he hears in this room to-night will possibly cling to his memory 
for some little time. I have only been a Member of this Society for a 
short time. During that period I have been elected a Member of the 
Council and have attended a fair proportion of its Meetings. I am 
sure all the Members of the Council who have served the Society 
for many years will agree with me when I bear witness to the patience 
and tact with which the President has dealt with matters which 
have come before the Council. It may be in a manner appropriate 
that I should speak on an occasion of this kind, because, as we all know, 
the Colombo Museum was an offspring of the Asiatic Society. Sir 
William Gregory was its godfather and Mr. im Thurn has been a very 
good friend to it. To-night we bid him farewell, not in his capacity 
of Lieutenant-Governor, but as President of this Society. I think 
the Society is to be congratulated on the names which appear on its 
Presidential roll,and not the least of those will be that of Mr. im Thurn, 
who, as Mr. Harward pointed out, has not been merely an ornamental 
figurehead of this Society, but has shown genuine interest in its welfare 
by actively participating in its Meetings. Mr. im Thurn, I venture to 
think, is a living illustration of the fact, which is perhaps not realized 
as fully as it might be, that scientific attainments, inclinations, andisym- 
pathies are net incompatible with a humane disposition, administrative 
ability, and political sagacity. He has tested the heights of E>oraima 
and the depths of the Gulf of Mannar, and I suppose that it now 
remains for him to survey the extensive domains which are about to 
pass under his jurisdiction from the cradle of a balloon. 
Whether he is destined to conquer the air as he has conquered the 
land and the sea, we may be quite sure he will ever retain the same 
lofty interest in all positive knowledge which he has hitherto displayed, 
and we may hope he will always look back with pleasure and satisfac- 
tion upon his term of office as President of the Ceylon Branch of the 
Royal Asiatic Society. 
13. The President replied to the vote of thanks and said : Ladies 
and G entlemen, it seems to me that I have for a good many weeks past 
been singing a sort of swan song here in Ceylon, but now, as Dr. Willey 
