cology : — DeBoription of a New Helicoid Laud shell 
{rom the Southern Province Vol. XV:No49. 3.(111) 
Ooutribuiions to Cejlon Malacology Vol. XVI No 51. 
At a tneeti ig helj on 5 h Pebmaiy, 1902^ he follow- 
ing resolution wa? pasBe') i.n i coin [mm looted to Mrs. 
CoUett. Resolved : — '• Th*t ihe Gouucil of ihe CtJjlon 
Branch of lUe Rr.jal Asiatic Society with to l eoord 
their regret at th.^ death of Mr. Oliver Oollett, a 
member of tha Society, who bas particu;a' ly identified 
himself With bioiogic*! research aud coiiciibuted aome 
«!iinablB' papei'si to the Society." 
Library. — The additioiis to the Library dmin^ the 
year iuclodi. g p vna of periodicitls nntabered 317. The 
Libraiy is indebted foi- doaationa to the foliovving : — 
The Secretary of Siate for ladia; the Go^stnnieas 
cf [udia ; Aroi-saolopical Sm viiy of Ir.diii; Pcol'ssiior 
A. Bftstiau , the Postmaster-Getierai ; Gerard A. 
Joseph ; the Colonial Secretary ; India Of&ce Library ; 
Mr. A W Fernando ; Dr. Tha Do Ouug ; Cape of 
Good Hope Geological Commission ; Oberlin College 
Library ; Rev. P D Wajiranana ; Messrs. H C P 
Bell ; j F W Gore ; Dr. A Caroll, and Mr. A K 
Ooomaraswamy. For valuable exchanges received 
daring the year the Society is indebted to tha following: 
— The American Oriental Society ; the Royal Society 
of Victoria ; the Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila- 
delphia ; the Smithsonian Institute ; Bombs/y 
Brauoh of the Royal Asiatic Society, U, S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, Wagner Institute of Sciences, 
Philadelphia ; Geological Survey of U S of America ; 
Field Columbian Museum ; (the State Arcliieves;) the 
Bureau of Education ; (the Societie Zoologique, Paris ;) 
(Anthropologiche Gesellsehaft, Koenig-graclzer-strasse 
Berlin;) (Deutsche Morgenlandiscbe Gessellschaft, 
Leipzig;) Royal Society of New South Wales; Califor- 
nia Academy of Sciences; (Societie Imperiale des 
Naturalistes de Moscow ;) China Branch of the R A S ; 
Asiatic Society of Japan; Royal Asiatic Society of 
Great Britain and Ireland; the Indian Museum; 
Asiatic Society of Bengal ; John Hopkins University ; 
Geological Society of London ; the Anthropological 
Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. The Geologi- 
cal and Natural History Survey of Canada ; the Royal 
Colonial Institute ; Straits Branch of the R A S the 
Royal Geographical Society of Australasia j and 
Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 
Accommodation.— -The Council in 1898 directed the 
attention of Government to the congested state of 
the Library and referred to the subject touched 
upon in the Aaaual Reports from 1888. His Ex- 
cellency the Governor in reply then stated that he 
"sbarea the regret of the Council tbat other more 
urgant claims on public moneys have prevented the 
piovision of fiiiidn for the extension of the Museum." 
The Connf'il h po that we are now within reasonable 
diBtanoe of the time when provision will be made 
for carrying out tbe long-contemplated extension. 
Journals. — One number of the Journal has been 
published during the year (Vol. XVII. No. 52-1901). 
It contains in addition to tha proceedings of the 
Council and the Annual (a eneral Meeting, the followinj; 
uaper: — "Supplementary paper on the Monumental 
ttemaina of the Dutch East India Company in 
Ceylon," by F H de Vos. 
ARCHAEOLOGICAL. 
AKOH^oLoaicAL Survey, 1902,— The Archceological 
Survey continued operations in 1902, at Anuradhp.pura, 
Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa. From January 1st Mr, 
J, Still was appointed to succeed Mr, C, E. D-ishwood 
as Assistant to the Archaeological Commissioner, con- 
current field work was thus again rendered practicable 
at two centres during much of the year. 
Anuraduai'URa — Himanveli Area. — South of the 
Buwanveli Dagoba are still to be found a few 
scattered silts, maiked by pillar stumps, r/hich have 
not yet been excavated. These isolated ruins are 
dotted about llie Residency groLind.j, the premises 
of Government clerks and the open spaces adjoining 
the Sacred Road. 
Maha Pau Alms Hill.— One these detaohea 
ruins, an extensive site, roughly pillared, was ex. 
ploited in the past year, and has fortunately yielded 
one of the most interesting discoveries hitherto made 
at Auutadhapura. As excavation spread the plan of 
an exceedingly spacious quadrangle, with central 
court-yard, or shallow tank, was gradually disclosed. 
This four-square ruin measures I35 feet more or bsa 
each side. All rouud ran a range of rooms or a 
corridor, ouca roofed in ; and 30 feet in width' The 
hypetnral court-yard, or tank some 75 feet square 
eacljsfed within the building, is stone-fl-.gged and at 
a lower level than the quadrangnlir rooms. In the 
west corridor w-is unearthed a Jarge "stone canop " 
perfectly preserved 44 h. 6 in. long, by 3 ft, C iu. b--oad 
maluug the fourth so far foaud at Anuradhapara, 
lha ruins to the East of Abhayagiriya Dafolja 
exci;,vated in 1893, contain a ruin much the same 
in plan with a similar " kenda oruwa," or "kanii 
boat " (as these strange " stone canoes " are popu- 
larly termed) but greatly damaged, situated in a 
central group of monasteries. These special build- 
ings were doubtless those "Alms Halls ^"(Dansala) 
mentioned not unfrequently in the " Mahawahso." 
The spaciousness and general finish of the present 
ruin laid bare in the Resthouse premises, seem to 
justify its probable identification with the "Maha 
Pali," that chiefest of " Alms Halls " greatly favoured 
of royalty from the 6th to the lOth century. The 
excavation of this extensive ruin, deeply buried and 
tree-covered, occupied the Anuradhapnra gang for the 
better part of 1902. ■ Miruavetiya ^rea.— During 
the liist three months of the year, work was re- 
sumed in the Mirisavetiya Area and will be pushed 
to completion in 1903, The ruins around the Mirisa- 
vetiya Dagoba are probably, all told, not more than 
halt a hundred in number, a;nd would appear to offer no 
special diffioulty iu unearthing. The style is severely 
simple and the grouping easily distinguished. 
Vleanng.—Tlhe annual allotment of the vote for clearing 
ruins and jungle at Anuradhapura was very profitably 
expended owing to the drought daring the first nine 
months of last year. Nearly six hundred (600Ji acres 
were cleared and weeded and some rooting oat done. 
Sigiriya.— A gang is engaged at Sigiriya daring 
the early part of every year in the tedious 
but essential, work of weeding the citadel qn 
the summit and the several terraces and excavated 
sites below the rock. Some re-clearing of under- 
growth had to be done within the area of the ancient 
city. Steady progress was made in connection with 
the continued restoration of the '• gallery," The woik 
done in 1902 comprised tha completion of the 
iron bridge spanning the gap between the lengtha 
of tha gallery along the west face ot the rook 
and of that hugging its north scarp; and the 
building of a substantial abatment in stone to prevent 
downward slip of the long and steep staircase which 
culminates at the Maluwa below thd iron ladders to 
the summit. 
By the end of next season it is hoped that the 
gallery will be restored from its broken entrance 
near the head of the North and Sonth Stairoase 
approaoheB from tha city below, as far onwards ni 
the Maluwa, The serious, and unavoidable, hind- 
rances in getting bricks, lime, and sand to faigiriya 
and up into the "gallery" cannot but much delay 
this most desirable restoration. 
With great difficulty, and no little risk, preliminary 
borings were made into the floor of the largest fresco 
" pockets," and jungle-stick ecaffolding erected ready 
for next season, 
The object, as stated last year, is to effectually 
afford permanent protection to the unique frescoes 
of Sigiriya against the ravages of Dirds and flyins 
insects. Suitable wire-netting when fixed in position 
whilst waiding off these destructive pests, will not 
mar the view of the paintings, Belq,ted agitation for 
similar protection to the better-known paintogs of 
the Ajanta Caves in India haa only recently begon. 
