LITERARY I^ECISTER SUPPLEMENT: 
AND CEYLON 
"NOTES AND QUERIES." 
[Under this heading, in future, we mean to give a four or eight page " Supplement " with our Tropical 
Agriculturist, from quarter to quarter, according as there is matter of sufficient value, so to be preierved.] 
APRIILi, 1900. 
ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY : CEYLON 
BRANCH. 
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, 
The annua! general meetingofthe Ceylon Branch, 
Royal Asiatic Society, was held in the Museum, 
Cinnamon Gardens, on Feb. 13- The Bishop 
of Colombo presided, the others present being the 
Rev. F H de Winton and Messrs. Philip Fieuden- 
berg, J Ferguson, Milligan (New Zealacd), Miss 
Ferguson, P Morgappah and J Harward and G A 
Joseph (Hon. Secretaries.) 
THE REPORT. 
Mr. Harward read the minutes of the last 
general meeting held on the 29th July, 1899, 
v/hich were confirmed. The Report was taken as 
read, save a portion in manuscript from Mr. Bell 
on his archseoological work, which was read 
Mr. Harward:— 
ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1899. 
The Council of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal 
Asiatic Society have the honour to submit the follow- 
ing Report for the year 1899 :— 
Meetings.— Three general meetings of the Society 
^ere held during the year, of which the following 
papers were read and discussed, viz :— 
(1) " Corie&pondence relating to the Antiquarian 
Discovery under the site of the old Breakwater 
Office, Colombo," by Mr. G. A. Joseph. 
(2) " A Letter from the King of Portugal to Raja 
Smha II., 1662," by Mr. D. W. Ferguson. 
(3) " Expedition in 1765 against the Prince of|Kandy, 
Lubbert Jan Baron van Eck, Governor of Ceylon 
(1763-65)," by Mr. A. E. Banltjens, b.a, Cantab. 
' (4) "The Portuguese Inscribed Mural Stone in the 
Maha Saman Dewale at Batnapura," by Mr. D. 
W. Ferguson. 
(5) " Alagiyayanna Mohottala, the Author of Kusa- 
jataka Kavyaya," by Mr. D. W. Ferguson. 
Interesting discussions followed the readinr of the 
papers (1) and (3). 
The following papers, which were not read at a 
meeting, have been printed, and will form part of the 
Journal for 1899, viz. : — 
(a) " Christianity in Ceylon in 1630," by Mr. D. W. 
Ferguson. 
(b) " Contribntiou to Ceylon IL Jacology : (3) The 
Terrestrial MoUusoa o' Ambaganuwa (Part 
II,)." by Mr. O. Colleit, f.r.m.s, 
(c) " Joao Rodriguez de Sa e Menezes," by Mr. D. 
W. Ferguson. 
{d) " Polyandry in Ceylon," by Mr. R. W. levers, 
CCS. 
The original manuscript of the capitulation of Tria- 
comalee, 1795 (presented by Mr. G. A. Joseph to the 
Colombo Museum Library), has been lithographed and 
will appear in the journal for 1899. 
Members, — During the past year six new members 
were elected, viz, : — Messrs. K S Bath, b.a. ; B H Fer- 
guson, B.A. (Life Member) ; H T Gardiner, p.r h.s. ; D 
B Jayatilaka, B.A. ; A G Tambi-Nayagam Pillai, 
Pleader-at-Criminal-Law, &c.; PB Pieris, c.c.s. 
Five members resigned, viz.:— Dr. P S Brito, Messrs. 
F Macindoe, Alfred A Clark, W C Macready. Two 
other members, Mr. H Wace (resident), Sir John J 
Grinlinton (non-resident), qualified as Life Members. 
The Society now has on its roll 191 members, includ- 
ing 20 Life members and 10 Honorary members. 
The Council record with regret the death of Mr. G 
C Trask and the Hon, Mr. L F Lee, cc s. Mr. Lee 
was for many years a member of the Society. He 
contributed to the Society's journal the following 
papers : — 
(1) A Prose Translation of the Introductory Stanzas 
of the Kusajataka," 
(2) "Notes ou Sanuas." 
(3) " The Romanized Text of the First Five Chapters 
of the Balavatara." (Journal No. 16, Vol. V., 
1870). 
Library. — The additiona to the Library during the 
year numbered 329 volumes. The acquisitions are 
chiefly exchanges from Societies. The Library is 
indebted for donations to the following ; — The Trustees 
of the Indian Museum; the Government of Bengal; 
the Government of India ; the Government of Mysore; 
the Government of Madras ; Cape of Good Hope 
Geological Commission ; Australian Association for the 
Advaucemsnt of Science ; Anstralian Anthropological 
Society; the Director of Public Instruction of Ceylon ; 
H Sastri ; J Harward, u.a. ; T B P Eehelpennalla ; H 
