( 30 ) 
C P Bell, CCS. ; P Arunachalam, c.c.s.; O CoUett ; W 
H Furness, m.d. ; and the Colombo Masenm Libiary. 
Besides those already on the exchange fist, Council 
have decided to exchange with the Director, Mission 
Archeologique d'Indo-China, Saigon. 
The Council still constaiitly receives applications 
from Societies and Institutions for exchanges of our 
Journal. The Council regrets having had to refuse 
some exchanges during the year owing to the large 
number of Societies already on the exchange list. 
The Council regrets thut the amount inserted in the 
draft estimates for 1900 for the Mus' um extension was 
not passed. Confident hope was entertained that the 
Museum extension would have been started in 1900, 
and that the congested state of the Library of the 
Society would shortly have been relieved. 
The affording of relief for the overcrowded collec- 
tions of books has been a crying want for a lengthy 
period. The (-ounoil have repeatedly in their repotts 
and letters called the attention of Government to the 
diflSculty of finding room for current accessions and for 
the books already in the Library. The Library of the 
Society and that of the Museum have outgrown the 
spase available in the existing rooms, and it is neces- 
sary that there should be more accommodation for both. 
The Libraries need rooms large enough to allow for 
expansion, and at the same time to permit of a rational 
classification of the books on the shelves* Temporary 
measures have been adopted for some years to enable 
the Society to house the books in the room allowed 
to the Society. But the only real remedy for the 
present overflowing state of the Library is an extension 
of the building. 
Journals. — Vol. XV.. No. 49, 1898, was issued during 
the year. It contains, in addition to the Proceedings 
of the Council and General Meetings, the following 
Papers ; — 
(i.) " Contributions to Ceylon Malacology: (2) Des- 
cription of a new Helicoid Land Shell from the 
Southern Province," by Mr. O Collett, p.r.m.s. 
(ii.) "Aids to the Identification of Ceylon Birds: 
Part I. — Introduction and Kev to the Passeres" 
by Mr. A Haly. 
(iii.) "A Pertinent Account and Detailed Descrip- 
tion of the Character, Nature, Coitus, and Pro- 
duction of Elephants in the Great Island of 
Ceylon,'' translated from the Dutch by F H 
de Vos. 
(iv.) " Don Jeronimo'de Azevedo, Governor of Ceylon 
from 1594 to 1611 A.D.," by Mr. A E Buultjens, 
B.A. Cantab. 
(v.) " Monumental Eemains of the Dutch East India 
Company of Ceylon," by Mr. F H de Vos, 
The printing of the Journal for 1899, No. 50, is in 
hand and will be issued to Members shortly. 
AiiCH.EOtiOGY. — The Council regret that iu 1899 the 
Archeeologicp.l Commissioner was not able to furnish 
any report on liis operations at Sigiriya, which have 
formed so interesting a feature in the recent numbers 
of the Journal. A concluding report on this subject 
will probably be submitted to a General Meeting eitrly 
in the present year. The ArchsBological Commis- 
sioner has favoured the Council with the following 
synopsis of work done by the ArciiSBological Survey 
during 1899: — 
REORGANISATION OF THE ARCH^OLOGICAL 
SURVEY. 
As the result of the lecommendations of the 
Commission a.pj)ointe(l by H,E. tlie Governor to 
report on the iiioie efficient prosecution of the 
Survey, the ArchBeological Comnii.ssioner's 
liaiiil.s were .strengthened from January 1899, 
by tlie : — ,j ,. . ■ , : 
'{a) increase of the Jisote'rfor Archaeoiogical 
purposes to K40,000. . . 
'■(•b) appoiriltr)ent ot a L!rl)our As.«istant to the 
Arch a'o logical Oomniissioner. 
"(c) attachinf^ to the Der)artnient two native 
■ ■■ i?pif(raphists(Messr8. D M fie ZWickramasiiighe 
and R (}nnaf:ekara, Mudaiiyar.) 
With thi.s aid, proportionate progress lias been 
made. For tlie first time excavations have been 
carried on simultaneously at two centres (Anura- 
dhapura and Sigiriya) ; wliilst preliminary work 
has been started in connection with the system- 
atic and scientific publication of ancient 
inscription of the island (Eprigraphia Zeylanica). 
EXCAVATIONS, &C. 
ANURADHAPURA.— At Anuradhapura half the 
labour force was continuously employed under 
Mr. Dashwood, Labour Assistant. Must of the 
year was spent in pushing excavations south- 
wards from Thuparama Dagoba towards Buwanveli 
Dagoba. In this long stretch of pictnre.'^que park 
little of tlie ancient ruins remains uutampered with, 
ill-considered later day reconstruction from_older 
buildings has transformed the site seneially 
into a irregular congeries of insignificant and 
uninteresting monk's dwelliiigs, with attendant 
out- houses innumerable. Amidst the mediocre 
medley of ruins, one or two stand out markedly 
e.g. the beautiful pair of shrines, miscalled 
"Pavilions,' square columned with spreading 
dwarf-band capitals. 
In the dry weather work ^yas temporarily 
resumed at " Elala Sohona.'" Here the summit of 
the fiat-topped mo\uid has been thoroughlyjiug 
revealing walls, cross walls, tee of the super- 
structure of a dagoba. traditionally fixed as the 
tomb of the Tamil King, El&la. 
Towards the close of the year the whole force 
of coolies was concentrated at Buliyanhiilarn, 
2^ miles from the town with the object of finally 
completing the excavation of this extensive Bud- 
dhist monastery ; between 30 and 40 pirivenas 
and lying regularly round and outside the main 
temenos, containing the dagoba and three Viharas, 
have been laid bare ; and at the magnificent 
pilimag6 the re-setting of the fallen slabs of the 
stj'lobate revetment was nearly completed. 
Sigiriya. — The A C spent a final .season at 
Sigiriya in rounding off the field-work of the 
Archseolo^^ical Survey at Sigiri-nuwara. The excav 
ation of the summit and terraces at the base of the 
Rock was finished in 1898. The past year was 
devoted to the digging out of the numerou* 
caves beneath boulder? dotted below the rock to 
the west besides sporadic excavations at other 
promising sites (e g. three or tour moat':d islands) 
within the vil henntm, or outermo.st. ramp of 
the ancient city. In restoration steady progress 
was made in the heavy task of re-building on 
the old lines the southern approach to 
the gallery, as well as the wrecked 
portion of the gallery it.seif at the north end. 
The levying of a concrete bed for the foundation* 
of the v.all involved constant risk t.i life and 
great labour, but was safely accomplished by the 
end of the season. The preservation of the fres- 
coe-^, as far as practicable, was commenced. 
FolonNaRUWA. — The lines for the occupa- 
tion of the A. S. force are nnder construction at 
Topavewa. In 1900, after two months given to the 
necessary annual clearing of the ruins at cigiriya, 
the A. C. will move on to Polonnaruwa, and 
break ground at that ancient capital. 
Award op a Gold Medal as an Encotjbagement 
TO OniBNTAL Learning. — In 1897 the Council of the 
Royal Asiatic Society established a Gold Medal to be 
awarded every third year as an encouragement to 
Oriental learning amongst English-speaking people. 
To meet the expenses incurred in preparing a design, 
engraving dies, and finding an amount to produce an 
income sufficient to defray the requisite charges, a 
