LITERARY REGISTER SUPPLEMENT: 
AND CEYLOX 
"NOTES AND QUERIES." 
[Under this heading, in future, we mean to give a four or eight x)age Supplement "' with our Tropical 
Agriculturist, from quarter to quarter, according as there is matter of sufficient value, so to he preserved.] 
JU^S, X899. 
THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 
THE CEYLON BRANCH 
ANNtJAL MEETING. 
The annual general meeting of the members 
of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic So- 
ciety was held on the 23rd Feb. at the Library 
of the Colombo Museum, the Bishoj) of Co- 
lombo, President of the Society, occupying the 
chair. The others present were : — Messrs. Ph. 
Freudenberg, F. H. Price, Captain Rutherford, 
Messss. E. Booth, G. H. Suhren, J. and R. H. 
Ferguson, Dr. Saravanamuttu, Messrs. C. 
Driebei'g, S. C. Rudra, G. C. Waii-, F. Tis- 
saverasinghe, Ph. Morgappah, A. E. Bmilt- 
jens, R. G. Anthonisz, J. A. Henderson, 
F. Crosbie Roles (Hony. Treasurer), and J. 
Harward and Gerard A Joseph, Hony. 
Secretaries. 
The minutes of the previous meeting were 
read by Mr. Harward, and confii^med. Mr. 
Harward next read 
THE ANXUAt REPORT. 
(See summary and extracts below. ) 
On the motion of Mr. Freudexberg se- 
conded by Mr. Henderson, the report was 
adopted. 
office-bearers. 
The following were elected office-bearers for 
the current year, on the motion of Mr. Price 
(who referred to the good services already 
x'euderod by most of the gentlemen in the list) 
seconded by Air. C. Dkii.derg. 
Prksident.— The Bishop of Colombo. 
Vice-Presidents.— The Hon. Mr. Justice 
Lawrie and Mr. St^niforth Green. 
CouNCir..— VTr. W. P. Ramvsinghe, Dr. 
W. Vt. VanDort, Mr. E. S. W. Senatlii Rajah, 
Mr. C. M. Fernando. Mr. A. Haly, Mr. P. 
Freudenberg, Mr. J. Ferguson, Mr. P. 
Coouiiirajswamy, Mr. F. H. Modder, Mr. 
F. M. Mackwood, Mr. J. P. Lewis, and Mr. H. 
White. 
Hony. TKiiASURER.— Mr. F. Crosbie Roles. 
Hony. SiaKETARiiis.— Mr. H. C. P. Bell, Mr. 
J. Hiirwaid, and Mr. Gerard A. Joseph. 
The CiiAiu.MAN returned thanks and referred 
to the pfooti work done by the Treasiirer in 
the disagTeeable task of getting in ai^ears 
due by certain members, and also to the 
great interest taken by the Secretaries, not 
the least by him who is at a distance. He felt 
that one improvement would be the election of 
another President (cries of No, uo.) by which 
means a presidential address might be se- 
cured. In such Societies elsewhere, an an- 
nual address of the kind was the rule, but 
then there was a change in the chair every 
year. However, as they had re-elected him, 
he would do what he cotxld for the Society 
with the aid of the Council and office-bearers, 
(Applause). 
PORTUGAL'S ilARK OF POSSESSION AT 
COLOMBO. 
Mr. G. A. Joseph, Seci'etary, then read the 
CoiTespondence which had taken place in the 
local press and otherwise over the discover>- 
of a Portuguese coat-of-arms with date 1501 
inscribed on a rock at the site of the old 
Breakwater Office in the Fort of Colombo. 
One of the most apposite extracts is as 
follows : — 
Extract G. 1505 a.d.— And therefore Don Loureuoe 
asked some people of the couutcy (Colombo) to come, 
and with their consent lie set up a Padrao of stone 
on a boQlder, and on it he ordered to inscribe a 
device to show that he had come there and discovered 
that I Uud. Since Hercules cAuaot boast to himself 
wicn regard to the Padraoes of his discovery ; Gonzalo 
Gonzalves, who was the engiinesr of the work, had in 
tills matter so great giory, since ho placed his own 
name at the foot of it. And so Gonzalo Gonzalvea 
became more truly the architect of that column than 
Hercules of the many which the Greeks attribute to 
hiin in their writing. (Deo I , lib. X,, chap. V., p. 
•12.5.) 
In the discussion which followed, the 
Bishop, Messrs. Harward, Buultjeus, and 
Price, .fee, took part.— Mr. Harward iii- 
clines to the view of Mr. de Vos of Galle 
tint the cross and lettering (not figures 
or date) were added to the boulder long 
after the coat-of-arms. Mr. Buultjens strongly 
supported the view that the date (1501) bo- 
longed to the coat-of-arms. Mr. Price lind 
inspected the stone and considered that dif- 
ferent workmanslilp probably .it differort. 
