"From the October and November meetings, I was unfortunately absent, but Colonel Yule, I see, read at the first, a paper on the Indian remains in Java, and at the last Mr. H. F. Blanford read an abstract of his paper on the Gerard collection of Spiti fossils which have so long lain undescribed in our museum. Both these papers will appear at length in the Journal; at the same meeting was communicated Mr. Pogson's observation on the new planet Asia, the first discovery of this kind I believe in India. "The Nos. of the Journal too which have been published during the year, contain a larger proportion of papers on Oriental literature than the Nos. for the previous years. The Paris Society in Mr. Mohl's annual report of July last, has again noticed the marked tendency towards natural history which characterizes our Journal for 1860-attributing it, however, to other causes than what appears to me to be the real one. I hope now that sanction has been given to Colonel Cunningham's archæological mission, that our proceedings in the coming year will give proofs of our constancy to those tastes which have so materially helped to found our Society's reputation. I anticipate loud approbation from European Orientalists of the work done in the past year by the editors of the 31 Nos. which have been published in the Bib. Indica. For our successful progress in the publication of this series, the Society is mainly indebted to Mr. Cowell, Babu Rajendralal Mitra and Captain Lees, whose press and able staff of Moulavies at the Madrassa remained at our service during Captain Lees' absence in England. "Altogether the year has been an interesting one, and if the meeting agree with me in thinking so, they will probably also agree with me in thinking that our success has been owing in no small degree to the general attention given to the Society's affairs by its late Council and Secretaries. I regret extremely that our obituary should contain the name of one of our office-bearers so useful and active as Colonel Baird Smith, whose papers extend over our Journal for the last twenty years." The report was then put and adopted. The meeting then proceeded to ballot for the Council and officers for the ensuing year. The Hon'ble H. B. Devereux and Mr. J. Sandars, were appointed Scrutineers, and at the close of the ballot, the chairman announced the following result, |