Royal Asiatic Society beg to present their Report on the operations of the Society during the year ended 30th April 1890.
1.—Council.—The otfive-bearers and members of Council elected at the Annual General meeting held, under the presidency of Dr. R. 'A, Jamieson, on the 28th May 1889, were as follows:—Mr. P, J. Hughes, President Messrs. W. R. Carles and' P, Mollendorff, Vice-Presidents William Bright, Hon. Secretary; Rev. Ernst Faber, Dr. Theol., Hon, Librarian; Mr. Carl Bock, 'Hon. Curator of Museum; Mr. R. M. Camp-dell, Hon. 'Treasurer; and Messrs. Joseph Edkins, D.D., W. S. Emens, J. H Focke, Dr. Jur. R. A. Jamieson, M.A., M.D., and Ven. Archdeacon Moule,' D.D.' OF these, Messrs W. R. Carles and R. M. Campbell, Dr. J. H. Focke, and the Ven. Archdeacon Moule resigned towards the end of their tenure of office, the first named owing to his transfer to another port, and the others owing to their departure for Europe.
2—Menbers. 'The number of members on the roll at the end of the period now reported on comprised 8 Honorary, 24 Corresponding, and 218 Ordinary Members (including in the lust mentioned' category 7 Life Members). The total number of members has decreased somewhat, owing to w recent decision of the Council regarding the erasure from the list of members of the names of those whose subscriptions were much in arrear: the decrease, huwever, is toa certain extent more apparent than real, as_many persons who on leaving China wished to resign their membership neglected to inform the Society of their intention. It is with much regret that the Council have to report the decease during 1889 of two prominent and learned Orientalists, Prof. W. Schott and Colonel Henry Yule,'C.8., both of whom were Honorary Members of the Society.
3.—AMeetings—At the meetings held since the date of the last Council's Report papers on the following subjects were read:—"* Government by Women in Eastern Asia," by D.J. Macgowan, Esq., M.D. Prehistoric China revealed by the Chinese Written Character," by Dr, Ernst Faber. hinese Architecture," by Dr. J. Edkin:
The reading of these papers was followed by interesting discussions, notes of which will be found in the minutes of the meetin, addition, the following papers ha accepted, and will be read at the annual eneral meeting:—* Notes on the Nestorians China," by E. H. Parker, Keq. "The Tent Theory as applied to Chinese Architecture," by 8. Ritter von Tries.
'4.—Journal.—Such of the papers mentioned above as have been accepted for publication will appear in the current volume, as also a valuable "Essay on Manchu Literature," by Mr. P. G. von Mollendorff, and an abstract, prepared by Mr, H. B, Morse, of the replies to the Society's circular on the Weights, measures, and currency of China." Incomplete as the information contained in the abstract may be, it has been thought to publish it, and at the same time to solicit further particulars from those in a ition to furnish them, 80 as to allow of the information being amplified at an early date. In the current volume will also be found the correspondence between the President of the Society and Doyen of the Diplomatic Body at Peking concerning the preservation of the Nestorian Tablet and other ancient monuments at Sianfu, and the Council would here beg to tender their thanks to the members of the Diplomatic Corps for the interest they have evinced in the subject, and to the Chinese High Authorities for their ready willingness to undertake the necessary measures for the protection of these historical treasures, 5.—Officers' Reports.—Appeuded are the Treasurer's, Curator's, and Librarian's Reports. From the Treasurer's Report it will be seen that the Society's finance i tionally satisfactory. The to credit in the Society's Account is Tis,
Tls. 379.93; while the Museum Account shows credit balance of Tls. 120.64, An increase has to be noted in the sale of the Society's Journals, thus affording satisfactory evidence of the growing appreciation in which the early as well as the more recent publications of the Society are held both in China and abroad. The Treasurer reports that repeated plications to many members have failed to secure the payment of their annual subscriptions. Some of the $615 stated in his Report as outstanding under this head has since been paid in, but a considerable sum still remains to be collected. Judging that members who tions do not desire to have their names borne not responded to the Treasurers applica: on the Society's roll of members, the Council in January last decided to remove from the list the names of those who have failed to ay their subscriptions for. the past three years, and henceforth members whose subscriptions are two years in arrear will receive no further publications of the Society, while, as a reminder, the names of such members will in the published list be printed in italics.
The Curator's Report gives the names of the specimens presented during the year. While thanking those who in their up-country trips, in whatever province they may be, think of the needs of the Museum, the Council cannot but regret that the collection is still below the standard, as regards variety, that they and all students of natural history desire see it reach. The Council have to thank Janet for his valuable services in arranging and classifying the collection of butterflies in the Museum.
The Librarian reports favourably of the work in connection with the Library, and the thanks of the Council are due to Dr. E. Faber for his untiring zeal and devotion to its interests. Much solid work has been done, and great advance has been made, towards arranging in convenient order, binding, num-Library, utilising to the utmost extent bering, and cataloguing the works in the the limited accommodation the room affords.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.