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2. Copy of a Government Selection, No. 85, entitled "Papers relating to the Colonization of Mander Deo, and making it a Sanitary Station." By Government.

3. Proceedings of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, Vol. IV., Part III., No. 39, and Part IV., No. 40. By the Institution.

Letters The following letters were read :—

1. Memorandum from Messrs. Remington and Co., promising to pay the cheque for Rs. 6,000, but intimating that, for want of previous notice, they would consider the account at call, bearing 2 per cent. interest. 2. From Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co., London, enclosing statement of their account made up to the end of last year, presenting an amount due to them of £4 16s. 6d., and requesting early remittance thereof. 3. From Lieutenant W. L. Searle, F.R.A.S., forwarding copy of the Magnetical and Meteorological Observations made at Bombay in 1863. 4. From Lieutenant Colonel M. K. Kennedy, Secretary to Government, forwarding copy of Government Selection No. 85. 5. From T. D. Thomson, Esq., London, informing, among other things, that he would send nearly every Book ordered in the Secretary's letter, by the Steamer that would leave on the 26th ultimo, and enclosing further List of Books. 6. From Messrs. Williams and Norgate, London, requesting to let them know who acts as the Society's Agent for the sale of its publications in London; and the following from Bhugwandass Purshotumdass, Esq., was read by the President :

:

"To the Honorable W. E. FRERE, F.R.G.S.,

President of the Bombay Geographical Society.

SIR, I have much pleasure in forwarding for the acceptance of the Bombay Geographical Society the sum of Rs. 3,500, for the purpose of compiling and publishing a General Index to the Society's Transactions, to be combined in one volume with reprints of the Catalogues of its books, maps, charts, &c., &c., to be edited by D. J. Kennelly, Esq., the Honorary Secretary, who has very kindly consented to undertake the work.

I have, &c. &c.,

BHUGWANDASS PURSHOTUMDASS, Member of the Bombay Geographical Society.

Bombay, 16th March 1865."

It was unanimously resolved to accept Mr. Bhugwandass Purshotumdass' handsome contribution, and to tender to that gentleman the Society's best thanks.

There being no other business before the Society, the President addressed the Meeting in the following terms :

"GENTLEMEN,

This closes our proceedings for the day, and, as you probably are well aware, the proceedings of the last Monthly Meeting at which I shall preside. It becomes my duty now to resign into your hands the honour you bestowed upon me three years ago. If it is possible to feel happiness when resigning such an honour, and when taking leave of the Society, I do feel it in the thought that I leave you in a very prosperous condition. You now number 148 members, of whom 42 are natives, and to those native gentlemen we are indebted for allowing the Society to partake of that unprecedented wealth which Bombay now enjoys. Mr. Cursetjee Furdoonjee gave us Rs. 1,500; Mr. Premchund Roychund, Rs. 5,000; Mr. Sorabjee Pestonjee Framjee, Rs. 1,000; and to-day we have received Rs. 3,500 from Mr. Bhugwandass Purshotumdass. These gifts have all, I think, been given for particular objects; but if the prosperity India now enjoys is continued to it, many will, I hope, with the same liberality be presented to the Society for general objects, and by funding it we shall be able at some future day to pay the expenses of expeditions to explore and open out countries with which at present we are but imperfectly acquainted. I will detain you no longer, gentlemen; but thanking you, as I do cordially, for the honour you did me in electing me President of your Society, and most cordially for the kindness and consideration you have always shown me, I beg you will accept my resignation of this chair."

Mr. MANOCKJEE CURSETJEE said :-Sir,-Finding myself the senior member of the Society present, and I may say, the oldest member, whose name now stands first on its roll, I rise to thank the President, in the name of all the members present, for the address he has just given. I feel sure that I speak the sentiments of those present, when I assure you, Sir, that we have heard of your resignation with great regret. That regret would have been still greater if they had not been aware that your resignation has been caused by your desire, after a long and useful public career in this Presidency, to return to your native

country, where we all trust you will long continue in the enjoyment of health, happiness, and a career of additional honour and usefulness. The Society cannot but feel deeply thankful to you for the prosperity it has attained under your care and superintendence, and it must be gratifying to you to leave it in such a flourishing condition. It has given me great pleasure to hear you speak so well of the native members of this Society. You, Sir, might remember that it was more than a quarter of a century ago, that the portals of the literary and scientific societies were, in my humble instance, for the first time thrown open to my countrymen. It was not without hard-fought battles and strong opposition from some of the illiberal Europeans that such a privilege was gained for my countrymen. Those who were opposed to the admission of the natives of India into these societies, brought forward objections which cannot but appear to you now to be frivolous and groundless. Among other objections raised by some of them, it was alleged that the natives would disturb the harmony of our meetings, and that they would soil the carpet with the refuse of their pan sooparee. I wish those opposers were now present to prove themselves false prophets. You yourself, and others to whom I would appeal, can testify how well our native associates have conducted themselves, and how useful they have been in advancing the interests of this and other societies. I again thank you, in the name of the Society, for the able manner in which you have acquitted yourself, while filling the responsible post of the President of this Society.

Mr. FRERE then said :-It has, I believe, been usual in this Society for the President to suggest to the Society a fit and proper person as his successor. During the existence of the Indian Navy, this was no difficult task. The Commodore commanding that Navy was generally, from his position, the very fittest person you could select. I have no wish in any way to dictate to the Society, nor to ask them to come to an early and immature decision; but as you are not likely to have been taken by surprise by my resignation, you have probably already thought of a successor for me. If you have not, I would suggest a person who, from his constant attendance at our meetings, and the official situation he holds, is in my opinion the fittest person you could obtain. I refer to Captain Black. His appointment in connection with the P. & O. Company's service, gives him facilities for obtaining information in physical and general geography which are within the

reach of no others. I would, therefore, unless some member is prepared to suggest a better man, propose that Captain Black should be elected your President.

Mr. MANOCKJEE CURSETJEE said it was a happy suggestion that fell from their retiring President, and he would propose that Captain Black be elected President of the Society by acclamation. The officers of the old Bombay Marine, and the late Indian Navy had done much for the advancement of the objects of the Geographical Society; but that service had now ceased to exist, and the growing importance of the P. & O. Company's service, at the head of which Captain Black is at present in Bombay, would no doubt be the means of conferring equally great, if not greater, benefits on the Society.

Captain BLACK having been unanimously elected President, thanked the Society for the honour conferred upon him, and the meeting, adjourned.

Extraordinary Meeting.

An Extraordinary Meeting of the Bombay Geographical Society was held in their Rooms, Town Hall, on Tuesday the 4th April 1865, at. 4-15 P.M., for the purpose of presenting the address voted by the Society to their late President, the Honorable W. E. FRERE, F.R.G.S. There were present:—

Patron. His Excellency the Honorable Sir H. B. E, FRERE, K.C.B.
Ex-President.The Honorable W. E. Frere, C.S., F.R.G.S.
President.-Captain Thomas Black, in the Chair.
Vice-President.-Captain W. C. Barker.

Members.-G. C. M. Birdwood, Esq., M.D.; Venayekrow Wasoodeojee, Esq.; Sorabjee Framjee, Esq.; Mirza Ali Jan, Esq.; the Rev. W. K. Fletcher, M.A.; Dhunjeebhoy Framjee, Esq.; Munmohundass Davidass, Esq.; R. S. Sinclair, Esq., LL.D.; Manockjee Cursetjee, Esq., F.R.G.S.; J. Burgess, Esq., F.E.I.S.; Bhugwandass Purshotumdass, Esq.; J. Firth, Esq.; Commander G. T. Robinson; Dr. Bhau Daji; Burjorjee Sorabjee Ashburner, Esq.; Homjee Cursetjee Dady, Esq.; Colonel J. Jones, R.E.; E. R. Whitley, Esq.; Virjeewundass Madhowdass, Esq.; Cursetjee Furdoonjee Paruck,

Esq.; Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, Bart., F.R.G.S.; G. W. Terry, Esq.; Cowasjee Manockjee Limjee, Esq.; Byramjee Nanabhoy Framjee, Esq.; A. Taylor, Esq.; Surgeon Major S. M. Pelly, F.R.C.S.; Surgeon Major T. W. Ward, F.R.C.S.; E. S. Dawes, Esq.; Lieutenant W. L. Searle, F.R.A.S.; Lieutenant H. Burn; Captain A. Phillips; Sorabjee Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, Esq.; Atmaram Pandurang, Esq.; Lieutenant Henry Morland, F.R.A.S.; J. Scorgie, Esq., F.C.S.; Major J. T. Annesley; T. Diver, Esq., M.D.; and D. J. Kennelly, Esq., Corresponding F.R.G.S, Honorary Secretary.

Visitors.-Lord John Hay; Captain Sherard Osborn, C.B., R.N., F.R.G.S.; Major G. Clerk, Colonel Taylor, C.B.; Arthur Grey, Esq., C.S.; George Taylor, Esq.; and General Lucas.

The Secretary having read an extract from the minutes of the proceedings of an extraordinary meeting held on the 9th ultimo, relative to the preparation of an address for presentation to the President on his approaching departure from India, Captain Black, the President, then rose and said:-The object of this special meeting, as you have just heard, is to do honour to Mr. Frere, who to our regret bas lately retired from the office of our President, and who is about to quit the shores of India, probably for ever, taking with him the goodwill and hearty wishes for his welfare of all who personally know him. I could enlarge if it were meet at this opportunity, on his amiable personal qualities, his wide-spread hospitality; but I think it would be unfitting to do so on an occasion like the present. I will therefore confine myself to remarking briefly on his connection with this Society. For upwards of 20 years has he been a member of it-five years of this time in the office of Vice-president and for the last three years in that of President. During that time we have been indebted to him for procuring for the Society many papers which have been read at our monthly meetings with much interest and attention. Many communications also, of interest and importance in themselves, though not sufficiently long to warrant their being styled papers, have been sent to us mainly through his influence, exerted not only in his capacity of Vice-President and President, but of late years as a member of the Government. Mr. Frere has also shown his strong interest in the Society by his frequent attendance at our meetings, often, I doubt not, at personal inconvenience to himself, when other business pressed on his time and attention. These matters, however, are embodied in the

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