Early Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in the world by JSTOR. Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries. We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial purposes. Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.jstor.org/participate-jstor/individuals/early- journal-content. JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. AMERICANORIENTAL SOCIETY. L SELECT MINUTES OF MEETINGS OF TJE SOCIETY. THE regular Annual Meeting was held in Boston, at the rooms of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in the Boston Athenreum, on Wednesday, May 20th, 18&7, Rev. Rufus Anderson, D. D., of Boston, in the chair. The Treasurerpresented his account to be audited, accompanying it with the following summary statement of the receipts and expenditures of the year: REcEIPTS. Balancein handsof Treasurer,May 14th, 1856, - - . - - $103.83 Members'fees: fortyannual assessments for I 856-7, - - $200.00 six do. do. for previousyears, 30.00 Totalreceipts of the year,-230.00 $333.83 EXPENDITURES. Journal,Vol. V, No. 2 (in part),-$270.00 Otherprinting,-3.00 Expensesof libraryand correspondence,-6.37 Total expendituresof the year,-$27937 Balancein the Treasury,May 20th,1857,-54.46 $33.83 The Librarianbeing absent, no report on the Library was offered. The Society next proceeded to the choice of officers for the ensuing year. A communication from Prof. Edward E. Salisbury of New Haven was read, declining a re-election as Corresponding Secretary. The fol- lowing ticket, proposed by a Nominating Committee, was elected without dissent: President-Prof. EDWARD ROBINSON,D. D., LL. D., of New York. P rof. CHARLES BEcK, Ph. D., " Cambridge. Vice-Presidents Rev. WILLIAM JENKS, D. D, " Boston. Pres. T. D. WOOLSEY, D.D., LL.IX," New Haven. CorrespondingSecretary-Prof. W. D. WHITNEY, " New Haven. Secr. of Classical Section-Prof. JAMES HADLEY, " New Haven. Ilecordin Secretary-Mr. EZRA ABBOT, Jr., " Cambridge. Treasurer-Mr. EZRA ABBOT, Jr., " Cambridge. Librarian-Prof. W. D. WHITNEY, " New Haven. VOL, VI. 74 578 American Oriental Society: (Rev. RUFUS ANDERSON,D. D., of Boston. Prof. C. C. FELTON,LL. D., " Cambridge. Directors Mr. W. W. GREENOUGH, " Boston. Rev. THEODOREPARKER, " Boston. Dr. CHARLESPICKERING, " Boston. The Nominating Committee, being instructed to prepare an expression of the acknowledgments of the Society to Prof. Salisbury for his long and valued services as Corresponding Secretary, presented the following resolutions, which were unanimously passed: Resolved, That the Society has received with deep regret a communi- cation from Professor Edward E. Salisbury, of Yale College, announcing the necessity, by reason of his continued absence from the country, of his declining a re-election to the office of CorrespondingSecretary: and that we should be doing violence to our feelings, if we suffered this occasion to pass without expressing to Professor Salisbury our great obligations to him for his able, faithful, and zealous performance of the duties of this office during so many years; and, in general, for the most liberal and Valuable contributions of time, labor, learning, literary ardor, and pecuni- ary aid, which he has made to the interests of the Society from its very inception. Resolved, That the Recording Secretary be requested to communicate the foregoing resolve to Prof. Salisbury, with the wish that his corres- pondence with the Society may be as full and frequent,during his absence, as his engagements will allow. On motion, a Committee of five was appointed, to take into consider- ation the means of increasing the efficiency of the Society, with instruc- tions to report at the next meeting. The following papers were presented and read: 1. On Inverted Construction in the Modern Armenian Language, by Rev. Elias Riggs, Missionary in Turkey. 2. Abstract of a Tamil Translation of a Portion of the Mahbharata, by Rev. Miron Winslow, Missionary in India. 3. Illustrations of the Pangwe Language, spoken by a cannibal tribe in the highlands of Central Africa, by Rev. Albert Bushnell, Missionary in Africa. A Semi-annual Meeting of the Society was held in New Haven, on Wednesday, Oct. 28th, 1857. The President, Dr. Robinson of New York, occupied the chair. Brief verbal reports were made by the Treasurerand Librarian respect- ively upon the state of the finances and of the Library. Some of the latest accessions to the latter were laid before the meeting, among them the seventh volume of the late Baron von Hammer-Purgstall's History of Arabic Literature, the last work of its distinguished and venerable author. In connection with the latter, was unanimously passed the following resolution Resoleed, That the Corresponding Secretary be directed to express to the family of the late Baron von Hammer-Purgstall the sympathy of the Society in their bereavement, and its painful sense of the loss which has Select Minutes of ilfeeUngs. 579 been sustained by the cause of Oriental learning in the decease of that eminent scholar. The Committee on the mode of increasing the efficiency of the Society made an elaborate report through the CorrespondingSecretary. They discussed the ends at which such an association ought to aim, and the way in which those ends could be most directly and successfully attained. They pointed out the reasons, general and special, why the sphere of the Society's highest and most u3eful activity Inust be the regular and liberal publication of valuable memoirs in its Journal. They exhibited the pres- ent resourcesof the Society, rehearsed its operationsand modes of action, and showed wherein these were deficient and needed to be improved and extended. They made a comparative statement of the resources arid ac- tivity of other Societies of kindred objects, especially in Europe, and claimed that, to maintain a satisfactory position with reference to them, the Society ought to enjoy an income of $1000or more, and to publish an annual volume.of four to five hundred pages: that this was due both to the contributing members and to the cause of science. They proposed a plan of action to this end, based especially upon a large increase of cor- porate membership,and recommended the appointment of a Committee charged with its execution. The report was accepted, its suggestions formally adopted, and the proposed Committee appointed. It was farther voted: That the initiation-fee of five dollars be no longer required of members newly elected, and that such members have the privilege of taking a copy of the previously published volumes of the Journal, if they desire them, at one half the original price. That the Directors may, at their discretion, and in view of the circum- stances of each case, transfer to the list of Corresponding Members per- sons elected as CorporateMembers, but who may have since permanently left this country, and to the list of CorporateMembers persons chosen as CorrespondingMembers, but who may have since transferredtheir resi- dence to this country. After the transaction of other business, the following communications were offered: 1. On the Harmonic Consecution of Vowels in Turkish, by Rev. Elms Riggs, Missionaryin Turkey. 2. On the Pr&tikhyas, or Vedic phonetic and grammatical treatises, by Prof. W. D. Whitney, of New Haven. 3. On the Hebrew Chronology, from Moses to Solomon, by Prof. James Hadley, of New Haven. 4. Analysis of the Chinese Terms and Characters Tien and Shin, by Dr. M. C. White, of New Haven. 5. On the Historical Geography, and the Geographical Position and Relations, of India, by Prof. W. D. Whitney, of New Ilaven. 6. Analysis and Extracts of an Arabic Work on the Water-Balance,of the Twelfth Century, by the Chevalier N. KhanikoW Russian Consul- General at Tabriz, Persia; presented by Prof. E. E. Salisbury, of New Haven. 580 American Oriental &ciety: The Annual Meeting of the Society took place in Boston, on Wednes- day, May 19th, 1858. Dr. Charles Pickering, in the absence of the President, occupied the chair. The Tieasurees account was presented, audited, and accep1ed. The receipts and expenditures of the year were stated to be as follows: RECEIPTS. Balancein handsof Treasurer,May 20th,1867,-$54.46 Members' fees: one life-membership, - - - - $75.00 sixty-oaeann. assessm'ts for 1857-8, - 305.00 eight do. do. for previousyears, 40.00 five do. do. for l858-, - 25.00 three iaitiationfees, - - 16.00 460.00 Sale of Journal:to new members,at half-price, 33.75 4654 by agents,-- 80.29 Donation,-5.00 Total receipts of the year,-545.29 $599.75 EXPENDITURES. Journal,VoL V, No. 2 (balanceremaining unpaid), $105.00 Printing of Statement and Appeal, andblanks,-----32.85 Postage and freight (in partsince 1856),-----4203 Loss on uncurrent money,-- .70 Total expenditures of the year,-$180.68 Balance in the Treasury, May 19th, 18.58,-419.17 $59975 The Librarian reported that there had been added to the Library, since the last report, one hundred and sixty-five new titles, besides about fifty eontinuations and duplicates.