The Governor-General of India in Council shall cause to be erected the expense, of the Government of India, a suitable building in Calcutta, on or near the site now occupied by the Small Cause Court, to be devoted in part to collections illustrative of Indian Archaeology and of the several branches of Natural History, in part to the preservation and exhibition of other objects of interest, whether historical, physical or economical, in part to the records and offices of the Geological Survey of India, and in part to the fit accommodation of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and to the reception of their Library, Manuscripts, Maps, Coins, Busts, Pictures, Engravings and other, property.

The said building shall be constructed according to such plans and specifications as shall have been approved of and agreed upon by and between the Secretary to the Government of India in the Public Works Department for the time being and the Council of the said Society; and in case the said Secretary and Council shall he unable to agree with reference to any such plans or specifications, the point or points on which they shall so disagree shall he referred to the final decision of the Governor-General of India in Council. Such building shall he completed, so far as to he in a condition to receive the collections mentioned in Section 11 of this Act, within five years from the date of the passing of this Act; and the Government of India shall hoop the building in repair, and pay and defray the salaries, allowances and pensions of the officers and servants, and all other expenses connected with the said Indian Museum.

The Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal,

the Bishop of Calcutta,

the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta,

the Secretary to the Government of India in the Home Department,

four other persons to be nominated by the Governor-General of India in Council,

the President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and three other Members of the said Society for the time being, to be nominated by the Council of the said Society,

the Superintendent of the Geological Survey of India,

and their successors, appointed as hereinafter directed and subject to the provisions hereinafter contained, shall be and are hereby constituted a Body Corporate by the name of the Trustees of the Indian Museum, and shall have a common seal, and by such name shall have perpetual succession; and all the powers of the said Corporation may be exercised so long and so often as there shall exist five Members thereof.

It shall he lawful for the said Body Corporate to receive bequests, donations and subscriptions of land, buildings, money and any such objects of interest as aforesaid, and to hold the same and to lay out such money for the purposes of the said Indian Museum in the Improvement and enlargement of the collections deposited in, presented to or purchased for the said Museum, and all such collections shall become the property of the said Body Corporate for the purposes of their Trusts herein mentioned; and the said Body Corporate shall have the exclusive possession, occupation and control, for the purposes of such Trusts, of the said building, other than those portions thereof which upon its completion shall be set apart by the said Body Corporate for the records and offices of the Geological Survey of India, and for the accommodation of the said Society, and the reception of their library, Manuscripts, Maps, Coins, Busts, Pictures, Engravings and other property.

The persons for the time being holding the offices respectively mentioned in Section 3 of this Act shall be ex-officio Members of the said Body Corporate, and shall cease to be such Members respectively upon ceasing to hold the said offices respectively.

Provision in case of two offices being held by one person. In the event of any two of the said offices being held by the same person, it shall be lawful for the Governor-General of India in Council from time to time to nominate such other person as to him may seem fit, to be a Trustee under this Act so long as the said two offices shall he held by one person. Provided that when and so often as the said Chief Justice, Bishop, Vice-Chancellor, Secretary to the Government of India in the Home Department, or Superintendent of the Geological Survey of India shall also be the President of the said Society, the Council of the Society may nominate any other person being a Member of the Society to be a Trustee under this Act so long as such Presidency shall be held by the said Chief Justice, Bishop, Vice-Chancellor, Secretary or Superintendent.

If any of the said Trustees to be nominated by the Governor-General of India in Council or by the Council of the said Society, or any Trustee appointed as herein provided, shall be or be absent from India for a period exceeding twelve months; or desire to be discharged, or refuse or become incapable to act, then and in every such case it shall be lawful for the Governor-General of India in Council or the Council of the said Society, as the case may be, to appoint a new Trustee in the place of the Trustee-so dying or being absent from India or desiring to be discharged or refusing or becoming incapable to act as aforesaid, and every Trustee so appointed shall thereupon become and be a Member of the said Body Corporate as fully and effectually as if he had been hereby constituted a Trustee.

At all meetings of the said Body Corporate, five shall be a quorum for the transaction of business and for the exercise of any of the powers conferred upon them by this Act.

It shall be lawful for the said Body Corporate from time to time to make, alter and repeal bye-laws consistent with this Act for the management of the said Museum, for the summoning, holding and adjournment of General and Special Meetings of Members of the Body Corporate, for securing the attendance of the. Members at such meetings, for the provision and keeping of minute books and account books, for the compiling of catalogues and for all other purposes necessary for the execution of their Trust. And all officers and servants, salaried or otherwise, employed in the care or management of the Trust property shall be appointed, and may be removed or suspended by the said Body Corporate, subject to such regulations and conditions as such Body Corporate shall think proper, and such officers and servants shall be considered public servants within the meaning of the Indian Penal Code.

It shall be lawful for the Trustees from time to time to order any duplicates of printed books, medals, coins, specimens of Natural History or other curiosities to be exchanged for manuscripts, books, or other objects of interest, or to direct any such duplicates to be sold and the money to arise from such sale to be laid out in the purchase of manuscripts, books, maps, medals, coins, specimens of Natural History or other curiosities that may be proper for the said Museum.

The said Trustees shall furnish to the Government of India, on or before the first day of December in each year, a report of their several proceedings, acts, and ordinances for the past twelve months, and further shall furnish on or before the same day in each year to such Auditor as the Governor-General of India, in Council shall appoint in this behalf accounts of all monies expended by the Trustees during the past twelve months supported by the necessary vouchers. The said report and accounts shall be annually published for general information.

The Council of the said Society shall cause the collections belonging to the Society and illustrative of Indian Archgeology and the several branches of Natural History, and all additions that may be made thereto, whether before or after the time next hereinafter mentioned, to be removed to and deposited in the said building, at the expense of the Government of India, as soon as the same shall be completed so far as aforesaid.

The said Society shall continue to have the same exclusive property in and control over their said Library, Manuscripts, Maps, Corns, Busts, Pictures and Engravings, which they at present possess, and the Council of the said Society shall have the exclusive possession, occupation and control, for the purposes of the said Society, of those portions of the said building which shall, upon its completion, be set apart for the accommodation of the said Society and the reception of their Library and other property mentioned in Section 4 of this Act.

Every article in the collections and additions mentioned in Section 11 of this Act shall be marked and numbered and shall (subject to the provisions contained in Sections 9, 14 and 15 of this Act) be kept and preserved in the said Indian Museum with such marks and numbers, and an inventory of such articles shall be made by the said Society, and, on such articles being deposited as aforesaid, one copy of such inventory shall be signed by the said Trustees, and kept by the said Society, and another copy shall be signed by the Council of the said Society, and kept by the said Trustees. All objects taken in exchange under Section 9 of this Act for, and all monies payable on sale under the same Section of, any of such articles, shall be held on trusts and subject to powers and declarations corresponding as nearly as may be with the trusts, powers and declarations by this Act limited and declared concerning the same articles.

Until the said building shall be completed so far as aforesaid, the said collections of the said Society and all addition that may be made thereto in the mean time shall remain in the house in which they are at present, but under the care of such persons as by the Trustees shall he approved and nominated in this behalf, with such salaries and allowances as, subject to the approval of the Government of India, the Trustees shall limit and direct; and the said collections and additions shall be open to all persons desirous to view the same, under such rules as by the said Trustees shall be established, and the said salaries and allowances shall, be paid by the Government of India.

In the event of the Trust hereby constituted being determined, all collections then in the said Indian Museum, other than those next hereinafter mentioned, shall become the property of the Government of India, and the collections and additions mentioned in Section 11 of this Act shall become the property of the said Society or their assigns; and the said Society shall vacate the portions of the said building which shall have been set apart as in the twelfth Section of this Act is mentioned; and such portions shall then become the property of the Government of India, anything in this Act contained to the contrary notwithstanding.