418 Notices respecting New Books. 



natives of India. And to this conclusion it would now seem that 

 the government has nearly, if not quite, arrived. We need hardly 

 say that no one ever doubted that the rudiments were to be taught 

 in native languages. 



Among those who have fought the battle of vernacular instruction, 

 Colonel George Jervis holds the prominent station due to one whose 

 way of proving that a thing can be done is to do it. For five-and- 

 twenty years he has pursued the subject, in the leisure which a labo- 

 rious profession affords. To use the words of a Bombay newspapef 

 of three years since, " it is to Colonel Jervis entirely we are indebted 

 for the earliest successful efforts made to introduce a correct system 

 of education among the natives. When we were satisfied with schools 

 and schoolmasters, and before the dream of colleges and professors 

 had entered our heads, Captain (now Colonel) Jervis laboured with- 

 out intermission to obtain translations, and have rnen taught to read 

 and write, and reason and reflect." The principal languages of the 

 Bombay presidency are the Marathi (or Mahratta) and the Gujerati. 

 In these two languages Colonel Jervis published translations of Hut* 

 ton's course of mathematics, of a course of practical geometry, and 

 of the preliminary treatise to the library of useful knowledge. He 

 established a lithographic press in the chief engineer's office, and 

 determined to attempt some works which contain more development 

 of the principles of mathematical science. In 1848 he published in 

 lithograph a translation of De Morgan's Algebra. Having prepared 

 a translation of the Arithmetic also, and ascertained that the works 

 could be effectively j^rm^ec?, he offered both to the government on 

 condition of their immediate publication in type. The offer was 

 accepted, and the publication completed as proposed. 



By various testimonies we learn that it is perfectly practicable to 

 translate works which dwell upon principles into languages, which, 

 like the Marathi, are derivations from the Sanscrit. Whether those 

 which, like the Tamul, are not so derived, present the same capabi- 

 lities, we have no means of knowing. The only criticism which it 

 is in our power to attempt relates to the translation of the language 

 of algebra. In the Nagri type, which is that adopted by Colonel 

 Jervis, the letters of simple formation do not answer to those of the 

 Italic alphabet. The x, for instance, in Nagri has a form which we 

 think a child might hit upon to represent a man in abroad-brimmed 

 hat holding out a snake of ample curl by his single arm. If the 

 native writer, by habit, has managed to forget the difference between 

 this letter and others, in point of complexity, we have no more to 

 say ; but if not, it is worth consideration whether it would not be 

 advisable to substitute a more simple letter, of which there are many. 

 In this way the letters of easiest formation might be made those of 

 most frequent occurrence. This, however, is a small matter, and 

 has probably been duly considered. 



October 17.-^Since the above was printed, we have seen tvith great 

 regret the announcement of the death of Colonel Jervis, as having 

 taken place at Boulogne on the 14th* 



