1892.] Address. 47 



decline very liberal help from individuals and from the State would 

 be needed." 



The proposals of Pandit Mahesa Chandra Nyayaratna involve con- 

 siderable expenditure, in the way partly of providing- stipends for 

 selected teachers of distinction, and partly of assigning rewards to 

 teachers and scholarships to pupils on the results of annual examina- 

 tions. I think we shall all agree that if the decline of these ancient 

 and interesting schools of Sanskrit can be arrested at a moderate outlay 

 on the part of Government — an outlay which will almost certainly arouse 

 the liberality of the wealthy in this country — the money will be well 

 spent. 



The number of publications received in 1890, under Act XXV. of 

 1867, in the eleven libraries of the Empire was 



tuTe^of lndi a a r Lit6ra " 7 ' 877 ' and re P orts on tliese W01 ' k « have been 

 issued by the Home Department of the Govern- 

 ment of India. Several catalogues for 1891 have also been issued but 

 with the exception of those for Bengal, Bombay and Madras, the cata- 

 logues are generally mere lists. In the following paragraphs, for which 

 I am indebted to Pandit Hara Prasad Shastri, m. a., the Bengal Librarian 

 a brief account will be given of the most important of these publications. 



They naturally divide themselves under two heads, viz., Orio-inal 

 works and Republications. It is remarkable that the original works of 

 the present day are almost wholly in prose, and the republications almost 

 wholly in verse. Since the days of the Brahmanas and Upanishads no 

 original work of any value has until recently been written in prose ; that 

 having been left entirely to the Commentators and to the heretical Bud- 

 dhists and Jains. The vernaculars of India, with the exception of Urdu 

 were altogether without prose until the introduction of Eno-Ksh educa- 

 tion in this country about 50 years ago. Greater activity is, however 

 now displayed in searching for and publishing ancient works, than in 

 writing new ones. The original works include art, biography, history 

 fiction, essays on all subjects, and voyages and travels ; the republica- 

 tions including poetry, grammar, dictionaries, and theology in almost all 

 its phases. 



Fine Arts. — Valuable works on Fine Art have been written by, or 

 published at the expense of, titled gentlemen of wealth and influence. 

 Raja Sir Saurindra Mohan Tagore keeps up the reputation of Bengal by 

 publishing works on the literature of music ; and the Senior Raja of 

 Venkatagiri is the author of a Telugu work on music, which embraces 

 both the Hindu and Muhammadan systems. This valuable work teaches 

 music, both vocal and instrumental, and also dancing. Painting has not 

 much advanced, but the religious pictures drawn by the students of the 



