50 President's Address. [Fkb. 



that the Atharvaaa Upaaishad, and the Pingala Chhanda Sutra, will both 

 be completed in the current year. 



The fourth volume of the Saahita of the Black Yajur Veda, has also been 

 completed, and the fifth is in hand. Of the eight books constituting the work, 

 the three which now remain are short, and another volume will probably suffice 

 to complete the whole. We are more disposed to feel gratified at having 

 been able to advance this important work, so far as it has proceeded, under the 

 difficulties attendant on its publication, than to be dissatisfied with the 

 time occupied. The first book was edited by the late Dr. Boer, the second by 

 Professor Cowell who then left this country, and the greater portion of the 

 third by Pandit Ramanaryaaa Vidyaratna, and, on his death, it was taken 

 up by the present editor, Professor Mahesachandra Nayaratna. 



It will not be necessary to vindicate the Society from charges of delay 

 and neglect with regard to its Arabic and Persian issues which are acknow- 

 ledged to be progressing with favourable speed, and to contain the most 

 valuable historical works known to exist. And the principle on which the 

 Society has acted of confining then.' publications to works bearing on India 

 meets full approbation. 



In connection with these subjects, I would myself as one not having 

 the slightest pretension to such a knowledge of oriental languages as would 

 justify my offering an opinion on the style in which these various works 

 have been issued, express the gratification which I feel at finding scholars 

 like Professor Weber, admitting fully the value of the series, and acknow- 

 ledging the ability with which they have been conducted. But I would go 

 further and venture to urge on those learned scholars who are so actively en- 

 gaged in these pursuits, and who have b^ea for years earnestly and actively 

 eadeavouriag to make known to the world the rich stores of literary wealth 

 which this country offers for utilization, whether the publication of trans- 

 lations into English accompanied by notes illustrating from other sources the 

 text of their authors, would not gain for them a far wider and more numer- 

 ous audience, and would not tend to advance very importantly the knowledge 

 of their authors by bringing to their illustration the varied acquirements of 

 others. 



As aa instance of how mach knowledge can be brought to bear upon a 

 single text, of what a flood of light can be thrown upon a single phrase even, 

 I would ask any one to study Yule's marvellous edition of Marco Polo, which 

 though not issued within the year under review may serve as an instance 

 of what one would desire to see done, in a very minor degree, towards the 

 illustration of some of the great aatioaal works the text of which is givea ia 

 the Bibliotheca Indica. I am aot saaguiae eaough to hope that maay, if 

 iadeed any, ma}*- be fouad who could briag to their subject such a varied range 

 of reading, so large and almost unlimited a stock of acquired, and still more 



