1903.] Annual Report. 11 



Journal, Part I. 



In the Philological Section of the Society's Journal three numbers 

 have been published, covering altogether 357 pages of letter-press ; 

 exclusive of four separate plates. Besides these an extra number of 

 Vol. LXX, Part I, has been issued, containing plates illustrating Dr. 

 Hoernle's Report on Central Asian Antiquities. 



Materials for another number are ready, but the delays of the 

 printers and the fact that some of the contributors are resident in 

 England, have made it impossible to publish a second number of Part I 

 during 1902. It is a moot question whether it would not be more 

 satisfactory from the points of view both of accuracy and expedition, if 

 articles by home residents, and these include quite half the contributions 

 to the Society's Journal, could be printed at home. That is to say : a 

 paper received from England having been sanctioned in Calcutta should 

 be sent back to the author to print, correct, and forward to the Philolo- 

 gical Secretary, ready for incorporation with the rest of the number. 

 The most important philological contribution made during the past year 

 was a study of the Bashgali language by Colonel J. Davidson, C.B. 

 Bashgali is one of the many dialects of Kafiristan. These notes consist 

 of altogether 195 pages. The first 66 are devoted to an account of the 

 grammar of this dialect, which present great difncuties, and in many 

 points seems to defy analysis. Following this is a collection of upwards 

 of 1,750 short sentences in English and Bashgali, which not merely form 

 very valuable material for travellers who may be in need of using that 

 language but will also doubtless be of the utmost interest to philologists. 

 In the Journal itself we have a most interesting continuation of Dr. 

 Hoernle's report on the British collection of Central Asia. Herein he 

 deals with every aspect of the manuscripts of this remarkable collection. 

 Many of these manuscripts still remain to be deciphered. Dr. Hoernle 

 has, however, by patient research been able to decipher the alphabet of 

 certain documents of which the language yet remains to be identified. 

 The Revd. T. Grahame Bailey, of Wazirabad, furnishes some interesting 

 specimens of the secret vocabulary employed by the Cuhras, a tribe of 

 professional thieves, who apparently while using ordinary Punjabi 

 introduce private words and slang expressions where there is need for 

 secrecy. Mrs. Francke has contributed a translation of a Tibetan docu- 

 ment relating to the history of Ladakh which completes a former series 

 of translations and texts contributed to this Journal on the same subject. 

 There were several other papers of interest published during the year. 



Journal, Part II. 

 During the last year four numbers of Part II of the Society's 



