{ 
675 
among christian nations, says he, than 
another, it is the intelligence and spirit of 
enquiry which pervades them all; every 
thing trat relates to the animal, intel- 
lectvaland moral worlds, has there been 
sifted and explored, and arts the most 
useful to mankind have been discovered. 
The flame of science, once kindled, has 
been communicated to every description 
of men’ among whom christianity has 
been known, and every succeeding age 
has added something to the limits of the 
former, while throughout every country 
‘where mahomttanism is professed, the 
same deep pause has been made in phi- 
losophy. ‘I’his, he continues, appears 
the only way in which we ‘can account 
for the decline of eastern knowledge, and 
it is only from the sun of christianity that 
we can look for the dissipation of this 
awful gloom. ‘To all this we very hear- 
tily assent; but surciy itis not necessary 
to detract an atom from the influence of 
climate, in order to allow that it may be 
counteracted by the combined influences 
of christianity on the one hand, and of 
British government and British laws on 
the other. 
The position of this thesis was opposed 
by Mr. Bayley and Mr. Hodgson; the 
moderator was W. C. Blaquiere, esq. 
2 The third disputation was held in the 
Hindoostanee language ; the position is, 
that “The Hindoostanee language is the 
most generally useful in India.” It was 
defended by Mr. Bayley. Owing to the 
intercourse of the merchants of Arabia 
with this country, but particularly to the 
frequent invasion of it, and ultimate set- 
tlement in it by the Moosulmans, a con- 
siderable number of Arabic and Persian 
words became engrafted on the original 
and current language of the natives, 
which was the Sunscrit or Bhakha; of 
these three languiiges, then, the present 
Hindoostanee is compounded. The court 
of Delhi having made choice of it, as the 
medium in all affairs depending on col- 
loquial intercourse, it became more ex- 
tensively known, and was at length used 
universally in the courts of the Moosul- 
man princes. Mr. Bayley makes a di- 
vision of it into three dialects, varying ac- 
cording to the prevalence of one or other 
of the languages composing its; which 
dialects arose, he says, from the different 
degrees of intercourse and communica- 
tion between the Moosulmans and the 
natives. In the first’or pristine dialect, 
there is a smaller admixture of foreign 
words; hence this is more nearly related 
MISCELLANIES. 
to the original dialects of the country, 
In the second, or what Mr. Bayley calls 
the familiar dialects, the number of fo- 
reign words bears nearly an equal pro- 
portion to the original ones. In the third, 
or court, dialect, Arabic and Persian 
words are by far the most numerous. It 
is a little singular, that the language 
which Mr. Bayley designates by the ap- 
pellation of the Hindoostanee, should, 
according to his own account, be only a 
dialect of it; it is to this third or court, 
dialect that he seems to restrict the term. 
I grant, says he, that peculiar dialects are 
spoken by the inhabitants of several dis 
tricts and provinces of India, yet I assert 
that no one of them is so generally useful 
and necessary as the Hindoostanee ; nor 
will this assertion appear to be too bold, 
when it be considered that however ex- 
tensive a country may be, and how nu- 
merous soever the dialects spoken in it, 
still the language of the court and metro- 
polis will always bemost generally known 
and understood, and must of consequence 
be that most worthy of attention and cul- 
tivation by foreigners. Mr. Bayley es- 
tablishes his proposition, among others, 
by the following arguments: . 
«« In the whole of the vast country of Hin- 
doostan, scarce any Moosulman will be 
found, who does not understand’ and. speak 
the Hindoostanee. ; 
«« Every Hindoo also, of any distinction, 
or who has the least connection either with 
the Moosulman or the British government, 
is, according to his situation, acquainted 
more or less with this language, 
«© It is moreover the general medium by 
which many persons of various foreign nations 
settled in Hindoostan, communicate their 
wants afid ideas to each other. Of the truth 
of this indeed we ourselves are an evidence, 
_as well as the Portugueze, Dutch, French, 
Danes, Arabs, ‘Curks, Greeks, Armenians, 
Georgians, Persians, Moghuls, and Chinese. 
«Tn almost all the armies of India, this ap- 
pears to be the universally used language; 
even though many of the individuals compos- 
ing therm be better acquainted with the dia- - 
lect$ peculiar to their respective districts. 
«« Nearly from Cape Comorin to Kabool, 
acountry about 2000 miles in length, and 
1400 in breadth, within the Ganges, few per-. 
sons Will be found in any large villages or 
towns, which haye ever been conquered or 
much frequented by Moosulmans, who are 
not sufficiently conversant in the Hindoos- 
tanee; and im many places beyond the Gan- 
ges, this language is current and familiar.” 
To these facts it is added, that al- 
though the Hindoostanee language does 
not boast of many prose compositions oF 
