ANTIQUITIES. 



had in a short compass. By that great 

 man, whose loss cannot be sufficiently 

 lamented, a society was formed for in- 

 quiring into the history, antiquities, arts, 

 sciences, and literature of Asia. Having 

 founded the institution, he gave it celebri- 

 ty by his own admirable discourses ; of 

 these the first was on the orthography of 

 Asiatic words in Roman letters, a want of 

 attention to which had occasioned much 

 confusion in history and geography. Not 

 contented with pointing out radical de- 

 fects, he proposed a system, which was 

 useful to the learned, and essential to the 

 progress of the student. His other dis- 

 sertations, to which the reader may be 

 referred, were all, in a greater or less de- 

 gree, connected with the antiquities of 

 India. By India is meant the whole ex- 

 tent of country in which the primitive re- 

 ligion and language of the Hindoos pre- 

 vail at this day, and in which the Naeguri 

 letters are still used, with more or less 

 deviation from their original form. Its 

 inhabitants have no resemblance, either in 

 their figure or manners, to any of the na- 

 tions contiguous to them. Their sources 

 of wealth are still abundant. In their ma- 

 nufactures of cotton they surpass the 

 other nations of the world ; and though 

 now degenerate and abased,therc remains 

 enough to show, that in some early age 

 they were well versed in arts and arms, 

 happy in government, wise in legisla- 

 tion, and eminent in various branches of 

 knowledge. 



In this place we may briefly notice the 

 Sanscrit language, which, whatever may 

 be its antiquity, is of a very singular struc- 

 ture ; more perfectthan the Greek, more 

 copious than the Latin, and more refined 

 than either, yet bearing to both a stronger 

 affinity, both in the roots of verbs, and in 

 the forms of grammar, than could possi- 

 bly have been produced by accident Of 

 their philosophy it has been observed, 

 that in the more retired scenes, in groves, 

 and in seminaries of learning, we may 

 perceive the Brahman sand the Sarmanas 

 of Clemans disputing in the forms of lo- 

 gic, or discoursing on the vanity of human 

 enjoyments, on the immortality of the 

 soul, her'cmanation from the eternal mind, 

 her debasement, wanderings, and final 

 union with her source. 



The ancient monuments of Hindost:m 

 are very numerous, and of various descrip- 

 tions, exclusive of the tombs and other 

 edifices of the Mahometan conquerors. 

 Some of the most remarkable are, excava- 

 ted temples, statues, relievos, &c. in an 

 island near Bombay ; but the most mag- 



VOL. I 



nificentand extensive are near the town of" 

 Ellora, about two hundred miles east of 

 Bombay. The latter are minutely describ- 

 ed, and illustrated wkh plates, in the sixth 

 volume of the Asiatic Researches. The 

 idols represented seem clearly to belong 

 to the present mythology- of Hindostan : 

 but at what period these edifices were 

 modelled,whetherthree hundred or three 

 thousand years ago, cannot be easily as- 

 certained. Several ancient grants of land, 

 some coins, and seals, have also been 

 found, which, however, do not greatly 

 correspond with the exaggerated ideas 

 entertained concerning the early civiliza- 

 tion of this renowned country; while the 

 Egyptain pyramids, temples, and obelisks, 

 strongly confirm the accounts preserved 

 by ancient historians. 1'hough the my- 

 thology of the Hindoos may pretend to 

 great antiquity, yet their present form of 

 religion is supposed to vary considerably 

 from the ancient. It is inferred, that 

 while the religion of Boodha, still retained 

 by the Birmans and other adjacent na- 

 tions, was the real ancient system of Hin- 

 dostan, the religion of the Hindoos is art- 

 fully interwoven with the common offices 

 of life ; and the different casts are sup- 

 posed to originate from Brahma, the im- 

 mediate agent of creation, under the Su- 

 preme Power. 



The remains of architecture and sculp- 

 ture seem to prove an early connection 

 between India and Africa. Of the ancient 

 arts and manufactures little is known, 

 excepting the labours of the Indian loom 

 and needle. The Hindoos are said to 

 have boasted of three inventions, viz the 

 method of instruction by " apologues," 

 " the decimal scale," and " the game of 

 chess " 



Of the antiquities of Greece and Rome 

 much has been written that merits the 

 attention of the student in literature : 

 these are subjects, in which every well 

 educated youth is made conversant at an 

 early period. They are taught in all our 

 classical schools, as necessary to the elu- 

 cidation of those works that are read in 

 the attainment of the ancient languages. 

 Potter on the Greek antiquities, and Ken- 

 nct and Adams on those of Roman, are 

 familiar to every ear; in their kind they 

 are truly respectable, though they may be 

 regarded only as elementary treatises.cal- 

 culatrd nitlicr to excite a taste for the 

 study, than to satisfy the inquirer in pur. 

 suit of knowledge. 



The first accounts of Greece are derived 

 from ages long before the common use of 

 letters in the countrv. so that it is difficult 



Kk 



