OF THE INDO-CHINESE NATIONS. 22.9 



only Rukhhig versions of well known Sanscrit com- 

 positions, as the T'hi-to~pa-cUsa, or Hitopadesa, the 

 T'ham-ma-sui-ManUy or Dherma-sastra of Menu. 

 The Suwcmna-Asyang, is the popular story of Suvur- 

 NA Springi, or the golden cow, formed by the 

 Brahmen Sumbukara Misra, and presented to Raja 

 Mukunda Deva Cajapati. The Bhuridat is the 

 history of Raja Bhuridatta oi^ llagadha, mention- 

 ed in the Maha Bharafa, and the Bhuridat-kapya, or 

 Bhuridutta-kavya, is a poem on the same subject. The 

 Raja-buntza is the Rukhhig edition of the Raja- 

 Vumsavali, the Raja-JVontgza is a different work on 

 the same subject, and the Patlia-xvi-jeya seems to be 

 the Prifthu-vijeya. Of the modifications they have 

 received in the process of translation, I have hitherto 

 had little opportunity of judging, but as far as I have 

 been able to investig'ate the subject, not only the 

 style, but the incidents and progress of the Sanscrit 

 narration is generally altered, to render them mor^ 

 illustrative of the ascetic doctrines of the Budd'hist 

 sect; such as the guilt of killing animals, even acci- 

 dentally ; and the perfection acquired by Rishis in 

 solitary retirement, by means of sublime penance and 

 meditation. 



The Rukheng language has never been cultivated 

 by Eui^optans ; the observations on its alphabetical 

 system by Captain Towers, and the short specimen 

 of its vocables in Dr. Fr. Buchanan's " Comparative 

 Vocabulary of sotne of the Languages spoken in the 

 Burma E7npire" both in the 5th vol. of the Asiatic 

 Researches, being all that has been published con- 

 cerning it in any European language. The specimen 

 given by Dr. Fk. Buchanan, only varies from the 

 Barma in seven words out of fifty, and tliese are 

 only varieties of pronunciation, excepting " hoshee^' 



Q 3 



