452 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XVIII, 
other establishments. It is said that there is a specially fine 
copy of the Narthang Kanjur in Kalimpong on such paper, in 
the possession of one of the local nobles. This edition would 
probably be invaluable for text-critical work. 
vw words must be said about the relation between 
manuscripts and prints. In Tibet the position is analogous to 
that of Kurope in modern times. As there, the printed edition 
usually represents the labour of expert and careful work: the 
block-cutter (equal to our compositor), the reviser (equal to 
our proof-reader), and in cases of very careful production even 
the editor, as with us. In Europe printed books are practi- 
cally no longer copied for home use, but in Tibet this is still 
done. The reason is almost invariably, either the impossibility 
of buying another copy of a coveted and valued book, as the 
book-trade is not organised and communications difficult, not 
c 
Tibet. The result is that copying is almost invariably done by 
people less expert than the printers or the block-cutters work- 
ing under expert supervision. And in the case of those copy- 
ing for reasons of poverty, they are often not the most learned 
and may even be really ignorant. Grammatical knowledge in 
Tibet is very limited and a science of the elect. Even profes- 
sional copyists are better craftsmen than linguists or gram- 
eae Desgodins has made a very pointed remark about 
is 
But there is still another class of MSS. made for other 
piety the Ashtasahasrika ranks next in popularity. Also other 
ooks are chosen, and in the Victoria Memorial in Calcutta 
there is a fine copy in this manner of one of Padmasambhava § 
works, I believe a ANA" Ihave also seen a still other 
variety of MSS., namely illustrated ones, with coloured figures 
ad gods and tantrik symbols, which cannot be produced m 
Tibet in that manner by print. All this does not exhaust the 
Se 

| Since acquired by the A.S.B. 
Te ee eee 

teint dine iia tne li srs ns a i 


