52 Address. [Feb, 



to subjects which have a more or less immediate connection with 

 India, and even with that limit the field of enquiry is a vast one.* 

 Commencing with the principal work of our Society — 



Oriental Literature, History and Linguistic Studies. 



I regret that other duties have, of late, prevented me from turning 

 my attention to the study of Eastern literature and languages, ancient 

 or modern. It would, in any case, however, have been far beyond my 

 powers and opportunities to have tried to place before you a complete 

 review of what has been accomplished during the year in the extension 

 of the knowledge of Indian Literature and the prosecution of linguistic 

 research, but Dr. Hoernle has kindly prepared for me a brief abstract 

 which will, I hope, enable you to form some idea of what has been done 

 in this direction by our own Society and other Societies in India, as 

 well as in other lands. It is, however, peculiarly gratifying to me 

 to see that these enquiries into the ancient literature, philosophy and lan- 

 guages of Asia are being proseouted with undiminished interest and 

 energy in all parts of the civilised world, and we may hope that in 

 due time they will throw light on much that is now obscure in connec- 

 tion with the early religions and languages of mankind, as well as the 

 early history of this country. 



Publications of the Society. — Two numbers of the Journal, Part I, 

 have been issued by Dr. Hoernle during the year, and in place of the 

 two remaining numbers, an Extra Number will shortly appear which will 

 contain Mr. G. A. Grierson's valuable " Materials for the Modern Verna- 

 cular Literary History of Hindustan." This work, which was originally 

 compiled for the Seventh International Congress of Orientalists, at 

 Vienna, will give more or less extended notices of not less than 952 poets 

 of Hindustan, many of whom have hitherto been not even known by 

 name. 



Among the papers contained in the two quarterly numbers, the only 

 one bearing on literature is by Babii Sarat Chandra Das " on the Saci'ed 

 and Oriental Characters of Tibet." Mr. Beveridge contributes papers 

 " on the Era of Lachhman Sen," which is mentioned by Abu-1-Fazl, in 

 the Akbamamah, as commencing in 1119 A. D. ; also on " Father Jerome 

 Xavier," who stayed with the emperor Akbar for many years at Agra. 



* I have to gratefully acknowledge the assistance received, in preparing this 

 address and passing it through the press, from Dr. Hoernle, Dr. Burgess, Col. 

 Thuillier, Dr. W. King, Messrs. Eliot and Pedler, Mr. C. H. Reynolds, Dr. G. King, 

 Dr. D. D. Cunningham, Dr. J. Scully, Mr. E. T. Atkinson, and Mr. Wood-Mason. 

 Also to Dr. Fiihrer, Mr. A. Rea, Dr. Hendley, Mr. Basil Scott, Mr. J. F. Duthie, Mr. 

 H. H. Risley, Mr. E. C. Cotes and Mr. Phipson for information kindly supplied. 



