1875.] Babu Bajeudralal — Report on Sanskrit MSS, 73 



worldly influence, and extremely shy and suspicious. In their estimation, 

 the most valued treasures they possess are their MSS., and they evince the 

 greatest reluctance to show them to strangers. Ordinarily they do not 

 flatly refuse access to their stores, though some do so ; but the passive re- 

 sistance they offer is often insurmountable. The first day's visit is gener- 

 ally passed in conversation ; on the second day a few of the commonest 

 works are shown ; on the third, the proprietor is busy with other duties 

 and has no time to bring out MSS. ; on the fourth day, he is not at home 

 and so on several days are lost, before a really good MSS. is brought to 

 light, and as my plan requires the copying of tbe initial and final lines, and 

 an abstract of the contents, a great deal of valuable time is lost before a 

 single collection is finally examined, and before this consummation can take 

 place, it often happens that the owner of the MSS. is called away by a dis- 

 tant invitation or some other errand, and my travelling pandit's work is 

 brought to a stop. No possessor of a Tole has any catalogue or list of his 

 MSS. and if by dint of repeating the names of a great number of rare works, 

 the owner is made to acknowledge he has a particular work, very little 

 advance is made towards getting access to it, for the bundles in which MSS. 

 are kept are not numbered, and as from 6 to 20 different works find place in 

 each bundle, the task of finding it out takes days, if it be at. all forthcoming, 

 which is not always the case. 



In the houses of private gentlemen access is readily given ; but when 

 visits have to be repeated for days, the party in charge of the library offers 

 much passive resistance, and a gi'eat deal of time is lost to meet his 

 convenience. 



If I could satisfy myself with bare names, the work could advance 

 more expeditiously, but as a work of this kind can only be done once, I 

 think that it is better to lose some time than to produce a result which can- 

 not be satisfactory to scholars. It is not at all likely that an undertaking 

 of this nature will be attempted a second time. 



List of rare ivories. — 20. With a view to help the travelling Pandit, 

 I have printed two lists of very rare MSS. for which he makes enquiries 

 at every Tole. Copies of these lists have also been sent through the Di- 

 rector of Public Instruction to the heads of all the schools under his con- 

 troul ; but as yet no satisfactory return has been obtained. 



Compilation of a general list or inventory. — 21. The work under the 

 second head of my enquiry has been conducted by me with the assistance of 

 a Pandit and a writer. The lists procured by the travelling Pandit, and by 

 me through friends and correspondents, are regularly entered alphabetically 

 in a large book, writing only the names of the MSS., their subjects, and the 

 names of their owners. This book when completed will be an inventory 

 of all the Sanskrit MSS. of value extant in Bengal. A compilation is then 



