82 Account of the late Eev. Dr. Banerjea. [June, 



The Council have to annomice their deep regret at the loss the 

 Society has sustained by the death, since the last meeting, of the E-ev. 

 Dr. Krishna Mohun Banerjea. 



Dr. Banerjea was born in 1813 and received his education in the 

 Hare School and Hindu College. At the latter place he came under the 

 influence of one of the masters, Henry Derozio, the poet, who discussed 

 all kinds of subjects with his pupils and directed their minds towards 

 the improvement and regeneration of their countrymen, though at the 

 same time destroying their religious beliefs. Derozio's teaching produced 

 a great convulsion in Hindu society. Krishna Mohun who was one of the 

 leaders among the pupils was expelled from his home. He became a 

 teacher in the Hare School, and started a weekly newspaper called the "En- 

 quirer," in which he attacked Hinduism and the orthodox party. About 

 this time Dr. Duff, who saw the unsettled state of mind of the educated 

 young men of Bengal with regard to religion, delivered a course of lec- 

 tures on Christianity, in consequence of which Krishna Mohun accepted 

 the Christian faith in 1832. He then studied Theology in Bishop's Col- 

 lege, and was at length ordained a priest of the Church of England. 

 About 1840 he became the Minister of the Church at Cornwallis Square ; 

 whence he was afterwards transferred to Bishop's College as a professor. 

 He remained there 15 years, and then retired on pension. It was during 

 these two periods that he carried on most of his literary labours. He was 

 for many years Examiner of Fort William College, and in the Calcutta 

 University ; he was also a prominent member of the Calcutta Munici- 

 pality. In 1876 the University of Calcutta conferred on him the degree 

 of Doctor in Law, and in the beginning of this year he was created a 

 Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire. He died on 11th May, 

 1885, and is buried at Bishop's College, the present Sibpur College. 



It is in his character of oriental linguist that Dr. Banerjee is 

 specially interesting to the Society. He was elected a member in 1860, 

 and served for many years on the Philological Committee. He edited for 

 the Society in the Bibliotheca Indica the Markandeya Purana in 1862, 

 and the Narada Pancharatra in 1865 ; and he also translated into English 

 the Brahma Sutras with Sankara's Commentary in 1870, and the Mahim- 

 nastava a hymn to Siva. He contributed besides two papers, one on 

 the Translation of Technical Terms in 1866, and the other on Human 

 Sacrifices in 1876. 



The numerous employments of a busy career did not allow him to 

 devote much time to philological studies, but his acquaintance with 

 Sanskrit and the languages derived therefrom was both accurate and 

 profound, and his contributions to the Society's journal and publications 

 possess a permanent value. 



