1888.] Address. 53 



we have a ' Texte Malais ' by the Abbe Faire, and Professor Abel cies 

 Michels' editioa of some Annamite tales. 



Dravidian. — Tirandumagni's commentary on the classical Tamil 

 work Tolkdppiydm has been published in Madras, and it is hoped that 

 we may soon have a translation, as this should throw considerable light 

 on the ethnological condition of the people of Southern India. The 

 Nannul of Pavanandi, the standard grammar of Tamil, has gone through 

 two editions, and Professor Vinson gives a ' Specimen of Tamil palseo- 

 graphy ' in the Melanges Orientaux. Mr. L. Garth waite has brought 

 out a work on the essentials of Malayalim grammar, and the Pancha- 

 tantram in the same language. In Telugu, we have several reprints of 

 grammars and selections for educational purposes. The Rev. E. Droese 

 continues his labours in the Maler language of the Bhagalpur district, 

 and has produced a translation of a Gospel, and prepared some small 

 works for educational purposes. The Gospels in the Badaga language 

 are also under preparation by the Rev. W. Lutz ; and revisions of the 

 Telugu, Tolu and Konkani existing versions by other competent scholars. 

 Vernacular literature. — Bengal. — Your attention was called last 

 year to the record of the current literature of India to be found in 

 the ' Catalogue of books printed in British India ' published quarterly 

 in each Province. It is intended only very briefly to refer to it here, 

 as the subject is too large to be usefully considered in an address 

 of this nature, but it is desirable to keep it prominently before the 

 members of this Society, and I would commend a review of the 

 vernacular literature of the last decade as not unworthy of their 

 attention. In Bengal there were 2,475 entries in the catalogue, from 

 the middle of 1886 to the middle of 1887, for which alone the lists are 

 available, and of these 838 works are described as written for educational 

 purposes, and 1,657 as non-educational. The Bengal school of novelists 

 is well represented by the ' Sitdrdm ' of Babu Bankim Chandra Chattarji, 

 which is intended to illustrate a more perfect stage of nishkdma dharma 

 than has hitherto been attempted. The ' SaUiJc dnan ' of Babu Srish 

 Chandra Majumdar, also, is notable, as giving a correct realistic view of 

 the state of Hindu society in Bengal during the early part of the last 

 century, when the rivalry of the Vaishnavas and Saktas caused dissen- 

 sions throughout the Province. The ' Harishe Bishdd,' of Babu Taraka 

 Chandra Ganguli, satirises the pretentious style adopted by some of the 

 younger educated native officers of Government. In the domain of 

 poetry, ' Apurha mdyd milan ' by a young author, and the ' Eaivataka ' of 

 Babu Nabin Chandra Sen, are both worthy of notice. The latter attempts 

 to give a rational explanation of the events recorded in the Mahabharata. 

 The year is remarkable for the publication of what may be considered 



