297 



ters; above all, by that bright oriental luminary, Sir William 

 Jones, whose name alone it is sufficient to mention, and whose loss 

 is irretrievable. 



From that memorable epoch in Anglo-Asiatic history, new 

 sources of oriental knowledge flowed to Europe; the stores of 

 brahminical learning were no longer concealed; their sacred books, 

 for ages veiled in impenetrable secrecy, were brought to light; 

 their poetry, drama, history, astronomy, art and science, have been 

 translated by able hands into our own language; and the English 

 are now, perhaps, better acquainted with the ancient and modern 

 history of Hindostan, than with that of many contiguous nations 

 in Europe. 



A variety of opinions prevails, both in Europe and Asia, respect- 

 ing the introduction of Christianity into India: it is a subject which 

 has been frecmently alluded to in these volumes; some able writers 

 maintain there is no necessity for extending its influence to those 

 remote regions: one asserts, that " on the broad basis of its own merits, 

 the Hindoo si/stem little needs the meliorating hand of Christian dis- 

 pensations, to render its votaries a sufficiently correct and moral people ; 

 for all the purposes of civil society." After extolling the religion and 

 morality of the Hindoos, he adds, " whenever the Christian religion 

 does as much for the lower orders of society in Europe, as that of 

 Brahma appears to have done for the Hindoos, he shall cheerfully vote 

 for its establishment in Hindostan." 



This may certainly be the opinion of a few individuals; but 

 it never can be considered as the prevailing sentiment of the British 

 nation. One of its brightest intellectual luminaries, emphatically 

 styled the Colossus of literature, thought very differently; and I 



vol. iv„ 2 Q 



