282 On the Adaptation of the Roman Alphabet [June, 



Zadda — Genana — Patsha — Shaw Allum — Phirmaund — Metre (for Mitur) 

 &c. &c. He has also Sou Raja Dowla which is nearly as ridiculous as 

 the English knighthood of that Nuwab. 



• This method of writing from the ear did very well so long as it was 

 the half-informed addressing the absolutely ignorant. The transmu- 

 tations were precisely of the same description as those of which we 

 find examples, not only in the Greek and Roman methods of writing 

 Teutonic and Asiatic names, but in the Leghorn and Cales of the old 

 English writers of the past century, the Naples and Venice of the pre- 

 sent day, and the Ecosse and Galles and Espagne, into which the less 

 pronounceable native names of those countries have been softened 

 in France. 



But as ,the knowledge of the languages of the East extended, and 

 they who had to write became themselves well acquainted with the 

 true pronunciation and orthography of the words and names they were 

 using, and felt likewise that they were addressing others as well inform- 

 ed upon the subject as themselves, they began to seek the means of 

 spelling true — that is, of using in English corresponding letters for 

 those used in the language from which the word or name might be ta- 

 ken. The Persian and Arabic are languages that have long been known 

 in Europe, and the force and power of each of the letters of those al- 

 phabets have accordingly been attempted to be expressed in various 

 ways, according to the native conntry of the interpreter ; but the first 

 we believe who accurately gave to the public the Nagree, Devanagree, 

 and Bengalee alphabets was Mr. Halhed in the Preface to his version 

 of the Code of Hindoo Law, compiled under the orders of Warren Has- 

 tings in 1775. His consonants correspond very nearly with those of 

 Sir William Jones's alphabet, except that he makes no distinction be- 

 tween the hard and soft d, t, dh, and th. The short vowel ^ he 

 writes with a short *r, the letter "^ with a double ee, bearing similarly 

 the short mark : <r, is expressed by de ; V, he writes i and ^SfT, ou. Every 

 vowel according to this system had its long or short mark above it, 

 which was very inconvenient either for printing or writing. 



When the Asiatic Society was established, Sir Willian Jones saw 

 the necessity of introducing a consistent mode of writing all Indian 

 words. Not satisfied with this system of Mr. Halhed, he devised the 

 alphabet that bears his name, and is still used by that learned body in 

 its proceedings ; but neither the influence nor the reputation of this 

 great linguist was sufficient to procure for his alphabet the general 

 adoption so desirable, and indeed so essential, to the purposes he had 

 in view. It continued as a sort of Devanagree for the learned par 

 excellence ; a style of writing to be reverenced and respected, but not 



