510 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Auo. 



Hungarian Society at Pest, (in the Hungarian, Latin, and English lan- 

 guages,) noticing the receipt of M. Csoma's Tibetan Dictionary and 

 Grammar. 



The following letter from the Honorable G. Turnour was read. 



Randy, July 8, 1836. 

 Sir, 



Various circumstances have concurred to prevent my presenting the Asiatic 

 Society with the accompanying pamphlet sooner. Its completion has been 

 delayed, partly from want of leisure, and also in some degree from my having 

 entered more fully into an account of Pkli Buddhistical literature, and published 

 more of the Mahdwanso in this volume, than I had designed when I addressed 

 you on the 10th July, last year. 



In presenting a copy of this publication to the Governor General and the 

 Governors of the several Presidencies, I have mentioned that I had adopted this 

 preparatory course, with the view of eliciting the criticism of oriental Societies 

 and scholars on this portion of the Mahdwanso, before the principal work issued 

 from the press ; and of thereby, at once, obtaining either a confirmation or 

 refutation of the expectations I entertain as to its pointing out the road to a 

 new and interesting field of research in Asia. It would be satisfactory, there- 

 fore, to me, if this pamphlet were referred to the Committee of Papers, for its 

 judgment on it. At the risk of being considered affected, I repeat, that it is on 

 the original work and on the general references thence deduced by me, that I 

 court criticism. I cannot attach much importance to a translation, hastily made, 

 of a work composed in a language which I have hitherto studied rather with the 

 view of gathering information regarding the native institutions, than of famili- 

 arizing myself with its philological niceties. 



The first volume of the Mahdwanso has been printed. I have only to recast 

 the introduction, and prepare a glossary, to admit of its publication. 



If the contributions to your Journal offered in the introduction (p. 110) 

 would be acceptable ; as a preliminary step, I would suggest your transferring 

 to its pages, from those of the Ceylon Almanac of 1836, Mr. Armour's trans- 

 lation of Kitetigama's Essay on Buddhism, as well as his prefatory letter. 

 The author of that Essay was a Buddhist priest, of distinguished reputation for 

 learning ; and Mr. Armour is unquestionably the best European Singhalese 

 scholar in the Island. The comprehensive form in which the system of Bud- 

 dhism as recognized in Ceylon is presented in that Essay, and the definitions 

 there afforded of particular terms, will both save details of explanations in my 

 analysis, and serve to render it more intelligible. 



I have the honor to be, Sir, &c. 



GEORGE TURNOUR. 



To the Secretary Bengal Asiatic Society. 



Mr. H. T. Prinsep in reference to the above stated, that the Governor Gene- 

 ral had empowered him also to solicit the opinion of the Society on the charac- 

 ter of the Ceylonese Historical Annals, to guide his Lordship in Council as to 

 the extent of patronage to be accorded to the work by the Government of India. 



In compliance with the wishes of the Governor General and of the author 

 himself, Mr. Turnour' s Introductory Essay, Historical Epitome and translation, 

 were referred to the Committee of Papers to examine and report their opinion 

 of the authenticity and value of the Pali annals, which the author has under- 

 taken to introduce to the knowledge of the learned world, as well as upon the 

 fidelity of the translation, confronted, as it is, line by line with the Pali original 

 in Roman character. 



The Secretary read the following report from the Committee of Papers 

 on the proposition of Cavelly Venkata Lachmi'a, referred by Govern- 

 ment to the Society at the last meeting. 



