1864] 



Application of the Banian Alphahet. 



359 



This is probably a mistake ; but these languages are still so distinct 

 as to be a bar to intelligible inter-communication. In addition to 

 these, there are numerous dialects, presenting, for the most part, the 

 characteristics of the central- Asia type of languages ; but all differing 

 from each other in a greater or less degree, and almost all not yet 

 reduced to writing. The same remarks are applicable to Birmah 

 proper, British Birmah, Pegu, the Tenasserim Provinces, Chittagong 

 and Akyab, 



The great majority of the languages here alluded to, having no 

 affinity with Sanskrit, the Deva Nagari alphabet cannot be said to 

 have any peculiar claims on them. The Missionaries on the North East 

 frontier have adopted the Eoman characters in their teachings, while 

 the Missionaries on the South East frontier have adopted the Burmese 

 characters. Now, much may be said against teaching uncivilized tribes 

 a character that will not enable them to carry on business relations in 

 writing with their neighbours ; but if it is ever intended to apply the 

 Eoman alphabets to any of the languages of India, the best languages 

 certainly on which to experimentalize, are those to which no alphabet 

 has yet been naturalized. 



The Missionaries in British Birmah are making very rapid pro- 

 gress with the instruction in Burmese and the conversion to Chris- ' 

 tianity of the Karens, and the Welsh Presbyterian Mission at Cherra- 

 poonjee are printing some books and a dictionary in the Eoman cha- 

 racters. The Education Department in Assam first adopted the books 

 of the Missionaries, but have discarded them, I believe, for books 

 printed in Bengali type. The question therefore ought to be authori- 

 tatively settled, or we shall see, what it must be confessed is not un- 

 common in India, one generation taking infinite pains to do that which 

 the next will take equal pains to undo. 



The conclusions then at which I have arrived are, that any attempt 

 to adopt the Eoman alphabet to the classical languages of India 

 would be mischievous ; and that all those languages for which an al- 

 phabet has already been perfected by the people speaking them, have 

 no need of such a change ; but that an attempt might be made to 

 adopt this alphabet, or a modification of it, to all Indian languages 

 which at present have no alphabet which can properly be called their 



