1838.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 985 



to the Society, being a present announced at the meeting held on the 7th 

 February last, from the Maha Rajah Hindu Raw. 



Read a letter from H. T. Prinsep, Esq., Secretary to the Government 

 of India, forwarding copies of the Inscription and a tin roll of the remaining 

 facsimiles of Girnar. 



Read extracts of letters from M. Eugene Burnouf, Secretary to the 

 Royal Asiatic Society of Paris, to Mr. James Prinsep, dated Paris 15th 

 May, 1838. M. Burnoup notifies the despatch of copies of his commentaries 

 on the Gaina, and of the first and second parts of his Memoirs sur les in- 

 scriptions cunecformes. The price of the Gaina is 65 frs ; of the inscrip- 

 tions 20 frs. M. Burnouf then writes— 



" I have just seen in your Journal the proposal to publish lithographs of the caves 

 of Western India ; I beg to be added to the list of subscribers for a work of such 

 high interest, and one which ought to be imitated in all parts of India. It is scarce- 

 ly comprehensible that the ancient monuments of a country so entirely subject to 

 your government should have been so much neglected. Daniell's views are im- 

 measureably too dear, and are not sufficiently comprehensive. 



" I have seen your (charmant travail) on the famous Pali inscription. The fact 

 is of the highest importance, and you have acquitted yourself so as to deserve the 

 utmost honour. Doubtless some difficulties still remain, of which I th-ink the most 

 serious is the name of the king of Ceylon. But other inscriptions will probably 

 annihilate this difficulty ; you are now in the high road of discovery and we have 

 every thing to hope from your persevering and prosperous efforts. We are far 

 from making such swift and brilliant progress. We want monuments and have 

 philology alone to study. Still even in this there is room for discovery in all that 

 concerns religion, philosophy and literature— although even such must yield in 

 striking interest to historical disclosures. The task of commentary and interpreta- 

 tion of the ancient texts is tedious and dry, but it must be persevered in. We must 

 be supported by the hope, that these ancient words and forgotten forms may be 

 found again on monuments and coins, and thus lead to the understanding of these 

 valuable remnants of a venerable antiquity. 



11 The Mahabharat still prospers. I induce ' tout le monde' to purchase copies, by 

 affirming positively (which I believe to be true) that in 10 years this fine monument 

 of antiquity will not be procurable. The truly remarkable sale of this work is a 

 certain unequivocal indication to your Society of the duties it has to discharge, and 

 which are expected from it by the learned of Europe— doubtless you will not find 

 purchasers for every Vade mecura and every work in Sanskrit, Arabic, Hindi, and 

 Bengali which your translators may convert from the English; but I assure you that 

 you will dispose of the Mahabharat, however voluminous it may prove, and that you 

 would ere this have exhausted the Vedas and Puranas, if you, or rather the former 

 Committee, had undertaken them instead of the Mitakchara and similar short trea- 

 tises on law, which will very soon find no readers in Europe. But in the great pro- 

 ductions of ancient thought — in the vast monuments of Indian genius, in such there 

 is immense interest. Despite of the progress of industrialism, (I mean no offence 

 to Mr. Trevelyan,) Europe will read the Mahabharat, the Vedas and Puranas, 

 unless your scheme of lithographing these works should fail to be carried into effect. 

 Lithograph the Veda and you will gain immortal glory. If this enterprise, like the 

 former, requires you to make some advances of funds, you may be convinced they 

 will very soon be covered and more than that. Look to the Mahabharat ! Instead 

 of 100 copies, lithograph twice that number. If you cannot do so for the Vedas, 

 which I would bitterly regret, let us at all events have the Ramayana, the 18 pura- 

 nas, the codes of Narada Vrihasputi, Vishnu, Saukhas Lekola, Shalashada, Yadma 

 Valkya, with good commentaries on the great metaphysical treatises of Vrimansa, 

 Sankya, Vedanta Nyayoan, the rituals and the Upanichada, &c. &c." 



Extract of a letter from M. Burnouf, dated 12th July, 1838. 



" M. Jacquet died the day before yesterday of a disease of the chest. He was 

 but 28 years of age. This is a real loss : he was a highly informed, most sagacious 

 man, well skilled in Sanskrita and Chinese. His illness scarcely abated his zeal. 

 He was writing in fact half an hour before his death. 



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