1847.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 1091 



With this resolution Dr. Roer at once complied, and addressed the 

 subjoined letter to the Council, recommending that instead of the Rig 

 Veda the Society undertake to publish the Sanhita of the Yajus Veda, 

 one of equal importance. 

 Extract of a letter from Col. Sykes, dated " India House," 2d July, 1847. 



" The views I propounded in my notes upon Ancient India, are making 

 some progress on the continent. Monsr. Manfried, in his recent work, " Essai 

 sur F origine des principaux Peuples Anciens" has adopted, with few excep- 

 tions, the whole of my opinions ; and justifying his adoption upon logical 

 deductions. We shall presently, I suspect, have further reason to acknowledge 

 the soundness of some of these opinions in the revelations of the Rig Veda, 

 the text of which the Asiatic Society will be glad to learn, the Court of Di- 

 rectors have authorized to be published, together with an English translation, 

 at the expense of j£M000. The Editor is a very profound Oriental Scholar, 

 although a young man, Dr. Max Muller. His labours will extend over a 

 period of five years." 



To Dr. W. B. O'Shaughnessy, 



Senior Secretary, Asiatic Society, 

 Dated Asiatic Society, the 27th August, 1847. 



Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated 

 the 20th instant, and in reply to report to you for the information of the 

 Committee of Papers, that in compliance with their instructions I have put 

 an immediate stop to the progress of the work relative to the proposed edi- 

 tion of the Sanhita of the Rigveda, and that in the course of this month I 

 shall submit to the Society the portion that has been completed. 



As it is not stated in the letter of Col. Sykes, that a commencement of the 

 edition has been made in London, I beg to submit it to the Society, whether 

 they think fit to place as much of the text and commentary, as is ready for 

 the press, after having passed the Oriental Section, at the disposal of the 

 Honourable the Court of Directors. 



Although under the circumstances set forth in your letter, I fully agree 

 with the propriety of discontinuing the printing of the Rigveda, yet I do not 

 perceive a reason why the printing of this Veda at home should induce the 

 Society entirely to give up an undertaking into which they have embarked 

 before the eyes of the literary world, and of which the difficulties have been 

 now for the greater part overcome. 



The Sanhita of the Rigveda is but a small portion of the Vedas, a complete 

 edition of which requires the united energies of many colabourers. I would 



