12ti£ Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Dec. 



edition of the Vedas, and offering his advice as to the Oriental works 

 which the Society should undertake. 



* * * * * We have begun the printing of the Rig Veda, at 

 Oxford, the Court having most liberally engaged to defray the cost. The Academy 

 of St. Petersburgh proposes to print the Yajur, and a Dr. Weber has been here se- 

 veral months collating MSS. ; a Dr. Benfey is about to print the text of the Sama 

 Veda. Still there will be plenty of work for the Society if they have any members 

 qualified to conduct it. There are many and very extensive supplementary portions 

 which it would be desirable to have printed, but nothing should be printed without a 

 commentary. The Satapatha Brahmana for instance, would be an excellent subject for 

 their money and their industry. There can be little doubt I think if the grant be not 

 withdrawn, the Society will be expected to apply it strictly to the objects for which it 

 was sanctioned, and to furnish regular accounts of its appropriation. Natural His- 

 tory is unquestionable a legitimate subject of the Society's researches, but it must 

 not be the exclusive one. Man must cl dm his share of attention as well as birds and 

 reptiles. I hope better things from the future. 



H. H. Wilson. 



East India House, Sept. 17, 1847. 



Further, a letter from Dr. Roer, declining, under the circumstances 

 stated hy Dr. Wilson, to proceed any further with the edition of the 

 Veda on which he has been engaged, and proposing to follow Dr. 

 Wilson's valuable suggestions. 



To Dr. W. B. O'Shaughnessy, 

 Senior Secretary, Asiatic Society, Bengal. 



Dated Asiatic Society, 8th Nov. 1847. 



Sir,— Having perceived from a letter of Professor Wilson, that the printing of 

 the Rig Veda has been actually commenced upon at Oxford, I consider it my duty 

 to propose to the Council, that the Society should discontinue their edition of this 

 Veda. 



From the letter above alluded to it also appears, that the Yajur Veda is to be 

 published in Russia, and the Sama Veda in Germany. 



Under these circumstances I would suggest, in accordance with the wish of Pro- 

 fessor Wilson, as the most appropriate application of the Oriental fund, the print- 

 ing of Sanskrit works, connected with the Vedas; first of all of the Satapatha 

 Brahmana, as proposed by ^Professor Wilson, Yaskas Nirukta and Nighanta, &c. 

 &c. As, however, our Library contains a few portions only of this Brahmana, and 

 as it will take a long time to collect the MSS. for this purpose, I propose in the 

 meantime to publish an edition of the ten Upanishads (as they are called nar tfrxnv) 

 or the philosophical part of the Vedas. This work, as the foundation of the Vedan- 

 ta and the most ancient record of philosophy that has been handed down to us, is 



