1850.] Br&hminical Conquerors of India. 15 



and those of others on the nations with whom the conquerors of the 

 Nile valley combated, or treated ; and lastly, I will submit my hypo- 

 thesis touching a possible recognition of the brahminical conquerors 

 on their progress. 



Nothing is more easy than to prove by reference to ancient Sanscrit 

 authorities, that the skill in arms of the brahminical race was really 

 such, as to render them no contemptible opponents to troops as highly 

 disciplined as were those of Egypt. The institutes of Manu,* which 

 in their present shape, must have been in existence, according to Sir 

 "William Jones' calculation, 880 years before our era, contain in their 

 seventh chapter definite instructions, not only as to the policy of war, 

 but as to its detail, prescribing the seasons for military operations 

 (VII. Sloka 182), the division of the army employed (VII. Sloka 

 185), "elephants, cavalry, cars, infantry, officers, attendants ;" and the 

 formations in which the troops should advance into action, or adopt 

 on the line of march (VII. Sloka 107). These were various, 

 such as line, column, wedge, or double wedge, rhomboid with far 

 extended wings, with other formations (V. Wilson's Dictionary, 

 vyuha\) involving the establishment of reserves — of tried men, or dis- 

 tinguished by known marks, " who are excellent both in sustaining a 

 charge and in charging, who are fearless and incapable of desertions" 

 (VII. SI. 190). Nor was moral influence on the soldier forgotten. 



* Jones' works, Vol. Ill, 



f Under this word, equivalent to array, several fanciful formations are mentioned, 

 the ear-shape, and flag-shape, and the macaru, or shape of the sea-monster. It is 

 curious to find this formation reproduced (Raffles' Java, Vol. I. p. 281) in an island 

 colonised beyond a doubt from this country under the slightly altered form of 

 mengkara ; and it shows the nationality of the early conquerors of India, and their 

 decidedly military character, that they should carry with them, and so firmly 

 establish the use and practices of their system of war, among their descendants as 

 to lead them to believe, not only that they invented these, but that the scene of 

 the great actions recorded in the military epic of the Mahabharat, fragments of 

 which exist (Raffles' Java, Vol. I. Sp. 411) among the Javanese, lay in Java, and 

 Madura. Sir S. Raffles's description of the military character of the Javanese, 

 and more particularly of their adherence to their ancient system of tactics up to a 

 comparatively recent period (the Matarim war about A. D. 1600), is a sort of 

 collateral testimony to the soldier-like qualities of the ancient race whence they 

 (Sansc. Yavana, wanderers) are undoubtedly descended. See Pritchard's Physical 

 History of Man, Vol. II. p. 221.— H. T. 



