330 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, [April, 



to give a correct reversion of them, since they are not only full of mistakes 

 in difficult passages, as in the quotations from the Brahmanas, from Aswala- 

 yana and Panini, but since even the simplest groups of letters are generally 

 incorrect. Yet I did not give up my task, and after having studied several 

 works introductory to the Vedas and having copied the Nighanta and 

 Nirukta, the Sutras of Aswalayana with commentary, and also the Aitariya 

 Aranyaka and Brahmana, and Madhava's commentary of the Yajur Veda, 

 I became familiar with the style of the commentaries and the mode of 

 expression in the Vedaic writings, and when E. Burnouf placed also his 

 pretty correct MS. of Madhava's commentary at my disposal, I seriously 

 thought of editing this work, and went to England for the purpose to com- 

 plete and compare my manuscript materials. Although I did then no longer 

 despair to restore a correct text of the Vedas and its commentary, I met 

 with the new difficulty, how to publish so extensive a work. I entered into 

 proceedings with the Academy in Petersburg, but I was obliged to give up my 

 plan from circumstances which I could not control. A German bookseller 

 offered then to print the work, but only under the condition, that a sufficient 

 number of subscribers could be obtained. When I at last applied to the East 

 India Company for a subscription, I was informed, that the Directors declined a 

 subscription, but that they were ready to print the work at their own expense 

 in England. Although I cannot deny, that I would have preferred to publish 

 the work in Germany, and although from my staying in England, my German 

 career must necessarily be somewhat retarded, yet I had to consider the 

 many advantages I could derive from the use of the MSS. in London. 

 Above all the success of the undertaking was by the liberality of the Directors 

 so completely secured, that I at last resolved to remain in London. I then 

 commenced immediately to print, and although I at first slowly proceeded 

 in consequence of some typographical arrangements, I have now the satis- 

 faction of getting every week one sheet through the press. 



There is no want of MSS. here. Beside those I collected in Paris, I 

 have Colebrooke's copy for the commentary, another, although incomplete, 

 copy of Taylor, another more modern from the collection of Prof. Wilson 

 in Oxford, and lastly a copy Dr. Mill kindly lent me from his private collec- 

 tion. But as I observed before, these MSS. are incorrect ; moreover, nearly 

 all of them are derived from the same source, and as they almost invariably 

 present the same errors, they have hardly any value as MSS. A good old 

 MS., if possible from the southern part of India, would be of great use to 

 me, especially for the last books, since I have more MSS. for the first 

 Ashtakas than for the others. There are not many various readings Of 

 importance with the exception of additions and improvements which occur 

 in more modern MSS., especially in that of Burnouf, which is copied by the 



