51 I Report on the " Vedas" 



To Dr. E. Roer, 



Secretary r , Oriental Department. 



Sir, — I am exceedingly happy to learn from your kind letter of the 

 24th instant, that the Asiatic Society has resolved to publish the Vedas, 

 together with a Commentary, as soon as practicable, and shall not fail 

 to render my assistance in this important undertaking, as far as it lies 

 in my power. Allow me however, to remark that the printing of the 

 Vedas is not an easy task, for a correct and complete Manuscript of the 

 sacred works are scarcely procurable here, and the Pundits of Bengal 

 being not conversant with the Vedas, are hardly competent to correct 

 the proof sheets of the same. I therefore, propose that the Society 

 would be pleased to apply to Government, to write to their Agents at 

 Benares and the Decan, (Tailanga, Dravirha, &c.) for transmission of 

 accurate copies of the four Vedas with their commentaries, and also four 

 brahmans well versed in the four Vedas ; and then I doubt not, the 

 resolution of the Society will be crowned with success. 



On reference to the printed list of Sanscrit Books, which was some 

 time ago published by the Asiatic Society, I find that all the Vedas 

 and their commentaries are in the library of the Government Sanscrit 

 College, and can easily be had by writing to the Secretary of the 

 College. 



A writer in the Calcutta Review (No. V. p. 108) states that a com- 

 plete copy of the Vedas was carried to England by Colonel Polier, and 

 deposited in the British Museum ; I think it would be highly desirable 

 to get the loan of this original Manuscript, or in default thereof, a 

 transcript of it, for a collation of the different manuscripts that might 

 be procured, either in India or Europe, would be of infinite service in 

 giving a correct and perfect edition of this most ancient work to be 

 found in any language in the world, and that the Asiatic Society of 

 Bengal, or the supreme Government of India ought not to grudge any 

 expense in effecting this most laudable object. 



I am much obliged by your bringing to my notice, that Mr. Koenig 

 has requested the intercession of the Asiatic Society, to procure for him 

 one or two copies of my Sanscrit Dictionarjr, and that he has with great 

 liberality, placed at my disposal, a copy of all the Sanscrit works pub- 

 lished by him, as well as by your extracting a passage from a letter 

 of the most erudite and profound Sanscrit scholar, Professor Lassen, to 



