242 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 3. 



excuse for my volunteering the communication of my opinions on a 

 measure which I conceive injuriously to effect the usefulness and 

 credit of the Society in this quarter of the world. 



The Bibliotheca Indica has established a European reputation, 

 and with a few possible exceptions, has hitherto admirably accom- 

 plished the purpose for which it was set on foot, in conformity with 

 the intentions and encouragement of the Court of Directors — the 

 circulation of works relating to the literature, sciences, institutions 

 and religion of the Hindus — which existed only in the perishable 

 and rarely accessible condition of manuscripts in India itself, and 

 which were therefore unavailable to European students. Many 

 valuable works have been printed in the series. Many most accept- 

 able in Europe, among which may be specified the TJpanishads, the 

 system of logic, and rhetoric, the Surya Siddhanta, the Black Tajush, 

 &c. These may be regarded as especially fulfilling the objects of 

 the Court, supplying the wants and gratifying the expectations of 

 European Indian scholars, whose only remaining desires are that 

 those works which have been commenced and are yet unfinished 

 should be completed with as little delay as may be avoidable, and 

 that when they are finished, publications of a similar character espe- 

 cially those illustrative of the Vedas, and the literature connected 

 with them, as the Brahmanas and Sutras, should be undertaken. 



It is therefore with much concern that the cultivators of Indian 

 literature have observed the disposition lately evinced by the Society, 

 to divert the numbers of the Bibliotheca Indica to a branch of 

 literature which however valuable it may be in some respects, is 

 neither of Indian origin nor relations, throwing no light whatever 

 on the social system of the bulk of the population, and wholly 

 valueless as a clue to the ancient history of the country. The pub- 

 lication is becoming more of a Bibliotheca Arabica, than a Biblio- 

 theca Indica, a character which it was not originally intended to bear 

 and which in India itself can be of interest only to a very few learned 

 Mohammadans, professors and teachers of Islam. 



Now it may be questioned if any extensive multiplication of Arabic 

 works is needed for the supply of Arabic scholars in Europe. There 

 is already a copious collection of the most important works in 

 Arabic in print, and Manuscripts are far from rare or difficult of 



