1854.] Literary Intelligence. 389 



verification of the alphabet, a Grammatical sketch with a Vocabu- 

 lary of the Scythic language. " It is assumed that the language 

 in which the inscription was written, was that of the Nomadic 

 tribes who inhabited the Persian empire ; and the memoir sets forth 

 the grounds on which that assumption rests, and which appear to 

 prove that it is allied, grammatically, and to a small extent verbally 

 also, with the so-called Scythic languages, and especially with the 

 Ugrian branch of that class. The iuterest of the memoir is especi- 

 ally philological, and its great value will consist in the further aid 

 it will probably afford in settling the meaning of some passages in 

 the Persian text, while it may be fairly anticipated that the Assy- 

 rian, through which alone we can expect any increase to our 

 acquaintance with the ancient history of man, may receive from 

 these publications additional illustration." 



The Annual Report of the same Society read on their 30th 

 Anniversary Meetiug in May, 1853, from which the above extract 

 has been made, gives the following interesting intelligence of mate- 

 rials left by the lamented Burnouf. 



" The oriental scholar will be very much interested by four large 

 folio volumes, making from two to three thousand pages, containing 

 full indexes to all the Zend words found in the Vendidad Sadi, 

 with the variants of the several editions, forming a complete Zend 

 Dictionary, which will be an invaluable aid to those who are now 

 laboriously endeavouring to get a knowledge of the Zend without 

 it. Several other works on the Zend language and monuments are 

 also found very nearly complete among Burnouf s MSS. Amoug 

 the Sanscrit papers left, is an index to Panini, containing all the 

 axioms in alphabetical order. This is quite ready for the printer. 

 A Pali Grammar has been also found, nearly complete, and a Pali 

 Dictionary ; besides a very considerable mass of MSS., some prepar- 

 ed and completed for the press, and others intended to be so. The 

 list is given in the memoir of M. Barthelemy St. Hilaire, from which 

 chiefly this article is abridged. " Although copious," the writer in- 

 forms us, " that it does not contain all the valuable remains left by 

 Burnouf." 



The Journal of the Bombay Branch (Jan. 1854) is for the most 

 part occupied by Dr. Carter's Summary of the Geology of India. 



3 E 



