216 DR. BRANDSTETTER'S RESEARCHES. 



It is impossible to go into details here, but I hope that 

 the indications I have given will induce some of the readers of 

 this Journal to refer both to Brandstetter's essay and to his 

 Malay originals. Victor Hugo did not disdain to translate 

 Malay pan tuns : a poet himself, he could appreciate the poetry 

 which many of them so quaintly embody, and I venture to 

 think that an anthology could be made up out of Malay 

 literature which would be worthy to rank with many other 

 such collections in better known languages. Unfortunately 

 the Malay genius does not lend itself to sustained effort : it 

 rises here and there to real heights of poetic fancy, but taken 

 as a whole it is undoubtedly pedestrian. All the more reason, 

 therefore, is there for picking out the gems which lie hidden 

 amongst so much that is little better than dross. 



This short notice can hardly do justice to the excellence of 

 Brandstetter's work : I can say no more, in summing up, than 

 that that he is a worthy pupil of the Dutch School, and that 

 in attempting to carry on the work of Malayan research beyond 

 the confines of Holland and Netherlands India, he is setting an 

 example which may well be followed elsewhere. It is unfortu- 

 nate that the work of Dutch scholars in this line of study 

 is so little known to English readers. The initial difficulties are 

 not nearly as great as they are supposed to be : one can easily 

 pick up enough understanding of the Dutch written language 

 to be able to read intelligentl y a Dutch essay on a Malayan 

 subject. However, as Englishmen, persistently and very much 

 to their own disadvantage, continue to ignore the Dutch author- 

 ities, perhaps it may be some help to such of them as have a 

 fair knowledge of German to have Brandstetter's work to 

 refer to. His work, however, is purely original, though he has 

 been trained in the Dutch school and would be the first to 

 acknowledge his indebtedness to it, as indeed he repeatedly 

 does ; and when one says that he is making for himself a place 

 in the list of distinguished Malayan scholars which holds such 

 names as van der Tuuk, Kern, Niemann and Brandes, one need, 

 I think, say no more. 



a 0. Blagden. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



