210 Proceeding* of the Asiatic Society. [June, 



tria and Prussia, but nowhere is language divided on the ground 

 of provincial peculiarities of pronunciation. In Hindustan Proper, 

 there are at least a dozen kinds of Hindi differing from each other 

 much more remarkably than Uriya does from Bengali, and none 

 knows this better than Mr. Beames, who has so carefully studied 

 them in all their different phases ; but none has yet ventured to re- 

 commend that separate sets of school books should be got up in each 

 of those different dialects. I see no reason, therefore, why a different 

 policy should be adopted in Bengal. To the Uriyas this is a question 

 of the most vital importance. According to the last census, they num- 

 ber only a little over two millions in the three districts of Balasore, 

 Cuttack and Puri, and a million may be added for those who live 

 in Ganjam, Sambhalpur and the Tributary Mahals. But on the other 

 hand, we must deduct at least five lacs for foreigners, Muhammadans,, 

 Kyans, Madrasis, Bengalis, and others, who want not and care not 

 for the Uriya language, so that we have only about 2£ millions for 

 whom a distinct literature has to be created. The three districts 

 under the Cuttack Commissioner yield to Government in the way of 

 revenue under 17 lacs a year, and the zemindars at 37 per cent, get 

 about 11 or 12 lacs. This sum is divided among 3881 persons, of 

 whom only 26 get above ten thousand a year each, and of them 16 

 are Bengalis, mostly non-resident, who are not likely to offer any 

 especial encouragement to the Uriya, language. The people are 

 mostly agriculturists, and having very little trade, are generally very 

 poor. How it is possible for such a small community, and under 

 such circumstances to create a literature in their vernacular, and 

 maintain it, I cannot conceive. Our vernacularists maintain that 

 the vernaculars of India shoidd be so improved as to suffice for a 

 University Course for the B. A standard, if not for Honors. This 

 would imply that each of them should include the whole course of 

 Algebra and Geometry, and considerable portions of Astronomy, 

 Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, and other sciences, besides transla- 

 ti >ns from Newton's Principia, Grote's Greece, Gibbon's Eoman 

 Empire, Mill's Logic, and Abercrombie's Mental Philosophy. To 

 suppose that such a thing is possible for a poor community of 2£ 

 millions of Uriyas to accomplish, is to suppose an impossibility. To 

 suppose that the whole or a majority of the people who speak the 



