1866.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 49 



dialects ; we have no means of acquiring an accurate knowledge of 

 these tongues, and the nearest accessible territory is the British dis- 

 trict of Peshawur, where both Officials and Missionaries are settled, 

 and have devoted their best endeavours to obtain information regard- 

 ing the neighbouring people and languages. I direct my remarks to 

 the two Arian languages, those of Cashmere and Chilas, which as yet 

 remain unknown, owing to peculiar circumstances, although the means 

 of knowing them is easily available. They are both spoken in the 

 territories of the Maharajah of Cashmere, whose hospitality to British 

 travellers is great, and who gives every facility to the many who tra- 

 verse the length and breadth of his dominions. But none of the 

 country being British, and the snow closing the roads for a great part 

 of the year, there is not, and never has been, a single British perma- 

 nent resident either Official, Missionary, or any other, and not a single 

 European has any knowledge of the indigenous languages. They are 

 all mere summer tourists, to whom the Hindostanee and Punjabee of 

 the Jummoo officials is amply sufficient. The native pundits, 

 though so learned and intelligent, do not take up philology without 

 some official guidance. Hence our ignorance in the midst of abun- 

 dant means of knowledge. Usually these things are far better left to 

 private enterprise, but under the special circumstances of this case 

 I wish to suggest the advantage of a little official aid. The Lieute- 

 nant- Governor of the Punjab is one of ourselves, a man devoted to 

 science : individually he is of all men the most ready to aid such 

 objects, and I feel confident that he only requires the assurance that 

 the object is considered one of public interest, to give it his official 

 aid also. The Maharajah is, as I have said, most hospitable and most 

 ready to assist British enterprises. The Governor of Cashmere, 

 Dewan Kirpa Bam, is one of the most enlightened and progressive 

 native gentleman of the age. I am confident that he would aid us. 

 At Lahore, an Oriental University has just been started with magni- 

 ficent aid from the Viceroy, and there are many Cashmeeree pundits 

 well skilled in their own language. They are more numerous and 

 more learned in Cashmere, where men of Chilas also are always 

 to be found. In my small inquiries I was fortunate enough to be 

 aided by the Dewan Kirpa Bam, and also by a most intelligent young 

 native gentleman of high position, Pundit Rnm Jen, adopted son and 



