1806.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 147 



such as the Bengali now is, consistently with perspicuity, and without 

 shocking the national feelings of the people. This is, I think, the 

 legitimate way of enriching the vocabulary of such a language. 

 Where a Sanscrit word, though expressing originally the idea I intend 

 to convey, has, by the lapse of ages, obtained a different signification, 

 I do not hesitate to use some popular term, having the same meaning, 

 though it may be of foreign derivation. I have for instance generally 

 translated ship by jahaz, though this is neither Sanscrit nor Bengali, 

 because the Sanscrit nauha though exactly corresponding to the Latin 

 navis, is now used in Bengali to express a boat rather than a ship. 



11 1 Scientific terms I borrow from the English, when the Sanscrit 

 fails to produce any either ready made or capable of being easily 

 invented. In Geometry and Algebra, however, I have scarcely ex- 

 perienced any difficulty in procuring terms, since the Sanscrit voca- 

 bulary here is very full/ 



" ' Then again : Rail-garry is used in preference to Loha ha gharry. 9 



" In connection with the present subject, I cannot help alluding to a 

 class of men who ought not to be unnecessarily dragged to the notice of 

 a purely scientific Society, I mean the Indian Missionaries. They would 

 have succeeded to a much greater extent in their proselytising efforts, 

 and would have attracted far greater sympathy from the natives, if they 

 had been careful and provident in the adoption of a proper theologi- 

 cal terminology. 



" For example, if instead of naturalizing the word baptism in the 

 native Christian vocabulary, they had used the far more expressive 

 correlative of the word in Sanscrit namely sanskara, they would have 

 found a certain meeting-place or common ground between Christianity 

 and Hinduism. The introduction of a new word is often an impor- 

 tant event in the history of a nation : what Milton said of books, 

 might well be said of words : l They contain a progeny of life which is 

 treasured up in a vial to a life beyond life/ 



" I fully sympathise with Mr. Justice Campbell's remarks, as to the 

 antagonism between the two races in this country, the Native and the 

 European. I could only wish that the European members in this 

 assembly could fully dive into the depth and the intensity of his 

 expressions. If by the use of a common terminology we could bridge 

 over this unnatural unchristian gulf of separation, I should with all 



