1866.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 161 



instanced the word electricity, derived from^Ae/crpov, amber, as an unhappy- 

 instance of indenting on Greek sources ; but true technical terms come 

 to be identified with the things or ideas they represent, and in ordinary- 

 use, seldom, if ever, retain anything of their derivative meaning. In a 

 treatise on electricity published in the Birgisi Baris, or the Paris 

 Jupiter, an Arabic newspaper published at Paris, chiefly for circulation 

 in Algiers, but which is also taken in by some natives in India, the term 

 used, if I recollect rightly, is precisely the same, viz. kalirubah, which is 

 the Persian for amber, and which no doubt conveys its meaning equally 

 well. Here the telegraph is the only illustration of the power of the 

 electric fluid generally known, and it is called tar-i-barqie by educated 

 Mahomedans, and bijli ki tar by the Hindus, both meaning " lightning 

 wire." The one serves the purposes of those who use it quite as well as 

 the other, and as electric wire, and both are equally scientific. The 

 uneducated natives or common people generally call it teeleegaraf, 

 which in Hindustan can have no scientific value, and to native ears 

 must sound somewhat harsh if not barbarous. As illustrative of the 

 errors likely to follow the abuse of terms not properly technical, he 

 mentioned a curious circumstance. " In reading a native petition 

 to Government last week," he said, " my attention was attracted by 

 the words Government parmeshivari lote, for ' Government Promis- 

 sory note/ Now Parmeshwari means relating to Ishivar, i. e. the 

 Supreme Being, or, as we would probably say ' divine' or * holy.' 

 I pointed the word out to my native secretary as a curious coincidence. 

 The Maulavi, however, informed me that it was no coincidence : that 

 the lower order of natives had an idea that these notes were very 

 solemn things ; and that the Governor- General or some great 

 State Officer, in issuing them, was obliged to take a solemn oath, that 

 they would be cashed on presentation." But this, or the very numer- 

 ous similar instances which could be adduced, are no arguments for 

 or against the introduction of foreign technical terms in translating 

 scientific treatises. Such blunders are made by the common and 

 uneducated people in all countries ; and he would be far from wishing 

 to exclude new terms taken for a foreign tongue, from scientific works 

 in India, because the masses would probably change them into any 

 familiar terms which happened to be similar in sound — what he chiefly 

 contended for was, that we should avoid, as much as possible, raising 



