1867.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 51 



the sibilants, and rejected the distinctions of long and short vowels ; 

 and that, or a little before that, was not the time when the Brahmins 

 would forsake their ancient alphabet for a foreign one, for the sake 

 of its superior and more perfect system of vowels and aspirates. 



Mr. Campbell read a letter from Col. Phayre, Chief Commissioner 

 of British Burmah, inclosing a list of words of the Mon or Talain 

 language of Pegu and Tenasserim, prepared by the very best scholar of 

 that language, the Kev. Mr. Haswell, in accordance with the list of 

 test words sent to Col. Phayre ; also promising a similar specimen 

 of the Andamanese language. Col. Phayre added, " The study of the 

 tribes in the hills of Burmah is one of vast interest to the Philologist, 

 to the Ethnologist, and to the Missionary ; they may be said to be 

 unknown, at least the majority of them." 



Mr. Campbell then said that although he could not pretend to have 

 critically studied the list of Mon words which he had only just received, 

 he could not resist the earliest opportunity of stating that at the very 

 first glance, the first few words in the list seemed at once to establish, 

 he might say beyond the possibility of doubt, a radical connection 

 between the Mon or Talain. people and the Sontals and similar tribes 

 to the west of Bengal, whom he had designated as Kolarians. He had 

 recently published a short comparative list of aboriginal words, and 

 Mr. Man had appended to his Sontalia and the Sontals the same model 

 list of test words which had been translated by Mr. Haswell. On 

 comparing these lists, the first four numerals and the first four simple 

 nouns (put first as of the most radical test character) were found to be 

 in fact plainly identical ; the only difference, where there is a difference, 

 being of a uniform character, viz. that the shorter vowels of the Sontal 

 words are changed into a broader o } oo, oa, or au 7 thus— 





Sontali. 



Mon. 



One 



mi or mia 



mooa 



Two 



barea 



ba 



Three 



pea or pia 



pee or pi 



Four 



ponea 



paun 



Hand 



ti or tihi 



toa 



Foot 



Jang 



chang 



