416 LANGUAGES, &c. OF THE 



divided the empire of speech almost equally with the local mother tongues ; 

 which too are daily, yet further, giving way before it. 



The Gorkhas speak this Pdrhattiya dialect ; and to their ascendancy is 

 its prevalence, in latter times, to be partly ascribed. The valley of Nepal 

 is indeed almost the only spot, not remote from the plains, where the 

 vernacular speech of the people has maintained its ground : the Newari 

 being, in substance, distinct from all the numerous dialects of Sanscrit 

 original. 



Now, as these dialects (to say nothing of their conquests along the whole 

 line of hills) have penetrated to the districts close around the valley, to the 

 countries directly north of it ; and have even long had a footing in the valley 

 itself, one is apt to ask, why its vernacular tongue has not given way before 



themj as in so ma>ny other instances? 



The causes of its escape are, probably, these three: 1st. The fertility of 

 the valley enabled the people to multiply rapidly, and soon to give tolerable 

 consistency to their own speech. 



2d. Its uniform surface made communication between all its inhabi- 

 tants easy and frequent ; whence the speech was further advanced, provided 

 ■with a tolerable stQ.ck, of words, and. formed, iftto, a sort of national lan- 

 guage. 



3do Its numerous people early adopted a religious persuasion (Buddhism) 

 which made them look on the Hindu colonists with jealousy. Those colonists 

 were commonly of the Brahmanical and Kshetriya tribes—tribes, which, in 

 the more fervid days of yore, could a§ ill endure a Buddhist as a Buddhist 

 could them. 



