APKiL — JUNE 1857.] The Tamil Epic Chintamani. 
43 
III. The Tamil Epic Chintamani. By the Rev. P. Percival. 
When the despatch of the Honorable the Court of Directors on 
their scheme of education was promulgated a ^ear and a half ago, 
through the vernacular periodical press, its provisions were looked 
upon by intelligent natives, generally, as a beautiful theory never to 
be followed by any practical result. It was, indeed, believed, that 
so much of the* despatch as related to English, might, for official 
purposes, be carried out ; but not the most sanguine of my ac- 
quaintances among the natives had any belief in that which related 
to the vernacular languages. Since however a beginning has been 
made, and measures adopted for realizing the intentions of the Ho- 
norable Court, it may easily be conceived how agreeably the friends 
of education are surprized. The appointment of a Director of Public 
Instruction, the actual operations of inspection, th^ Establishment of 
a Normal School under a competent and zealous Principal, are among 
the facts serving to assure the native mind that Government is in 
earnest in the matter of public education. The Director has lately 
put forth a Code cf Instructions for the Head Masters of Talook 
Schools which has created in many the greatest satisfaction. In 
that carefully prepared document, it is, in the very first paragraph, 
stated, that in the Talook Schools the instruction, the matter taught, 
is to be conveyed through a vernacular medium ; when introduced, 
English is to be studied only as a language." When the pupil 
has attained to a fixed standard in the vernacular, he will be per- 
mitted to begin the study of English ; and not before. These facts 
are sufficient to show that public instruction is to be largely pro- 
vided for, and that the vernacular languages will be made the vehi- 
cles of useful knowledge to the masses of the population. That the 
native mind is in any degree aroused by the facts occurring around 
us is matter of thankfulness. These auspicious prospects are, how- 
ever, I regret to say, not unattended by much of a discouraging 
character ; the native himself is likely to prove the greatest obstacle 
in the way of progress as regards vernacular instruction. And I 
