1836.J 



Notices of Books, 



147 



Society have expressed their approval of the design by subscription^ 

 The opinion of the latter body on the work itself may, perhaps, soon be 

 gathered from their Transactions or Journal; the first volume of these 

 translations certainly, and the second probably? being, by this time, on 

 their table. 



" The office of analysis, undertaken at the Editor's request, will be 

 best accomplished by an outline of the contents before adding any 

 observations. Of course the manuscripts, which are printed in the 

 Native character, and translated on the opposite pages, seem to claim 

 attention first, as the ground-work, though by no means the whole, of 

 the translator's labours. The Preface announces that some of the 

 manuscripts were originally collected, with a view to be sent to the 

 late Colonel Mackenzie, though they eventually did not reach him, 

 and they are-, not to be found in the Mackenzie MSS. at the College of 

 Port St. George. In the body of the work it is stated, that some 

 smaller manuscripts, used in illustration of the others, were originally 

 prepared by the head Bramin of the principal pagoda at Madura, in 

 consequence of Mr. Ellis's request when visiting it ; but failed of 

 reaching that distinguished oriental scholar, in consequence of his 

 death soon afterwards. The Stalla Purana of that pagoda was ob- 

 tained direct from Madura, at a later period than the other documents 

 This local legend, it may be observed, was contained in the Mackenzie 

 collection, in Sanscrit, under the title of ffalasya Mukatuuja, and in 

 Tamil under the title of Perawolliar Purana. The latter is still to be 

 found at the College, and is the only one of the leading MSS. trans- 

 lated or abstracted in this work, and at the same time contained in 

 that collection. This remark is made with the express exception of 

 two or three subordinate MSS. in Tamil and Telugu, acknowledged as 

 borrowed from the College, and made use of in illustrating the more 

 modern portion of the history in the second volume. 



" The leading design of the work is thus stated in the opening portion 

 of the preface. " The principal subject of the work now submitted to 

 " the reader is the Ancient Southern Kingdom of Madufa, so enti- 

 " tied from its principal town. It is contained between 8° and 11° of 

 " N. lat. and 95° to 97° of E. long. Its proper boundaries are the river 

 " Cauvery, on the north, the bay of Bengal and Straits of Manar on 

 " the east; Cape Comorin and the Indian Ocean on the south ; and 

 " the chain of Ghauts, or mountains, on the west. It is called 

 " Pandionis regio by Ptolemy, being a translation of its native name : 

 " and the capital town is by him spelt Modura, nearly the same with 

 " its present appellation. The ancient native designation of the king-. 

 " dom is Pandiya-mandalam, or the Pandiya territory. The name of 

 " the capital is properly Mathurei ; and it also once bore the name of 



