1850.] 



of Continental India, fyc. 



105 



the consideration of Delta whether the idea of the Yavanas 

 having been Greeks is not traceable to a loose suggestion 

 thrown out by Sir W. Jones, with the expression of his dis- 

 belief attached ; but subsequently much enlarged on by Colo- 

 nel Wilford, and with great minuteness. However, even if 

 authorities were .just and fair, no prudent person would im- 

 plicitly follow that writer, or his followers, such as Colonel 

 Moor and others, without great hesitation; but, calling to 

 mind the discovered forgeries, and wilful interpolations, of 

 Wilford's Pandit, we must determine that he cannot at any 

 time be trusted ; without an investigation of original sources 

 of information, It is an unhappy consequence of the some- 

 times volatile, and superficial nature of Sir W. Jones' remarks, 

 and of some very loose hypothesis thrown out by him, that he 

 gave occasion to inferior minds to imitate these his faults on- 

 ly, and abundantly to enlarge and caricature them : without 

 their attaining to any portion of his excellencies. 



" It is however believed to be extremely probable that the 

 invasion of Alexander of Macedon influenced Hindustan more 

 powerfully in subsequent times than has been generally sup- 

 posed ; and that even some of his descendants, by the daugh- 

 ter of a Hindu prince, bore the name of Yavanas. It is fur- 

 ther perhaps more than probable that the Greek kingdom of 

 Bactria possessed extensive domination in India ; and that 

 these may have been the Yavanas of the Puranas : the origi- 

 nal use of the term being possibly of much higher antiquity. 

 In modern times, the Arabs, and the Lebbis, or Jonacas, are 

 so designated. Again it is possible, and an interesting Ma- 

 lay record asserts it as a fact, that a prince, one of the descend- 

 ants of Alexander, dissatisfied with his paternal portion in In- 

 dia emigrated to Java, and even extended his influence to Su- 

 matra. No credence would be given to this account were not 

 many notable points in it confirmed by Native Hindu M.S.S. 

 not yet published. 



" In the brief notes referred to by Delta it was intended to 



./VOL. XVI. >'0. XXXVII. 0 



