May 1861.] Biographical Memoir of Dr. Bottler 



India : and for this purpose Sir Thomas Strange, Judge at Ma- 

 dras, wrote to the Governor of Tranquebar, recommending the pro- 

 posed arrangement in urgent terms ; the Danish Governor imme- 

 diately expressed his acquiesence in the proposal ; the Danish 

 Missionaries also gave their consent : upon which he was induced 

 to yield to the importunity of the Directors, and immediately sent 

 home to the College at Copenhagen, the resignation of his appoint- 

 ment to their East Indian Mission." 



It was during this interval of his separation from Missionary em- 

 ployment that Rottler projected his principal literary labour, name- 

 ly, his Tamil and English Dictionary, which, notwithstanding the 

 omissions and defects, necessarily accompanying so extensive a 

 work, has been of infinite service, and continuing still unsuperseded 

 as the standard Tamil Dictionary. The first division only of this 

 work in 298 pages, and embracing the vowels alone, had been print- 

 ed in the life-time of its author. But the remainder was left in an 

 advanced state, and was completed in 1841, under the editorship 

 of the Rev. W. Taylor. 



In the year 1812, a small number of Native Roman Catholics of 

 Royapooram made application to the Chaplain of Black Town for 

 admission into the Protestant Church ; at his request Rottler un- 

 dertook their instruction, and attended weekly at the house of one 

 of them for that purpose. On their admission subsequently into 

 the Church at Black Town, Rottler became their pastor, some 

 other Native Christians from the neighbourhood forming a con- 

 gregation with them. For this service, Rottler received a stipend 

 from Government, which was continued to him when this congre- 

 gation removed with him to Vepery on his resumption of the charge 

 of that Mission. As this congregation was connected with the 

 Church of England, it became necessary that the Church Services 

 should be employed in ministering to them : and it was for their 

 use that Rottler undertook at this time to translate the book of 

 Common Prayer into the Tamil language, no such translation hav. 

 ing hitherto existed. Respecting the merits of this work there are 

 on record two some-what conflicting testimonies ; the College 

 Board thought " the order of the English version too literally 

 followed" in it : the Tamil Translator to Government on the 



