39 
correctness of this view is placed beyond a doubt by the parallels 
which I have adduced from classical writers. It is my impression, 
however, that the sentiments of humanity, mercy, forgiveness, and 
unselfishness are more natural to the Indian than to the Greek and 
Roman authors, unless, perhaps, in the case of those of the latter 
who were in fluen'ced by philosophical speculation. This tenderness 
of Indian sentiment may possibly have been in part derived from 
Buddhism, which, however, itself was of purely Indian growth.” 
The publication of this volume seems to have left a void in his mind 
which, deepened by the loss of his good and gentle sister, who had 
been for many years the faithful companion of his solitary life, had 
at times a depressing influence on his spirits. Still, however, he 
pursued his course of reading, and only a few months before his 
death he issued to his friends another small collection of metrical 
translations from the Mahabharata, including the highly poetical 
episode of Savitrl. 
While the literary researches of John Muir have gained for him 
a place in the’ foremost rank of Sanskritists, and have thus contri- 
buted in a remarkable degree to the credit of Scottish scholarship 
in an important branch of Oriental studies — as those of his dis- 
tinguished brother, Sir William Muir, have done in another branch 
—John Muir deserves to be not less gratefully remembered by his 
countrymen for the eminent services he has rendered to the cause of 
education in Scotland. The want of a recognised medium of instruc- 
tion on his favourite subjects of study in any of the Scottish uni- 
versities induced him, in 1862, to offer to the Senatus of the 
Edinburgh University the sum of <£4000 for the foundation of a 
chair of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology; on the condition 
that the interest of this capital should be supplemented by an 
annual grant from Government of the same amount. In 1876 this 
munificent gift was increased by a further sum yielding an addition 
to the emoluments of the chair of £50 a year. In one respect Dr. 
Muir’s expectations in founding the chair were disappointed. It 
appears that, in drawing up the deed of endowment, he had intended 
to provide, beside the systematic courses of instruction, for annual 
courses of lectures of a more popular kind to be open to any non- 
matriculated persons that might wish to attend them. Unfortu- 
nately, however, the terms of the deed were not sufficiently definite 
