Turku-Vageeshŭ, of Ghoshalŭ- Baganů, six* ditto.-Ramŭ-Shévükŭ-Vidya-Vagéeshů, of Shikdarér-Baganu, four ditto.-Mrityoonjňyŭ-Vidyalŭnkarů, of Bag-Bazar, fifteen ditto. -Ramu-Kishorŏ-Türků-Chōoraminee, of ditto, six ditto.-Ramu-Koomarŭ-Shiromŭnee, of ditto, four ditto.-Juyu-Narayŏnů-Türkŭ-Pănchanŭnă, of Talar-Bagan", five ditto.-Shumbhoo-Vachŭspătee, of ditto, six ditto.-Shivă-Rami-Nyayů-Vagēëshů, of Lal-Bagană, ten ditto.-Gourů-Mohănă-Vidya-Bhooshunů, of ditto, four ditto.Hăree-Prūsadŭ-Türkă-Punchanŭnů, of Hatee-Bagano, four ditto.-Ramů-NarayŭnŭTürkă-Punchanǎnă, of Shimila, five ditto.-Ramu-Huree-Vidya-Bhooshunй, of Hureetūkēe Baganů, six ditto.-Kămăla-Kantă-Vidyalḥnkară, of Arăkoolee, six ditto.-Govindă-Türkă-Pânchanănă, of ditto, five ditto.-Peetamburu-Nyayi-Bhooshină, of ditto, five ditto.-Parvutee-Turku-Bhooshunů, of T'hunt'huniya, four ditto.-Kashee-Nat'hnTürkalunkară, of ditto, three ditto.-Ramu-Nat'hŏ-Vachŭspătee, of Shimila, nine ditto. -Ramŭ-Tănoo-Türkŭ-Siddhantů, of Mülünga, six ditto.- Ramu-Tănoo-Vidya-Vageshu, of Shobha-Bazar, five ditto.-Ramă-Koomară-Türkŭ-Punchanŭnă, of Veelŏ-Para, five ditto. Kalee-Dasu-Vidya-Vageeshu, of Italee, five ditto.-Ramů-Dhănă-TórkōVageeshu, of Shimila, five ditto..

The author is afraid of fatiguing his reader by a further list of names: he will now therefore merely add the names of a few other places in Bengal where learning is most cultivated :

At Vashu-Variya, a place not far beyond Hoogley, are twelve or fourteen colleges, in ail of which the nyayŭ philosophical works are almost exclusively studied. In the towns. of Trivénec, Koomarü-Hutto, and Bhat-Para, there are perhaps seven or eight similar schools. Jõgunnat’hŭ-Türkŭ-Punchanŭno, a few years ago, presided at a large school in Trivenee. He was acquainted in some measure with the védõ, and is said to have studied the védantŏ, the sankhyň, the pati njulu, the nyayй, the smritee, the tintro, the kavyй, the poorani, and other shastrus. He was supposed to be the most learned as. well as the oldest man in Bengal, being 109 years old at the time of his death. Gond luPara and Bhadreshwůru contain each about ten nyayй schools. At Juyu-Nügürŭ and Mŏ

* These pupils are supported by Gooroo-Prusadŭ-Včshoo, and Năndăj-Nalŭ-Düttü.

These students are supported by Ramu-Mokuni-Duttů.

W w w 2

jilce-Pooro seventeen or eighteen similar schools are found; at Andoolů, ten or twelve ; and at Valee, and in several other towns two, three, or four.

Some colleges contain as many as ten and others forty or fifty volumes on different subjects: they are placed generally on a bamboo shelf slung from the roof.

Many of the Hindoo learned men, in addition to their proper names, obtain titles of honour, as, Turkalŭnkari, he who is ornamented by the turkà, i. e. by the nyayă shastrūs; Vidyalůnkară, he who is ornamented by learning; Nyayalănkarů, he who is ornamented by the nyayu shastrus.-The word bhooshunů, which has the same meaning as ŭlunkarú, is in the same manner attached to the words Türkü, Vidya, and Nyayň.—Vageeshu, the lord of words, and Rutno, a jewel, are attached to the same words, and form six additional titles.--Penchanŭnů, or the five-faced, is employed in the same manner, and denotes that the person is as eloquent as though he had five mouths.—Türkŭ-Chōōramănee, or the jewel-adorned head of the nyayo, is drawn from chooră, a head, and mōnee, a jewel ;-Türkй-Shiromůnee, is derived from shiru, the head, and munee. Vidya-Nivasŭ, the residence of learning, from vidya, learning, and nivasă, a residence.—Vidyarnuvu, and Vidya-Saguri, signify a sea of learning, from ărnăvŭ, and saguru, the sea.Vidya-Nidhee, is derived from nidhee, a jewel; Kunt'ha-bhürün, or a neck-lace of learning, from kint'ha, the neck, and ubhürinů, an ornament; and Sarvvй-Bhoumo, the king of learning, from survvă, all, and blōōmee, land.—These titles are generally conferred by teachers on their pupils after they have chosen the particular work which they propose to study: the pupil always chooses a title which none of his ancestors have enjoyed, that he may augment the honours of his family,-as though a title, before merit is acquired, could confer honour.

Hindoo students, where a number are assembled in one place, are guilty of the same extravagancies as in European seminaries, such as night frolics, robbing orchards, &c but as their future support depends on their avoiding gross attacks on the chastity of females, their passions lie under a degree of restraint.-Munoo lays down these amongst other rules for a student: "These following must a student in theology observe, while he dwells with his preceptor, keeping all his members under controul, for the sake of

increasing his habitual devotion: day by day, having bathed and being purified, let him offer fresh water to the gods, the sages, and the manes; let him shew respect to the images of the deities, and bring wood for the oblation to fire. Let him abstain from honey, from flesh-meat, from perfumes, from chaplets of flowers, from sweet vegetable juices, from women, from all sweet substances turned acid, and from injury to animated beings; from unguents for his limbs, and from black powder for his eyes; from sandals, and carrying an umbrella, from sensual desire, from wrath, from covetousness, from dancing, and from vocal and instrumental music, from gaming, from disputes, from detraction, and from falsehood, from embracing or wantonly looking at women, and from disservice to other men."

The number of holidays among the Hindoos is a most serious drawback not only upon the industry but on the learning of the country: the colleges are invariably closed, and all studies laid aside, on the eighth of the waxing or waning of the moon; on the day in which it may happen to thunder; whenever a person or an animal passes between the teacher and the pupil while reading; whenever an honourable person arrives as a guest; at the festival of Surus wütee, during three days; in some parts, during the whole of the rainy season, or at least during two months, which include the Doorga, the Kalee, and other festivals,-and at many other times.

SECTION III.

Total decline of learning.

No reasonable person will deny to the Hindoos of former times the praise of very extensive learning. The varieiy of subjects upon which they wrote prove, that almost every science was cultivated among them. The manner also in which they treated these subjects proves, that the Hindoo learned men yielded the palm of learning to scarcely any other of the ancients. The more their philosophical works and law books are studied, the more will the enquirer be convinced of the depth of wisdom possessed by the authors. It would be unjust to compare works, some of them written perhaps three thousand years ago, with those of the moderns, who must naturally be expected to have made greater advances in every department of science; but let the most learned and

profound of the Hindoo writings be compared with the writings of any nation flourish ing at the same period, and the decision, the author is inclined to think, will be in favour of the Hindoos.

At present, almost every person who engages in the pursuit of knowledge, does so for the sake of a subsistence, or for the increase of his wealth. India contains few if any in-. dividuals who, satisfied with their present possessions, devote their time to the pursuit of science. The whole is a trade; hence knowledge is only so far pursued as it will be productive of money, and no art or science is carried to perfection; each person furnishes himself with what he thinks will carry him through life; he has no ambition to. enlarge the bounds of knowledge; he makes no experiments; it never enters into his mind that he can exceed his forefathers; to gain the smallest moiety of what they acquired, is almost more than he hopes to realize..

It is laid down as a rule in the shastrus, that a gift to a bramhun is meritorious in proportion to his learning: hence those who are esteemed the most learned carry away the most costly presents at the close of feasts and great ceremonies: different offices under government require a knowledge of some of the law books; this excites many to apply themselves to this sort of learning. To be a family priest, it is necessary that a person be acquainted with many of the forms of the Hindoo religion; and these forms are not to be obtained without reading. It is owing to these, and the like circumstances, that the little knowledge the present race of Hindoos possess of their own shastrus is preserved. A considerable number of the bramlions and voidyus learn the Songskritů grammar, but the old Sungskritu,, the dialect of the védů, is known by very few..

Amongst one hundred thousand bramhins, there may be one thousand who learn the grammar of the Sungskritŭ; of whom four or five hundred may read some parts of the kavyŭ, and fifty some parts of the ŭlunkaru shastros.. Four hundred of this thousand may read some of the smritees; but not more than ten, any parts of the tùntrus. Three hundred may study the nayŭ, but only five or six the meemangsů, the sankhyň, the védanti, the patinjulu, the voishéshiku shastrus, or the védă. Ten persons in this number of bramhans may become learned in the astronomical shastrus, while ten more

understand them very imperfectly. Fifty of this thousand may read the Shree Bhagăvitů and some of the pooranus. Those who study the védů and the dŭrshunus are considered as the most learned. The next in rank are those who study the smritees.

In general men of learning possess from ten to twenty Sungskriti books. A few of the most learned possess not less than a hundred volumes. Of late several Hindoos have begun to form pretty large collections of Sungskritŭ works. In the library of ShreeRamă-Huree-Vishwasŭ, a kayŭst'hō, of Khurdōh, near Serampore, not less than one thousand volumes are found, and perhaps nearly the same number in that of raja NuvŏKrishno of Calcutta.-The shastrus have not the title of the book at the beginning, but at the end of each volume. At the commencement of the work is a salutation to the guardian deity of the author, and at the close the name of the work and of the writer.

Among the works found in the library of a Hindoo of some learning are the following: one of the g ammars, a dictionary, the roots of the Sungskritu, a comment on some grammar, five or six volumes of the poets for the use of the young, among which are the Bhattee of Bhurtree-Hiree, and the Koomar and Rughoo-Vingshň of Kalee-Dasă; one or two law books, with some comment; part or the whole of some popular work on astronomy; a chapter or two of some poorană; a few abridgments on the common ceremonies, and a copy of the Chindee, a popular work on the wars of Doorga, extracted from the Markindéyů poorană, and containing 700 verses. Those persons in

whose libraries copies of any of the durshůnus are found, are considered as very learnBooks which have been preserved through five or six generations are found in some families.

ed.

In the houses of the bramhans who do not pursue learning, a few forms of praise te the gods, and formulas of worship, in Sungskrito, drawn up or copied on loose leaves.of paper by some neighbouring bramhun, may be found; and this too is the amount of what is seen in the houses of the most respectable shoodrus. In the dialects of the country, however, very many persons of this degree of rank preserve copies of the Ramayunů, the Muhabharity, the Vidya-Soonduri, and the Chúndee; and in some houses may be found